Benson Boone isn’t just the global sensation of the year these days (rocking Coachella, guesting at SNL, headlining covers of too many magazines (and TikTok fan accounts) to count) — but now he’s also been honored with the BMI Champion Award this week as BMI paid tribute to the best in songwriting at the 2025 BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 13: Benson Boone performs onstage during the 2025 BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, on May 13, 2025, in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images for BMI)

The GRAMMY-nominated recording artist and songwriter Benson Boone was honored with the BMI Champion Award, celebrating his success and the impact he’s made on pop music since beginning his career just a few years ago.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 13: Hayes Warner attends the 2025 BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on May 13, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images for BMI)

In a room where the spotlight was on superstar songwriters and the industry’s top music publishers, Boone gave a shoutout to his cowriter and collaborator Jack LaFrantz in between sets, sharing “If you’re a songwriter or producing or have anything to do with the creation process of music, you understand how incredible it is when you find someone you really like to work with and work well with. I would just like to give a special thank you to Mr. Jack LaFrantz. Any of these songs that you hear you would not be hearing them without him. If you’re trying to release songs, find people that you love and make it something that you love. I promise you, it is the best thing ever when you find gold in the room.”

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 13: (L-R) Evan Blair, Benson Boone, and Jack LaFrantz attend the 2025 BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, on May 13, 2025, in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for BMI)

On the red carpet earlier, Hayes Warner echoed these thoughts when sharing her songwriting process. “Sometimes I’m writing alone in my room on the piano. Other times, I go into a room, bring my ideas, my melodies, and work with other people, and something totally different than what I come out with comes up. I’d say collaboration has been a huge part of my newest project, which is coming out in September. I just got to work with artists and songwriters I really look up to.”

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 13: David Stewart attends the 2025 BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on May 13, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images for BMI)

As the night’s top honoree, Boone was presented with the BMI Champion Award by BMI President and CEO Mike O’Neill, who praised his “boundless talent and creativity,” adding, “tonight, we celebrate you, not only for your singular songwriting and unique artistry that is igniting the world of music, but also for your dedication and passion for your craft that inspires us all.”

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 13: (L-R) Ari PenSmith, Believve, and Sammy SoSo attend the 2025 BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on May 13, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images for BMI)

After receiving the award, Boone thanked BMI, his team, family, and the songwriters in the room, sharing, “This is not my award, this is for everyone who has been a part of working on this project. To the songwriters, producers, to my mother and father… to my label to Warner Chappell, to everyone who has played a part… it takes a huge powerhouse of a team to do what I’m trying to do, and I have a wonderful team.”

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 13: Bonnie McKee attends the 2025 BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on May 13, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images for BMI)

Boone then took to the stage for an intimate three-song performance backed by piano. He started with a few notes from Sinatra before diving into “Slow It Down,” followed by “Drunk in My Mind,” and closed with his massive hit “Beautiful Things.”

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 13: Benson Boone (R) performs onstage during the 2025 BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, on May 13, 2025, in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images for BMI)

BMI’s Pop Songwriter of the Year went to Taylor Swift, who was not in attendance, for the second year in a row for penning seven of the previous year’s most-performed songs, including “Don’t Blame Me,” “Down Bad,” “Fortnight,” “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart,” “Is It Over Now?,” “Now That We Don’t Talk,” and “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?.” Swift has received 72 BMI Awards, including the BMI President’s Award in 2009 and the BMI Taylor Swift Award in 2016.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 13: Lauren Goldenberg attends the 2025 BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, on May 13, 2025, in Beverly Hills, California.

Throughout the night, BMI awarded a series of awards, including Pop Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Publisher of the Year, as well as announcing BMI’s top 50 most-performed pop songs in the US. The private event was hosted by BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill; VP, Worldwide Creative Barbara Cane; VP, Creative, NY Samantha Cox, and VP, Creative, LA Tracie Verlinde.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 13: Don P attends the 2025 BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on May 13, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images for BMI)

In addition to his BMI Champion honor, Boone received two BMI Pop Awards for hits “Beautiful Things” and “Slow It Down,” with co-writer LaFrantz. He received his first BMI Pop award in 2023 for the smash hit “GHOST TOWN.” Over the last year, Boone’s music has accumulated nearly 10 billion streams, he’s received a 2025 GRAMMY Award nomination for Best New Artist, an iHeartRadio Music Award for Song of the Year, MTV VMA and MTV EMA awards, two NRJ Music Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, three BRIT nominations, and many more.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 13: Honey Bxby attends the 2025 BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on May 13, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images for BMI)

