04/30/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/30/2026 21:35
"Die with a Smile" Honored as Song of the Year
Sony Music Publishing Celebrated as Publisher of the Year
Laufey Receives ASCAP Creative Voice Award
NEW YORK, April 30, 2026 - Recognizing the chart-topping songwriters and publishers defining the sound of pop music, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) celebrates the music creators behind the most-performed songs of the past year with an exclusive event in Los Angeles tonight to honor this year's ASCAP Pop Music Award winners.
A go-to collaborator for some of today's biggest pop stars, Amy Allen takes home ASCAP Pop Songwriter of the Year. The reigning Grammy Songwriter of the Year co-wrote five of ASCAP's most-performed songs of the past year including "APT." (ROSÉ & Bruno Mars) and "High Road" (Koe Wetzel & Jessie Murph) along with the Sabrina Carpenter hits "Tears," "Manchild" and "Bed Chem."
"Die with a Smile" is the ASCAP Pop Music Song of the Year. Co-written by ASCAP songwriter James Fauntleroy and published by Warner Chappell Music, the record-breaking duet from Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars spent five weeks at #1 and 60 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 overall. It also topped Billboard's year-end Hot 100, making history as the first-ever duet by a female and male soloist each in lead roles to do so in the chart's 67-year history.
ASCAP Pop Music Publisher of the Year goes to Sony Music Publishing. The publisher takes home the prestigious recognition for its contributions to pop music over the past year. Among its impressive list of works are hits penned and recorded by ASCAP members such as "Blue Strips" (Jessie Murph), "Folded" (Kehlani), "It's ok I'm ok" (Tate McRae), "Man I Need" (Olivia Dean), "Messy" (Lola Young), "Mutt" (Leon Thomas), "Ordinary" (Alex Warren), "Pink Pony Club" (Chappell Roan) and more.
Two-time Grammy-winning composer, singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Laufey accepts the prestigious ASCAP Creative Voice Award. The award was presented by British actress and singer Suki Waterhouse. It recognizes ASCAP members whose significant career achievements are informed by their creative spirit and their contributions to the role that a creator can play in the community, and has previously gone to artists including Questlove, Wyclef Jean and Lyle Lovett.
Other 2026 ASCAP Pop Music Award-winning songwriters include Jack Antonoff ("Manchild," "luther," "squabble up," "tv off"), EJAE ("Golden"), Cirkut ("Abracadabra," "APT."), Justin Bieber ("DAISES," "YUKON"), Max Martin ("The Fate of Ophelia," "Dancing in the Flames," "Opalite," "Twilight Zone"), Myles Smith ("Nice to Meet You"), Ashley Gorley ("Love Somebody"), Audrey Hobert ("That's So True"), Daniel Nigro ("Pink Pony Club"), David Guetta ("Forever Young"), Dijon "Mustard" McFarlane ("tv off") and Timbaland ("Sticky").
The ASCAP Pop Music Awards honor the songwriters and publishers of the most-performed ASCAP pop songs of 2025. The winning songs are determined by data for terrestrial and satellite radio and for programmed and on-demand audio streams, all provided by Luminate Data LLC in accordance with ASCAP's publicly available rules.
More information on the 2026 ASCAP Pop Music Awards winners is available at www.ascap.com/popawards26.
About ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a membership association of more than 1.1 million songwriters, composers and music publishers, and represents some of the world's most talented music creators. Founded and governed by songwriters, composers and publishers, it returns nearly 90 cents of every dollar collected to its members as royalties and has the lowest overhead rate of any U.S. PRO. ASCAP licenses a repertory of over 20 million musical works to hundreds of thousands of businesses that use music, including streaming services, cable television, radio and satellite radio and brick and mortar businesses such as retail stores, hotels, clubs, restaurants and bars. ASCAP collects the licensing fees and identifies, matches, processes and pays royalties to its members for trillions of performances every year. The ASCAP blanket license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. ASCAP puts music creators first, advocating for their rights and the value of music on Capitol Hill, driving innovation that moves the industry forward, building community and providing the resources and support that creators need to succeed in their careers. Learn more and stay in touch at www.ascap.com, on X and Instagram @ASCAP and on Facebook.
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CONTACT:
Bobbi Marcus
[email protected]