During Variety’s 8th annual Hitmakers Brunch in Los Angeles on Saturday (December 7), industry insiders responsible for the biggest songs of the year were celebrated. Charli XCX was awarded Hitmaker of the Year, with the Brat star taking time to praise The Velvet Underground & Nico during her speech. “This record is one of the most influential and groundbreaking records of our time,” Charli said. “It’s the apex of fine art and dirty culture.” Lana Del Rey presented her frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff with Producer of the Decade, joking that he will “be richer than all of us with your 50% on everything.” Antonoff praised his new wife, the actress Margaret Qualley, while saying, “We all make our best work when we’re being decent.”
Lainey Wilson was recognized as Storyteller of the Year, presented the award by Reba McEntire. “The cool thing about storytelling is, it outlives us,” Wilson said. Olivia Rodrigo presented her Guts collaborator Dan Nigro with Producer of the Year, Shaboozey and Benson Boone were both awarded Newcomers of the Year, while Quavo received Humanitarian of the Year for his work to stop gun violence following the 2022 shooting death of his Migos bandmate Takeoff. (Variety)