Boone joins previously lauded BMI Champion Award recipients, including Peso Pluma, SZA, Jonathan McReynolds, Khalid, Mark Ronson, Residente, Sebastian Krys, Keith Urban, and Lee Thomas Miller.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 13: (L-R) Nevin Sastry, winner of a BMI Citation of Achievement for “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and Julian Bunetta, winner of the Song of the Year award for “Lose Control” attend the 2025 BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on May 13, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images for BMI)

At this year’s star-studded ceremony, the spotlight shone on the 50 most-performed pop songs in the U.S. over the past year, building anticipation for the ultimate honor — BMI’s Pop Song of the Year. That coveted title went to the soulful smash “Lose Control”, written and performed by the powerhouse Teddy Swims, alongside BMI hitmakers Julian Bunetta, Marco “Infamous” Rodriguez, and Mikky Ekko. The chart-dominating anthem made history with a jaw-dropping 60 non-consecutive weeks in the Billboard Hot 100’s top ten — a record-breaking run that climaxed with a well-earned #1 spot in March 2024.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 13: (L-R) Jakob Ervin and Mitchell Cutts of Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners attend the 2025 BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on May 13, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images for BMI)

Universal Music Publishing Group was named Publisher of the Year for representing 28 of the previous year’s most performed songs, including “Agora Hills” performed by Doja Cat to “Espresso” performed by Sabrina Carpenter, and “Houdini” by Eminem.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 13: (L-R) Maggie Thurmon and Benson Boone attend the 2025 BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, on May 13, 2025, in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for BMI)

On top of all the glittering awards, the night was also about celebrating music and the industry at large. While I was there, I ran into one of my GOSSIP GIRL family and 90s icon and Grammy-winning singer Lisa Loeb, who is known for her 1994 platinum hit “Stay (I Missed You)” from the movie Reality Bites. It was an intimate evening, with an invite-only guest list comprised of music industry insiders who have often known each other and worked together for years, making it a special night for attendees.

EVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 13: (L-R) Lisa Loeb and Lauren Goldenberg attend the 2025 BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, on May 13, 2025, in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo courtesy: Lauren Goldenberg)

BMI also welcomed 61 first time Pop Award winners, including J. Cole for “All My Life” by Lil Durk, Jesse Fink and Peter Finn for “Stargazing” performed by Myles Smith, Djo for “End of Beginning,” and Nevin Sastry for “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey, among others. This also marked the first BMIPop award for country music superstar Morgan Wallen for “I Had Some Help,” co-written with Charlie Handsome and other first-time BMI Pop winners Hoskins, ERNEST, and Chandler Paul Walters.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 13: (L-R) Benson Boone and Bonnie McKee attend the 2025 BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on May 13, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for BMI)

About BMI:

Celebrating over 80 years of service to songwriters, composers, music publishers, and businesses, BMI® is a global leader in music rights management, serving as an advocate for the value of music. BMI represents the public performance rights in over 22.4 million musical works created and owned by more than 1.4 million songwriters, composers, and music publishers. The Company negotiates music license agreements and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to its affiliated writers and publishers when their songs are performed in public.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 13: Jamie Kinelski, SVP, Head, West Coast Creative, Kobalt Music, Jennifer Knoepfle, EVP, Co-Head U.S. A&R, Universal Music Publishing, Mike Steinberg, EVP, Chief Revenue & Creative Officer, BMI, Mike O’Neill, President & CEO, BMI and Cristina Chavez accept Publisher of the Year BMI Award onstage during the 2025 BMI Pop Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, on May 13, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for BMI)

In 1939, BMI created a groundbreaking open-door policy, becoming the only performing rights organization to welcome and represent the creators of blues, jazz, country, and American roots music. Today, the musical compositions in BMI’s repertoire, from chart toppers to perennial favorites, span all genres of music and are consistently among the most-performed hits of the year. For additional information and the latest BMI news, visit bmi.com, follow us on X and Instagram @BMI, or stay connected through BMI‘s Facebook page.