Charli XCX warmly greeted “The Velvet Underground & Nico”. Jack Antonoff cheekily told a room full of music industry insiders that “some of you are more interested in Pop Crave than Pitchfork.” Lana Del Rey admitted she didn’t submit her music early for a Grammy nomination because she didn’t knew how. Olivia Rodrigo outwitted producer Dan Nigro as “the man who finally taught me how to parallel park.” And Lainey Wilson spoke from the heart about her journey, which began Saturday in a tiny Louisiana town and “wrote about tequila and cigarettes at age 10.” diversityThe eighth annual Hitmakers Brunch recognizes the artists and industry insiders behind the top 25 songs of the year.

The event, moderated by Jem Aswad, diversity‘s Editor-in-Chief of Music was presented at Nya West in Hollywood by AFEELA, a new brand developed by Sony Honda Mobility.

Introduced by Bodies Bodies Bodies star Rachel Sennott, Charli xcx threw a special punch during her acceptance speech for Hitmaker of the Year, noting that the definition of a hit is in the eye of the beholder. She cited the legendary band Velvet Underground’s 1967 debut album (the one with the Andy Warhol banana peel cover) as an example of a work that remains highly influential, but sold a whopping 30,000 copies upon its initial release.

“This record is one of the most influential and groundbreaking records of our time. It is the pinnacle of visual art and underground culture, where highs and lows collide, poetry meets drugs, serious and arrogant,” she said. She also noted that the Warhol cover has been featured in the world’s most prestigious art museums.

With a great deal of humility, she concluded by saying that while one of her album covers hasn’t made it to the Guggenheim, Whitney, or Tate yet, some of my merchandise is available at Urban Outfitters. I guess that means I’m halfway there.” (As Charli delivered her remarks, the Internet began to buzz with fans’ reactions to her dress, which left little to the imagination, particularly at the top.)

The brunch event was attended by several hundred music industry insiders, songwriters, producers, label managers as well as talent managers, publicists and lawyers. The mood was good, after a solid year for record makers and record labels, with massive hits from both established artists and newcomers such as Shaboozey and Benson Boone, both of whom were celebrated with the Hitmakers’ Newcomer of the Year award.

Shaboozey sent a pre-recorded video because he landed the musical guest spot on Saturday’s edition of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” and therefore had to be on the other side of the country. The “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” singer reflected on his humble beginnings as a “little boy in a small town” who found that music was a vehicle for his creativity “that would resonate with me and other people.” he said. “Seeing how far I’ve come is really humbling. Hopefully next year will be even crazier.”

Boone was on hand to accept the glass trophy for Newcomer of the Year presented by AFEELA.

“I don’t think I’m an average musician. I didn’t grow up with music. I found my voice about five years ago,” Boone told the crowd. “This is a wild industry and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

Del Rey came to introduce Antonoff as Producer of the Decade, who has been on a roll lately with his work with Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and more. She teased her frequent collaborator with a nod to his status as a master producer, songwriter and artist himself.

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“With your 50% on everything, you’ll be richer than all of us,” she joked.

Antonoff had a few things of his own to offer, including promising that he, too, was about to sue Universal Music (a reference to the lawsuit filed by Drake over the success of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”).

“The reason I enjoy Hollywood is because I don’t live here,” he confessed. After highlighting Del Rey’s outstanding artistic abilities, he added, “She’s the one person I feel comfortable putting a lot of pressure on.”

More seriously, the Bleachers frontman spoke of his maturation as a man and artist, referencing his marriage to actress Margaret Qualley. He asked the crowd to take stock of the good and bad relationships they have in their professional lives. “We all do our best work when we are decent,” he said.

Wilson was named Storyteller of the Year. She has been on the upswing since landing a role in Taylor Sheridan’s hit television series Yellowstone. No less a superstar than Reba McEntire had the honor of presenting Wilson with the award. “She doesn’t just sing a song, she lives it,” enthused McEntire.

Wilson said tipping the hat to her talent as a storyteller is particularly meaningful to her. She remembered family members trading yarn around the kitchen table when she was a child growing up in Baskin, Louisiana, population 180.

“The cool thing about storytelling is that it outlives us,” she said. “Thank you, Jesus, and thank you, diversity.”

Rodrigo, who was named Hitmakers’ Storyteller of the Year last year, praised Nigro, the writer and producer who was instrumental in helping her develop as a songwriter (and as a driver). She described him as the kind of empathetic collaborator who would listen to her work, suggest a tweak or two, “and suddenly the song goes from pretty good to life-changing.”

Nigro himself marveled at how his career has evolved in the three years since he was named the Hitmakers’ 2021 songwriter of the year. “I was so nervous, I had such impostor syndrome,” he admitted on his first visit to Hitmakers. After a great year with Rodrigo and working with the red-hot Chappell Roan, “It’s been a pretty amazing ride and I’m very grateful,” he said.

Another emotional highlight of the afternoon was the awarding of Hitmaker Humanitarian of the Year to Quavo for his work to prevent gun violence following the shooting of his Migos bandmate Takeoff in 2022.

“Losing my brother Takeoff was the worst moment of my life. I didn’t know where to go, where to turn, I didn’t know if I wanted to make music anymore,” Quavo told the crowd.

Putting his energy into anti-violence programs through his Rocket Foundation and other entities helped him find a new purpose, he said. Quavo dedicated the Hitmakers award to “all those fighting for change and to my brother Takeoff, who inspires me every day.”

The Label of the Year award once again went to Republic Records, which has won the award in five of the last eight years. Label co-founder Avery Lipman brought key Republic managers Wendy Goldstein, Alex Coslov and Jackie Winkler on stage. He noted that executives are more used to watching their artists — the likes of Taylor Swift, Post Malone, Ariana Grande, Drake and The Weeknd — win awards.

“You won’t find a group of people who are more self-loathing than the people who work at Republic,” Lipman said. “The blessing and curse of the Republic is that we are never satisfied. We are always happy.”

Lipman noted that even as Republic’s world has expanded within Universal Music Group to the Republic Corps Collective, which now includes the Mercury, Island and Def Jam labels, the operating principles have remained the same: “We respect (artists), we adore them and most.” What is important is that we love them. Not only do they make great music, but they really help make the world a better place,” he said.

Warner Music bosses Tom Corson and Aaron Bay-Schuck have been hailed as executives of the year in recognition of the turnaround the two have made at the venerable label.

“I really aspire to be a coach and not a boss. I see feedback as a gift,” said Corson, describing the culture at Warner Music. “Compassionate communication helps us get through the bad times.”

Bay-Schuck noted that the company’s turnaround began when the two became “committed to artist development.” Personally, he added that the improvement in fortunes also coincided with the birth of his son, which “made the good days even sweeter and the crappy ones not so bad.”

The event also provided a venue for the upcoming Amazon Prime Video series “Celebrity Substitute,” which brings celebrities into public elementary schools to work with students for a day. The series, hosted by Julian Shapiro-Barnum, also highlights the Amazon Wish List feature for schools, which makes it easier to inform parents and charities about a school’s specific needs. “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo is among the guest stars.

In short: “This show is a tribute to these teachers, the immense talent of our celebrity guests, Julian’s incredible ability to connect with children and the pure joy of creativity in the classroom,” said Amy Powell, global head of entertainment marketing on Amazon.

Wells Fargo was a premier partner of Hitmakers, while Spotify was an official partner. Amazon Music, Atlantic Records, BMG, Meta, Riot Games, Sandbox Entertainment, Sony Music Publishing, Warner Music Group and Warner Records were all supporting partners.