BMI paid tribute to the best in songwriting at the 2024 BMI Pop Awards held tonight at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.
The multiple platinum-selling recording artist and songwriter benny blanco was honored with the BMI President’s Award, celebrating his prolific career which has produced countless songs that resonate with fans worldwide.
In addition, BMI’s Pop Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Publisher of the Year and BMI’s top 50 most-performed pop songs in the U.S. of the previous year were also announced.
The private event was hosted by BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill and Vice President, Worldwide Creative, Barbara Cane.
As the night’s top honoree, blanco was presented with the BMI President’s Award by O’Neill, who praised the multi-hyphenate creator as an “unstoppable creative force who has shaped the sound of popular music” through his “unique artistry and diverse style.”
Some of blanco’s top collaborators sent in video congratulatory messages including Lil Dicky, John Janick, Blake Slatkin and Ed Sheeran, who said the honor was “well-deserved” and thanked him for his “great friendship and fantastic memories.”
Sheeran went on to say, “we’ve made great music together and I’m so proud of you.” Sia then hit the stage for a striking tribute performance of Rihanna’s 2012 hit “Diamonds,” which she co-wrote with blanco.
On receiving the honor, blanco said, “I’m never not gonna live in the moment… and looking around at everyone and all of the things you’re achieving and hearing all of these amazing songs… I’m so proud because I’m thinking of how it felt when I won those awards.”
He continued by saying, “We have the best job in the world, and we are so thankful and lucky to be in this room. We have the opportunity to make things better through music and help people. We’re giving the soundtrack to peoples’ lives.”
As a songwriter, record producer, actor, author and artist, blanco is renowned for his unique style and ability to craft chart-topping hits across genres.
He has written and produced hits like “Circus” by Britney Spears, “Lonely” by Justin Bieber and “Eastside” featuring Halsey and Khalid to name just a few.
He has also cultivated an extensive discography, collaborating with top-tier artists like Selena Gomez, Ke$ha, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, Sia, SZA, The Weeknd and many more.
Throughout his career, blanco has amassed 29 #1 songs, a Golden Globe nomination and 11 GRAMMY nominations, including Producer of the Year.
In 2013 blanco received the Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and won the iHeart Radio Producer of the Year Award in 2017. He also has accumulated 55 BMI Awards, was named Songwriter of the Year four times, and won Pop Song of the Year in 2013 for “Moves Like Jagger” performed by Maroon 5.
In receiving BMI President’s Award, blanco joins previous recipients including Luis Fonsi, Noel Gallagher, Ellie Goulding, Imagine Dragons, Jay Kay of Jamiroquai, Ludacris, P!nk, Willie Nelson, Pitbull, Taylor Swift, Brian Wilson, and Dwight Yoakam, to name a few.
BMI’s Pop Songwriter of the Year went to Taylor Swift for ten of the previous year’s most-performed songs, including “Anti-Hero,” “Bejeweled,” “Cruel Summer,” “Karma,” “Lavender Haze,” “Maroon,” “Midnight Rain,” “Snow on the Beach,” “Vigilante Shit” and “You’re on Your Own, Kid.”
The celebrated singer/songwriter has received a total of 65 BMI Awards over her career and was honored with the BMI President Award in 2009 the BMI Taylor Swift Award in 2016.
Throughout the ceremony, the 50 most-performed pop songs of the previous year in the U.S. were also revealed, leading up to BMI’s Pop Song of the Year, which went to “Flowers” written and performed by Miley Cyrus with co-writers Gregory “Aldae” Hein and Michael Pollack.
The massive hit became the longest-running number one-song in the history of Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, spending 46 weeks on the top and it also scored Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2024 GRAMMY Awards.
Sony Music Publishing received Publisher of the Year for the seventh year in a row representing 34 of the previous year’s most performed songs, including “Anti-Hero,” “Barbie World,” “Eyes Closed,” “Flowers,” “Trustfall” and “Unholy” to name a few.
BMI also celebrated 53 first time Pop Award winners including Sabrina Carpenter (“Nonsense”), Ice Spice (“Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2”), Jelly Roll and Rob Ragosta (“Need A Favor”), Kamille (“I’m Good (Blue)”), Stephen Sanchez (“Until I Found You”) and more.
