Charli xcx delivered a heartfelt salute to “The Velvet Underground & Nico.” Jack Antonoff cheekily told a roomful of music industry insiders that “some of you care more about Pop Crave than Pitchfork.” Lana Del Rey confessed she didn’t submit her music for Grammy nominations early on because she didn’t know how. Olivia Rodrigo outed producer Dan Nigro as “the man who finally taught me how to parallel park.” And Lainey Wilson spoke from the heart about her journey that began in a tiny Louisiana town “writing about tequila and cigarettes at 10 years old” on Saturday during Variety’s eighth annual Hitmakers Brunch saluting the artists and industry insiders behind the year’s 25 top songs.
The event, emceed by Jem Aswad, Variety’s executive editor of music, at Nya West in Hollywood was presented by AFEELA, a new brand developed by Sony Honda Mobility.
Introduced by “Bodies Bodies Bodies” star Rachel Sennott, Charli xcx threw a curveball into her acceptance remarks as Hitmaker of the Year when she noted that the definition of “hit” is in the eye of the beholder. She cited the 1967 debut album by the legendary Velvet Underground (the one with the Andy Warhol banana peel cover) as an example of a work that remains profoundly influential but sold all of 30,000 copies in its initial release.
“This record is one of the most influential and groundbreaking records of our time. It’s the apex of fine art and dirty culture, colliding high and low, poetry meets drugs, earnest and arrogant,” she said. She also noted that the Warhol cover has been featured in the world’s most prestigious art museums.
With a big dose of humility, she closed by observing that while one of her album covers has yet to make it “to the Guggenheim or the Whitney or the Tate, some of my merch is able to be purchased at Urban Outfitters. I guess that means I’m halfway there.” (As Charli delivered her remarks, the internet began to smolder as fans reacted to her dress that left little to the imagination, particularly on top.)
The brunch event was packed with several hundred music industry insiders, songwriters, producers, label executives as well as talent managers, publicists and lawyers. The mood was buoyant after a solid year for tunesmiths and diskeries with massive hits from both established artists and newcomers such as Shaboozey and Benson Boone, who were both feted with Hitmakers’ Newcomer of the Year kudos.
Shaboozey sent a pre-recorded video because he landed the musical guest slot on Saturday’s edition of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” and thus had to be on the other side of the country. The singer of “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” reflected on his humble beginnings as “a young kid in a small town” who found that music was a vehicle for his creativity “that would resonate with me and with other people,” he said. “To see how far I’ve come is truly humbling. Hopefully, next year is even crazier than this.”
Boone was on hand to accept the glass trophy for Newcomer of the Year, presented by AFEELA.
“I don’t think I’m your average musician. I did not grow up doing music. I found my voice about five years ago,” Boone told the crowd. “This is a wild industry and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
Del Rey came out to present Producer of the Decade to Antonoff, who has been on a roll of late through his work with Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and more. She teased her frequent collaborator with a nod to his status as a champion producer, songwriter and artist himself.
“You’ll be richer than all of us with your 50% on everything,” she joked.
Antonoff had some zingers of his own, including a promise that he too is about to sue Universal Music (a nod to the litigation launched by Drake over the success of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”).
“The reason I enjoy Hollywood is because I don’t live here,” he confessed. After talking up Del Rey’s prodigious skills as an artist, he added, “She’s the only person I feel comfortable putting a ton of pressure on.”
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On a more earnest note, the frontman of the Bleachers spoke of his maturation as a man and as an artist, pointing to his marriage to actress Margaret Qualley. He urged the crowd to take stock of the relationships, good and bad, that they have in their professional lives. “We all make our best work when we’re being decent,” he said.
Wilson was recognized as Storyteller of the Year. She’s been on the upswing ever since she landed a role on the hit Taylor Sheridan TV series “Yellowstone.” No less than a superstar than Reba McEntire did the honors of presenting the award to Wilson. “She doesn’t just sing a song, she lives it,” McEntire enthused.
