Accolade Celebrating Female Songwriters to be Presented at City of Hope’s 14th Annual ‘Songs of Hope’ in Sherman Oaks on Sept. 13.
LOS ANGELES – September 5, 2018 — Universal Music Publishing Group, a leading worldwide music publisher, today announced that global music icon and Top Dawg Entertainment recording artist SZA will be named as the first-ever “She Is The Music” honoree, recognizing female songwriters for their contributions to music and impact on culture. UMPG Global Chairman and CEO Jody Gerson will present the award at Songs of Hope XIV, the event benefitting world-renowned independent cancer research and treatment center City of Hope.
A universally acclaimed artist and celebrated voice of a generation, SZA has become one of the most influential forces in modern music and culture. Signed to UMPG, her RIAA-certified Platinum debut studio album Ctrl (TDE/RCA) was ranked as the best album of 2017 by Time. SZA wrote all of the songs on Ctrl including the Platinum-selling “Love Galore,” “The Weekend,” and “Garden.” She has also co-penned hits including “What Lovers Do” with Maroon 5, "All the Stars" with Kendrick Lamar, and "I Do" with Cardi B, and written songs for superstars including Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj and Rihanna. In 2017, SZA made history as the year’s leading female Grammy nominee, earning five nominations.
Through this honor, SZA will be recognized for her creative excellence in songwriting, influence on women in music and impact on culture. The female-focused distinction is named for the ‘She Is The Music’ industry initiative, an inclusive call-to-action to increase opportunities and equality for women in music. The organization was created in response to an industry report from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative revealing staggering gender disparities for female creators working in music.
Songs of Hope XIV presented by Spotify will be held on Thursday, September 13, 2018 at hit-maker Alex da Kid’s KIDinaKORNER Kampus, in Sherman Oaks, CA.
City of Hope previously announced award presenters and recipients including:
• Clive Davis “Legend in Songwriting” Award, presented by Clive Davis to Benny Blanco and Mike Will Made-It
• Martin Bandier “Vanguard” Award, presented by Marty Bandier to Sarah Aarons
• Warner/Chappell Music “Icon of Hope” Award, presented by Carianne Marshall and Kurt Deutsch to Stephen Schwartz
• Electronic Arts “Composer of the Year” Award presented by Steve Schnur to James Newton Howard
• Songs of Hope Beverly and Ben Horowitz Legacy Award presented by Zach Horowitz to international expert in leukemia, lymphoma and bone marrow transplantation, Stephen J. Forman, M.D., the Francis & Kathleen McNamara Distinguished Chair in Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation at City of Hope. This award will include the presentation of $100,000 to support the research of Stephen J. Forman, M.D. and his team.
For the 14th consecutive year, the event is co-chaired by Evan Lamberg, President of Universal Music Publishing Group, North America; Doug Davis, Founder/Principal of The Davis Firm; David Renzer, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Spirit Music Group; and Steve Schnur, President of Music, Electronic Arts.
This year’s music and entertainment sponsors include Universal Music Publishing Group, Spotify, Clive Davis, Sony/ATV, Electronic Arts and Warner/Chappell Music.
To purchase tickets for Songs of Hope XIV presented by Spotify, visit www.cityofhope.org/music/songs or contact City of Hope at 626-218-6313 or mfei@coh.org.