The five honorees at the 2024 SONA Warrior Awards held last night (October 6) at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles do much more than write the songs that make the whole world sing. Willie "PROPHET" Stiggers, the late songwriter Andrea Martin, Thomas Scherer, RAYE, and Ross Golan were celebrated by the Songwriters of North America (SONA) at the organization’s fourth annual gala for being extraordinary music creators and visionary business leaders who exemplify SONA’s mission of fostering a community of inclusion and uniting passionate creatives, songwriter advocates, and allies.
The SONA Warrior Awards is an event for songwriters held by songwriters honoring songwriters, artists, executives, and activists. It’s a celebration of music and the people who make it. The awards are not doled out based upon the number of record sales or streams, but to acknowledge the leadership and the impact made by these “warriors,” contributions usually made behind the scenes away from the limelight.
“I was so excited to celebrate the 2024 Warrior Awards honorees in front of a packed and enthusiastic house filled with songwriters and the people who love us. We’re in the background so much of the time, but songwriters and composers are a brilliant, funny, and entertaining bunch with lots to say. And we clean up well! Shining the spotlight and putting mics on us, it was an inspiring and meaningful night,” said SONA CEO Michelle Lewis.
After Lewis welcomed the crowd, she introduced the event’s hosts, songwriters Shane Stevens (Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Carrie Underwood) and Bonnie McKee (Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Kesha).
The United Kingdom-based RAYE was feted first, accepting her award via video after being introduced by GRAMMY nominated songwriter and producer Michael Sabath (Lizzo, Meghan Trainor, the Jonas Brothers). The singer-songwriter is the first woman to win Songwriter of the Year, making history by winning six BRIT Awards, including Best Artist, Best Album, Best Song, and Best Songwriter, after receiving a record seven nominations. She’s written songs for some of the brightest stars in music - from Charli XCX to Beyoncé - but it was RAYE’s own records that scored eight UK top 20 singles, five billion Spotify streams, and registered her first No. 1 single in the UK for the global hit, “Escapism,” which was the best-selling single by a female British artist last year. The certified platinum single was her first to hit the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. RAYE’s triumphs come after overcoming the adversity of a prolonged battle with her record label, eventually resulting in her freedom to release her debut album, “My 21st Century Blues,” independently. She adds her SONA Warrior Award to her prestigious Ivor Novello Award awarded for songwriting and composing.
Songwriter and ASCAP President Paul Williams, a three-time GRAMMY winner, two-time Golden Globe winner, and an Oscar winner, was present to introduce Sylvia Rhone, the chairwoman and CEO of Sony’s EPIC Records, who bestowed the 2024 SONA Warrior Award to the family of the late songwriter Martin. Martin wrote hit songs for powerhouse female R&B stars including Toni Braxton (“I Love Me Some Him”), En Vogue (“Don’t Let Go”), Monica (“Before You Walk Out of my Life”), Angie Stone (“Wish I Didn’t Miss You”), Leona Lewis (“Better in Time”), Melanie Fiona (“It Kills Me”), and SWV (“You’re the One”). Two-time GRAMMY winner Fiona performed in tribute to Martin.
GRAMMY winner Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) presented the 2024 SONA Warrior Award to Scherer. Spending nearly three decades at BMG and its parent company Bertelsmann as an artist, songwriter, music publisher, producer, label owner, and executive, Scherer has quarterbacked the signing and resigning of songwriters including GRAMMY, Oscar, Emmy, and Golden Globe winner Diane Warren, Bebe Rexha, and Lewis Capaldi. He’s also secured the rights to more than fifty song catalogs by Paul Simon, Mötley Crüe, Five Finger Death Punch, and Gucci Mane among them. In addition to serving as president of music publishing in North America, Scherer was named president of global catalog recordings earlier this year.
Mega-selling and 11-time GRAMMY nominated songwriter, producer, and record executive Benny Blanco (Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran) took the stage to honor Ross Golan, a multiplatinum songwriter, record producer, playwright, and the host of the songwriter-centric podcast “And the Writer Is…” As a powerful advocate, Golan played a role in passing the Music Modernization Act, adding songwriters to and abolishing the 33% rule for the GRAMMY’s Album of the Year category. He’s also the first songwriter to serve as a board member of the National Music Publishers Association. After collecting his 2024 SONA Warrior Award, Golan performed the song he wrote for Ariana Grande, “Dangerous Woman.”
The evening’s final honoree was Stiggers, who is better known as PROPHET, co-founder, CEO, and president of the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC). BMAC is a force in the music industry that advocates for racial equity and justice within the music industry on behalf of Black artists
GRAMMY winning and two-time Oscar nominated singer-songwriter Siedah Garrett closed the show with a performance of the empowering hit “Man in the Mirror,” which she co wrote for Michael Jackson.
The SONA Warrior Awards is also a fundraiser for the organization thus the event included a live auction during which guests bided on such prizes as tickets to see the Eagles’ concert at The Sphere in Las Vegas, songwriting sessions with Stevens and Lauren Christy (Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, Chris Brown), Henry Diltz photos of legendary singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, and champagne jeroboams. The proceeds of the event and auction help fund SONA’s advocacy work all year long.