Wilson said the hat tip to her talents as a storyteller was particularly meaningful to her. She recalled how family members would swap yarns around the kitchen table when she was a kid growing up in Baskin, La., population 180.
“The cool thing about storytelling is, it outlives us,” she said. “Thank you, Jesus, and thank you, Variety.”
Rodrigo, who was honored last year as Hitmakers’ Storyteller of the Year, praised Nigro, the writer-producer who has been crucial in helping her grow as a songwriter (and as a driver). She described him as the kind of empathetic collaborator who listens to her work, suggests a tweak or two “and suddenly the song goes from pretty good to life-changing.”
Nigro himself marveled at how his career has blossomed in the three years since he was recognized as Hitmakers’ Songwriter of the Year in 2021. “I was so nervous, I had so much imposter syndrome,” he confessed of his first visit to Hitmakers. After a big year with Rodrigo, as well as his work with the white-hot Chappell Roan, “It’s been a pretty awesome ride and I’m very grateful,” he said.
Another emotional highlight of the afternoon was the presentation of the Hitmakers Humanitarian of the Year to Quavo, for the work he has done to prevent gun violence in the wake of the 2022 shooting death of his Migos bandmate Takeoff.
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“Losing my brother Takeoff was the worst moment in my life. I didn’t know where to go, where to turn, I didn’t know if I still wanted to make music,” Quavo told the crowd.
Pouring his energy into anti-violence programs through his Rocket Foundation and other outlets helped him find renewed purpose, he said. Quavo dedicated the Hitmakers honor to “everyone fighting for change and fighting for my brother Takeoff, who inspires me every day.”
Label of the Year honors were bestowed once again on Republic Records, which has claimed the honor five out of the past eight years. Label co-founder Avery Lipman brought key Republic executives Wendy Goldstein, Alex Coslov and Jackie Winkler up on stage with him. He noted that the executives are more accustomed to watching their artists – notables such as Taylor Swift, Post Malone, Ariana Grande, Drake and the Weeknd – win awards.
“You will not find a more self-loathing group of people than the folks that work at Republic,” Lipman stated. “The blessing and the curse of Republic is that we’re never satisfied. We’re always looking forward.”
Lipman noted that even as Republic’s world within Universal Music Group has expanded into the Republic Corps Collective, which now encompasses the Mercury, Island and Def Jam labels, the operating principles remain the same: “We respect [artists], we revere them and most importantly we love them. In addition to making great music, they are really helping to make the world a better place,” he said.
Warner Music chiefs Tom Corson and Aaron Bay-Schuck were hailed as Executives of the Year, in recognition of the turnaround that the two have executed at the storied label.
“I really strive to be a coach more than a boss. I perceive feedback as a gift,” Corson said in describing the culture at Warner Music. “Communication with compassion gets us through the naughty times.”
Bay-Schuck noted that the company’s turnaround began when the pair “committed ourselves to artist development.” On a personal note, he added that the improving fortunes also coincided with the birth of his son, something that has “made the good days even sweetener and the shitty ones not so bad.”
The event also provided a showcase for the upcoming Amazon Prime Video series “Celebrity Substitute,” which brings celebrities into public elementary schools to work with students for the day. The series, hosted by Julian Shapiro-Barnum, also highlights the Amazon Wish List feature for schools to make it easy to alert parents and charities about a school’s specific needs. “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo is among the guest stars.
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In a nutshell, “This show is a celebration of those teachers, the immense talent of our celebrity guests, Julian’s incredible ability to connect with kids and the pure joy of creativity in the classroom,” said Amy Powell, Amazon’s global head of entertainment marketing.
Wells Fargo was a premier partner of Hitmakers, while Spotify was an official partner. Amazon Music, Atlantic Records, BMG, Meta, Riot Games, Sandbox Entertainment, Sony Music Publishing, Warner Music Group and Warner Records were all supporting partners.
From Variety US