Global Superstar Khalid to Receive BMI Champion Award at 2023 BMI Pop Awards
Evening Also Celebrates the Top Pop Songs, Songwriters and Music Publishers on
Tuesday, May 9th in Beverly Hills, CA
BMI is excited to announce that global superstar Khalid will be honored with the BMI Champion Award at the 71st Annual BMI Pop Awards. The multiple platinum-selling recording artist and songwriter will be celebrated for his exceptional artistry and philanthropic efforts which have touched the lives of many. BMI’s Pop Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Publisher of the Year and BMI’s top 50 most-performed pop songs in the U.S. of the previous year will also be named. The private event, hosted by BMI President and CEO Mike O’Neill and Vice President Worldwide Creative Barbara Cane, will be held on Tuesday, May 9 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA.
“Khalid exemplifies the true spirit of a Champion as one who believes, one who does and one who generously gives back,” said Cane. “In addition to recognizing him for his many creative accomplishments, we’re honoring Khalid for his dedication to charitable causes, community, education, and his commitment to supporting the next generation of songwriters and music makers. We’re looking forward to celebrating our BMI family of award-winning songwriters and publishers with a fantastic night of music.”
Khalid, who was named one of Time’s Most Influential People of 2019, has taken the world by storm since his first single “Location” exploded onto the charts in 2017, right before his high school graduation. The massive hit from his 4x platinum debut album, American Teen, went on to be certified diamond by the RIAA in 2022. In 2019, Khalid released his sophomore LP, Free Spirit, with the lead single “Talk” becoming Khalid’s fifth top 10 hit and the highest-charting single as a solo artist in the US, peaking at number three on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
His music has been streamed worldwide more than 30 billion times across all digital platforms and he’s won many accolades and awards over his career. Khalid has been nominated for seven GRAMMY Awards and has won six Billboard Music Awards, three American Music Awards, a Teen Choice Award, an MTV Video Music Award, and an MTV Woody Award. Khalid has also previously received 20 BMI Awards, including being named 2019 BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year, and his hit track “Talk” from his sophomore LP, Free Spirit, was named 2020 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Song of the Year.
In addition to his music, Khalid, alongside his mother, created The Great Khalid Foundation in 2020 to bridge education, innovation and music. The Foundation advocates the power of music not only to build camaraderie, but also positively impact social change for children, families and communities. The Great Khalid Foundation offers music education programs, scholarship awards, community partnerships and gift giveaways to support and nurture children and their future to dream big.
In receiving this honor, Khalid joins previous BMI Champion Award recipients including producer, artist, songwriter and DJ Mark Ronson, GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter/rapper Residente, producer/engineer Sebastian Krys, country superstar Keith Urban and singer/songwriter and activist Lee Thomas Miller, who were honored for their commitment and efforts supporting the next generation of songwriters and music makers.
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