Variety’s second annual Hitmakers brunch will be held on Saturday, December 1 and will honor Maroon 5’s Adam Levine as Hitmaker of the Year, presented by BMI, along with Breakthrough Artist of the Year Dua Lipa and Songwriter of the Year Bebe Rexha. Kevin “Coach K” Lee and Pierre “Pee” Thomas will also be recognized with the Innovator of the Year award presented by Muzik.
Guests of the event will include those who are featured in the Hitmakers List – which were chosen from the 30 most consumed songs of 2018 (year-to-date) as compiled by BuzzAngle Music. They include songwriters, producers, executives and managers: the people who make — and break — the hits!
“Today’s issue and Saturday’s event is a celebration of the songs that truly cut through the noise to become the soundtrack to 2018,” said Shirley Halperin, Executive Editor Music, Variety. “This is undoubtedly a year when hip-hop dominated, with more than half of the 30 most consumed tracks contributing to the genre’s ubiquity — and to continued diversity in the music industry overall.”
To that end, “Coach K and Pee’s contribution to the culture, and consistently producing award winning artists and records is nothing short of disruptive and legendary,” said Jason Hardi, CEO of Muzik. “On behalf of Muzik, I’m honored to present to them The Innovator Award at this year’s Variety Hitmakers event.”
Adam Levine’s Hitmaker of the Year award will be presented by BMI’s Vice President of Worldwide Creative, Barbara Cane; and Bebe Rexha will be introduced by fellow songwriter Justin Tranter.