Amy Allen was named Songwriter of the Year, Sony Music Publishing took home Publisher of the Year for a tenth time, and Die With a Smile by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars was honored as Song of the Year at the 2026 ASCAP Pop Music Awards on Thursday (April 30) in Los Angeles.
The ceremony, held at the Chaplin Studios in Hollywood, celebrated the songwriters and publishers behind the most-performed ASCAP pop songs of the past year, as determined by terrestrial and satellite radio data and on-demand audio streams provided by Luminate.
Allen, who is signed to Warner Chappell Music, co-wrote five of ASCAP’s most-performed songs of the past year: APT. (ROSÉ & Bruno Mars), High Road (Koe Wetzel & Jessie Murph), and three Sabrina Carpenter hits — Tears, Manchild and Bed Chem.
Allen’s ASCAP honor follows her becoming the first woman to win the Grammy for Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical, in 2025. She repeated the feat at the 2026 Grammys in February, becoming the first songwriter to win the award twice.
The Song of the Year award went to Die With a Smile, co-written by ASCAP songwriter James Fauntleroy and published by Warner Chappell Music.
The Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars duet spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 60 weeks on the chart overall.
ASCAP said it also topped Billboard‘s year-end Hot 100, which it described as a first for a duet featuring a female and male soloist each in lead roles in the chart’s 67-year history.
“This recognition speaks to the exceptional talent of our songwriters and the passion they bring to their craft every day. It’s a privilege to support such an inspiring community of creators.”
Katie Welle, Sony Music Publishing
Sony Music Publishing was named Publisher of the Year for its contributions across 27 of the past year’s most-performed pop songs, including It’s ok I’m ok (Tate McRae), Man I Need (Olivia Dean), Messy (Lola Young), Pink Pony Club (Chappell Roan), Ordinary (Alex Warren) and Blue Strips (Jessie Murph).
It is SMP’s 10th Publisher of the Year win at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards. The company won the award for a ninth time at the equivalent ceremony 12 months ago.
“We are honored to be named ASCAP’s Pop Publisher of the Year,” said Katie Welle, Sony Music Publishing President, Head of A&R.
“This recognition speaks to the exceptional talent of our songwriters and the passion they bring to their craft every day. It’s a privilege to support such an inspiring community of creators.”
Welle added: “Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees, and thank you ASCAP, as well as our outstanding team for their continued dedication to songwriters.”
Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey received the ASCAP Creative Voice Award, presented by Suki Waterhouse. The award recognizes ASCAP members whose career achievements are informed by their creative spirit and their contributions to the community. Previous recipients include Questlove, Wyclef Jean and Lyle Lovett.
Other 2026 ASCAP Pop Music Award-winning songwriters included Jack Antonoff (Manchild, luther, squabble up, tv off), Max Martin (The Fate of Ophelia, Dancing in the Flames, Opalite, Twilight Zone), Cirkut (Abracadabra, APT.), Justin Bieber (DAISES, YUKON), Myles Smith (Nice to Meet You), Audrey Hobert (That’s So True), Daniel Nigro (Pink Pony Club), David Guetta (Forever Young), Mustard (tv off), Timbaland (Sticky), Ashley Gorley (Love Somebody) and EJAE (Golden).
ASCAP reported record revenue of $1.945 billion for calendar 2025 in February, distributing $1.759 billion to songwriters, composers and music publishers.Music Business Worldwide
The 2026 ASCAP Pop Music Awards took place on April 30 in Los Angeles, celebrating the achievements of songwriters and publishers behind the most-performed pop songs of the previous year. The event, hosted at Chaplin Studios in Hollywood, highlighted the contributions of ASCAP members, using data from terrestrial and satellite radio and on-demand audio streams provided by Luminate to determine the winners.
Amy Allen was honored as Songwriter of the Year, marking a significant achievement as she co-wrote five of the most-performed ASCAP songs in the past year. These included collaborations with prominent artists like ROSÉ and Bruno Mars, as well as hits for Sabrina Carpenter, such as « Tears, » « Manchild, » and « Bed Chem. » Allen’s recognition follows her historic win at the 2025 Grammy Awards, where she became the first woman to receive the Grammy for Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical, and she made history again in 2026 by becoming the first songwriter to win the award twice.
The prestigious Song of the Year award was given to « Die With a Smile, » a duet by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, co-written by ASCAP songwriter James Fauntleroy and published by Warner Chappell Music. The song achieved remarkable success, spending five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and maintaining a presence on the chart for 60 weeks. Notably, it also topped Billboard’s year-end Hot 100, marking a historic moment as the first duet featuring both a female and male soloist in lead roles to achieve this in the chart’s 67-year history.
Katie Welle, President and Head of A&R at Sony Music Publishing (SMP), expressed pride in the company’s significant contributions to the music industry. This year marked the tenth time SMP received the Publisher of the Year award, with the company being recognized for its role in 27 of the top-performing pop songs of the year. Some of these songs included « It’s ok I’m ok » by Tate McRae, « Man I Need » by Olivia Dean, and « Pink Pony Club » by Chappell Roan. Welle acknowledged the dedication and talent of their songwriters and thanked ASCAP for the recognition.
The ASCAP Creative Voice Award was presented to Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey by Suki Waterhouse. This award recognizes ASCAP members whose career achievements reflect their creative spirit and contributions to the community, with previous winners including well-known artists like Questlove and Wyclef Jean.
Other notable winners at the 2026 ASCAP Pop Music Awards included songwriters such as Jack Antonoff, who contributed to several tracks including « Manchild, » and Max Martin, recognized for his work on « The Fate of Ophelia » and « Dancing in the Flames. » Additional winners included Cirkut, Justin Bieber, Myles Smith, Audrey Hobert, Daniel Nigro, David Guetta, Mustard, Timbaland, Ashley Gorley, and EJAE, all celebrated for their contributions to the pop music landscape.
ASCAP reported record revenue of $1.945 billion for the calendar year 2025, distributing $1.759 billion to songwriters, composers, and music publishers, highlighting the growing success and importance of songwriters in the music industry. This financial success underscores the vital role that ASCAP plays in supporting and promoting the creative community.
Overall, the 2026 ASCAP Pop Music Awards not only recognized individual achievements but also celebrated the collaborative nature of songwriting and the music publishing industry, showcasing the diverse talents that continue to shape the sound of contemporary pop music.
