BMI Congratulates its 2023 Recipients of the Abe Olman and Curtis Mayfield Scholarships

BMI was very proud to congratulate its songwriters recently recognized with the 2023 Abe Olman and Curtis Mayfield Scholarships.

Presented by BMI and the Songwriters Hall of Fame and made possible each year by the Olman family to nurture burgeoning songwriters in honor of the career of Abe Olman, a lifelong songwriter and titan of the music publishing community, this year’s Abe Olman Scholarships were awarded to BMI songwriters Zoe Ko, Rodney Chrome and Lucas Sim.

Zoe Ko is a NYC-based singer/songwriter who is journaling her life experiences through her compelling alternative pop. Having released a selection of promising singles that have already amassed over 1.5 million streams, Zoe has established herself as a name to watch. Her debut EP is slated for release later this year.

Rodney Chrome (also known as Rodney Anderson) hails from Little Rock, AK, but decamped to Brooklyn to pursue his musical aspirations. A singer, songwriter and film composer, Chrome has scored Disney+’s Grown Up and had his music featured in Hulu’s Hair Tales. His first album, Queer Pressure, dropped to wide acclaim in 2020, offering a blend of Pop, Rock and Hip-Hop. In 2022, he followed with the Ghetto Popstar Vol. 1 EP, which amassed over 55K views for its video for the single “To the Money” and 150K streams across digital platforms. As a graduate of NYU’s prestigious Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, he delivered his class’s commencement speech in 2022.Chrome’s latest single, released in April, is titled, fittingly, “Break the Internet.”

Lucas Sim is a 21-year-old songwriter/producer from Montclair, NJ who also attends the NYU Clive David Institute of Recorded Music. After cutting his teeth producing and remixing EDM tracks for streaming platforms, Lucas quickly immersed himself in the craft and started collaborating with his schoolmates. At this stage, he has become a versatile and knowledgeable music creator with a bright future in the industry.

The Curtis Mayfield Scholarship Award, meanwhile, was given this year to Drü Oliver. Bestowed according to both need and musical merit, The Curtis Mayfield Scholarship Award is presented annually to an exemplary graduating senior at Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts) and Dekalb School of the Arts in Atlanta, both public 4-year fine and performing arts schools for artistically gifted youth. Preference is given to students going on to pursue college majors in performance, composition and songwriting.

Already a proficient producer and songwriter, Drü has done vocal production for names like the GRAMMY-nominated Kehlani, SZA, Lil T Jay and the late Mac Miller. He has collaborated as a songwriter with Dani Leigh, Justin Skye, Lil TJay, Riley Lanez, Young Devyn, Prince Royce, Jeleel and most recently with Fivio Foreign on the certified Gold single “What’s My Name” featuring Queen Naija and Coi Leray. Were that not enough, he has also secured synch placements with major companies such as Viacom (BET’s Sacrifice) and Dreamworks (Bearbrick), further solidifying his status as an in-demand music creator.

BMI congratulates all these amazing affiliates on their well-deserved recognition.