Ariana Grande Wins Songwriter of the Year at 2025 SESAC LA Music Awards
On Thursday night, SESAC honored Ariana Grande as the group’s songwriter of the year.
The Grammy-winning pop artist, who just revealed her first seven-year tour in celebration of her album “Eternal Sunshine,” was also honored for the set’s hit song, “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love).” Grande set the record for female artists with the most number-one debuts in history as the track became her seventh song to debut at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
Universal Music Group Publishing, the winner of the publisher of the year award, released “We Can’t Be Friends.” The firm was also responsible for several of the evening’s award-winning songs, such as Linkin Park’s “The Emptiness Machine” and Coldplay’s “We Pray,” which included Little Simz, Burna Boy, Elyanna, and Tini.
For the fourth year in a row, SESAC held its awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Thursday, honoring dozens of composers behind the most-performed songs of 2024 across a range of genres at the W Hotel in Hollywood.
In recognition of their achievements as prolific producers—who have collaborated with well-known musicians including Travis Scott, Future, Beyoncé, Megan thee Stallion, and others—Dez Wright and The Legendary Traxster were each given producer of the year accolades. Jack Harlow, Emily Armstrong, Dahi, Japanese Breakfast, Green Day, Fede Vindver, Sam Tinnesz, and others are other award-winning writers.
The chief creative officer of SESAC Performing Rights, Sam Kling, said, “We’re proud to honor the incredible songwriters and publishers who make our music come alive.” “These songs are the result of immense dedication and talent, and we’re thrilled to shine a spotlight on the amazing contributions of our SESAC family.”
Kling revealed that two members of the creative team, John Sweeney and James Leach, were honored with posthumous legacy awards for their service and commitment to advancing the industry as well as to their work at SESAC and the songwriters they represented.
Kling, SESAC President and COO Scott Jungmichel, Senior VP, Head of LA Creative Mario Prins, and VP, Creative Services Diana Akin Scarfo were present to celebrate. For the third year in a row, Tamara Jade, an artist and composer for SESAC whose most recent hit, “Werq,” was released in July, was the MC for the event.
