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The ASCAP Pop Music Awards are taking place as a virtual event over two days this year, and rather than make anyone wait through any of the programming to find out the winners, the performing rights organization named its honorees right at the outset of the festivities Wednesday morning — including props to the Jonas Brothers’ “Sucker” as the pop song of the year.
“Sucker” was also a major factor in Louis Bell being named ASCAP’s songwriter of the year, with the kudos citing him for co-writing not just that Jonas smash but also Halsey’s “Without Me” and “Goodbyes” by Post Malone with Young Thug. The org said a video acceptance speech by Bell would be going up on ASCAP’s social accounts.
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While “Sucker” won for song of the year, the most streamed song of the year award went to Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road (Remix),” which had Jozzy and a still presumably very bemused Trent Reznor as its ASCAP contributors.
Kobalt was named publisher of the year for songs including Maroon 5’s “Memories” and the Diplo/Ellie Goulding/Swae Lee hit “Close to You.” Independent publisher of the year honors went to BMG, with Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved” and Lil Nas X’s “Panini” among that publisher’s top-performing songs.
ASCAP is promising to post videos and photos from songwriters whose hits won awards on its Twitter and Instagram accounts over the next two days.
ASCAP’s list of most performed songs for the year that will have trophies going out to its affiliated writers includes “7 Rings,” “Bad Guy,” “Be Alright,” “Beautiful,” “Beautiful People,” “Better,” “Better Now,” “Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored,” “Breathin,” “Broken,” “Circles,” “Close to Me,” “Dancing With a Stranger,” “Delicate,” “Feel It Still,” “Going Bad,” “Goodbyes,” “Happier,” “Hey Look Ma, I Made It,” “HIgh Hopes,” “How Do You Sleep,” “I Don’t Care,” “If I Can’t Have You,” “Look Back at It,” “Love Lies,” “ME!,” “Memories,” “The Middle,” “No Guidance,” “Old Town Road (Remix),” “Only Human,” “Panini,” “Please Me,” “Senorita,” “Shallow,” “Sicko Mode,” “Someone You Loved,” “Speechless,” “Sucker,” “Sunflower,” “Sweet but Psycho,” “Thank U, Next,” “Trampoline,” “Trip,” “Wake Up in the Sky,” “Walk Me Home,” “Without Me,” “Wow.” and “Youngblood.”
The ASCAP Pop Awards rollout, happening in lieu of the annual black-tie banquet in Beverly Hills, was first planned to happen online over three days, then condensed to two in deference to Juneteenth becoming a more widely observed holiday on Friday. The PRO does have a separate three-day awards celebration happening next week, in the form of the ASCAP Screen Awards.
As previously announced, the second day of the Pop Awards’ online rollout will coincide with a day of programming for the ASCAP Experience, a conference largely aimed at neophytes and up-and-comers in the business that is going virtual this year. Highlights Thursday will include a conversation between Finneas and Glen Hansard and a gospel music panel. Unlike the awards programming, which will be found on ASCAP’s social accounts, the Experience programming will take place on a dedicated website (click here).
The tightly packed performing rights organization season is well underway, as BMI announced its Film, TV & Visual Media Awards online Tuesday.
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