Omer Fedi and Michael Pollack tied for songwriter of the year at the 2022 BMI Pop Awards, which were held on Tuesday (May 10) at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Fedi also co-wrote the winner for BMI pop song of the year, “Mood,” the multi-format smash by 24kGoldn featuring iann dior. Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group shared the award as publisher of the year.
Fedi co-wrote “Mood” with 24kGoldn, Dior, KBeaZy and Blake Slatkin. The smash topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks in 2020-21 and spent a whopping 35 weeks atop the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.
Fedi, 22, and Pollack, 28, each co-wrote four of BMI’s most-performed songs of the year, which led to their shared songwriter of the year honor.
In addition to “Mood,” Fedi co-wrote “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” (with Denzel Baptiste and David Biral of Take a Daytrip, Roy Lenzo and Lil Nas X); “Stay” (with Cashmere Cat, Isaac “Zac” De Boni, Haan, The Kid LAROI, Michael “Finatik” Mulé, Charlie Puth and Blake Slatkin) and “Without You/Without You (Remix)” (with The Kid LAROI and Blake Slatkin, with Miley Cyrus contributing to the remix).
Pollack was honored for co-writing “Anyone” (with Raul Cubina, Jordan K. Johnson and Andrew Watt), “Daisies” (with Jordan K. Johnson), “Holy” (with Chance the Rapper, Anthony M. Jones and Jorgen Odegard), and “Nobody’s Love” (with Nija Charles, Brandon “B HAM” Hamlin, Jordan K. Johnson and Ryan Ogren).
Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group each represented 28 of the previous year’s most performed songs, which led to their shared publisher of the year honor. The awards were accepted by Jon Platt, chairman and CEO of Sony Music Publishing, and Jody Gerson, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group.
As previously announced, Mike Stoller (half of the legendary team of Leiber and Stoller) and Carole Bayer Sager, who has collaborated with such composers as Marvin Hamlisch and Burt Bacharach, were honored as BMI Icons.
The celebration opened with students from USC Thornton’s Music Degree program performing a medley in their honor. Grammy-winner Ledisi paid tribute to Sager by singing “Nobody Does It Better,” which Carly Simon introduced in the 1977 James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me. Sager co-wrote the Grammy- and Oscar-nominated ballad with Hamlisch.
Upon being named a BMI Icon, Sager said, “Songwriting has rewarded me throughout my entire life… Songwriting not only gave me my life but saved my life.” She went on to say, “the greatest gift of all is the realization that we are all connected, and it’s music that bridges people all over the world.”
Americana music star Anderson East took to the stage to honor Stoller, with a moving rendition of “Stand by Me,” which Ben E. King introduced in 1960. Leiber and Stoller co-wrote with the classic ballad with King.
On being honored as a BMI Icon, Stoller said, “I’m just delighted, honored and thrilled, and I only wish my late partner Jerry Leiber was here to accept such an award as well. He would have loved it.”
Sager and Stoller join an elite group of songwriters who have been honored with BMI’s highest accolade, including Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Sting, Barry Manilow, Willie Nelson, The Bee Gees, Brian Wilson, Carlos Santana, Carole King, Crosby, Stills & Nash, David Foster, Dolly Parton, the Jacksons, John Fogerty, Merle Haggard, Nile Rodgers, Paul Simon and Stevie Nicks.
BMI also celebrated the 50 most-performed pop songs of the previous year. There were 60 first-time Pop Award winners including D’Mile (“Leave the Door Open”), GIVĒON (“Peaches”), Megan Thee Stallion (“Beautiful Mistakes”) and Tia Tia (“My Head & My Heart”).
The 70th annual BMI Pop Awards were hosted by BMI president and CEO Mike O’Neill and vice president worldwide creative Barbara Cane. For a full list of the 2022 honorees click here.
