The 2025 ASCAP Pop Music Awards spotlighted a new wave of chart-defining stars, with Dua Lipa, Beyoncé, and Shaboozey taking center stage as part of Sony Music Publishing’s triumph as Publisher of the Year. Their genre-bending hits—including Lipa’s sleek disco-pop anthem Houdini, Beyoncé’s groundbreaking country crossover Texas Hold ’Em, and Shaboozey’s viral sensation A Bar Song (Tipsy)—anchored the publisher’s catalog and underscored its dominance in shaping modern pop.
While Sony’s roster stole much of the spotlight, Jack Antonoff continued his reign as a master collaborator, earning Songwriter of the Year with contributions to Taylor Swift’s Anti-Hero, Fortnight, and Sabrina Carpenter’s Please Please Please. His influence echoed the kind of meticulous songwriting that has come to define pop’s biggest records.
Meanwhile, Teddy Swims delivered one of the night’s emotional peaks as his soul-stirring hit Lose Control claimed Song of the Year. The track’s historic run on the Billboard Hot 100—spending 58 weeks in the Top 10—cemented Swims as one of pop’s most distinctive new voices.
Together, the night’s winners highlighted the balance between legendary songcraft and fresh innovation, with Beyoncé, Dua Lipa, and Shaboozey helping push pop music into uncharted but thrilling territory.
—
Photo Credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com