ASCAP Members Wrote the Soundtrack of 2025

2025 was a truly tremendous year for the global ASCAP family. Our members wrote the #1 songs on 53 separate Billboard Year-End genre charts, and nine or more of the top 10 songs on 28 charts. Their music powered the world’s two most popular films of the year (Ne Zha 2, co-scored by Wan Pin Chu and Zootopia 2 by Michael Giacchino), and Billboard’s official Song of the Summer (Alex Warren’s record-breaking “Ordinary”). ASCAP members Will Aronson & Hue Park’s Broadway smash Maybe Happy Ending took home Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Book at the Tonys, and the imaginative debut by ASCAP duo Los Thuthanaka was crowned Pitchfork’s #1 album of 2025. 

From Beyoncé’s historic victory at the Grammys with COWBOY CARTER to Ashley Gorley’s unprecedented 12th ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year award, Susie Ibarra’s Pulitzer Prize in Music to Patrice Rushen’s NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship, Daniel Blumberg's Oscar for The Brutalist score to Jermaine Dupri's reign over the Billboard Top Producers of the 21st Century list, ASCAP members continued to write the soundtrack to our lives in 2025.

 

 

 

In a year of successful crossovers and genre expansion, our members led the charge. ASCAP songwriters EJAE & Mark Sonnenblick and composer Marcelo Zarvos helped to bring Korean pop culture to a worldwide audience with their music for KPop Demon Hunters, Netflix’s most-watched original film of all time. Brandon Lake’s inspiring “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” a #1 hit on the Christian charts, became a major country hit, too. And Argentinian duo Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso won five Latin GRAMMYs for their uncategorizable funk-soul-trap-pop-EDM EP, Papota.

Over and over, the music industry acknowledged ASCAP’s pantheon of all-time greats in 2025. The hip-hop classic “Get Ur Freak On” – written by ASCAP legends Missy Elliott & Timbaland – took the #1 spot on Rolling Stone’s new list of the 250 Best Songs of the 21st Century. The Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted Patrick Simmons and his Doobie Brothers bandmate Michael McDonald, Ashley Gorley, Mike Love & Tony Macaulay, and gave the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award to Broadway and film legend Stephen Schwartz. Emmylou Harris and Brad Paisley joined the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. And ASCAP songwriters dominated the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame proceedings, with Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Outkast, Soundgarden and The White Stripes all inducted, and Salt-N-Pepa & Nicky Hopkins singled out for special honors.
  

Thanks to our more than 1.1 million ASCAP members for writing the music that defined our year. You’re at the heart of everything we do. 

ASCAP MEMBERS ON THE BILLBOARD 2025 YEAR-END SONGWRITER & PRODUCER CHARTS

 

CHRYSTAL | #1 Hot Dance/Electronic Songwriters & Producers, #1 Hot Dance/Pop Producers
MICAH NICHOLS | #1 Hot Christian Songs Producers
VESSEL (Sleep Token) | #1 Hot Hard Rock Writers

 

Based on Billboard’s year-end songwriter and producer charts, listed writers are in the top 25 positions of the Hot 100, Christian, Country, Latin, R&B/Hip-Hop or Rock & Alternative charts; top 20 of the Rap Producers chart; top 10 of the Alternative, Dance/Electronic, Dance/Pop Producers, Gospel, Hard Rock, R&B, Rap Writers or Rock charts; or top 5 of the Dance/Pop Writers chart. Also included are the ASCAP writers of #1 songs across all year-end charts. 

 

 

#1 ASCAP SONGS ON THE BILLBOARD YEAR-END CHARTS FOR 2025

 

“A BAR SONG (TIPSY)” (Shaboozey)
ASCAP writers: J-Kwon, Joe “Capo” Kent, Mark “Tarboy” Williams, Sean Cook, Shaboozey 
#1 Country Digital Song Sales
#1 Country Streaming
#1 Hot Country Songs

“ABRACADABRA” (Lady Gaga)
ASCAP writers: Budgie, Cirkut, John McGeoch, Siouxsie Sioux, Steven Severin
#1 Dance Electronic Digital Song Sales
#1 Hot Dance/Pop Songs

“APT.” (ROSÉ feat. Bruno Mars)
ASCAP writers: Amy Allen, Christopher Brody Brown, Cirkut, Mike Chapman, Nicky Chinn, ROSÉ, Theron Thomas
#1 Billboard Global Songs

“ARROW” (The Head and the Heart)
ASCAP writers: Chris Zasche, Matt Gervais, Patrick Martin
#1 Adult Alternative Airplay Songs

“DESERVE TO WIN” (Tamela Mann)
ASCAP writer: Jevon Hill
#1 Gospel Airplay

“DIE WITH A SMILE” (Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars)
ASCAP writer: James Fauntleroy
#1 Adult Pop Airplay Songs
#1 Hot 100
#1 Pop Airplay
#1 Radio Songs
#1 Streaming Songs

“DtMF” (Bad Bunny)
ASCAP writers: JULiA LEWiS, Tyler Spry
#1 Hot Latin Songs
#1 Latin Streaming Songs

“EMERGENCE” (Sleep Token)
ASCAP writers: Vessel & II
#1 Hot Hard Rock Songs

“GOD IS” (Kanye West)
ASCAP writer: Warryn Campbell
#1 Gospel Streaming Songs

“HARD FOUGHT HALLELUJAH” (Brandon Lake feat. Jelly Roll)
ASCAP writer: Brandon Lake
#1 Christian Digital Song Sales
#1 Christian Streaming Songs
#1 Hot Christian Songs
#1 Rock Digital Song Sales

“HIGH ROAD” (Koe Wetzel feat. Jessie Murph)
ASCAP writers: Amy Allen, Gabe Simon, Jessie Murph, Josh Serrato
#1 Country Airplay

“KHÉ?” (Rauw Alejandro & Romeo Santos)
ASCAP writer: Romeo Santos
#1 Latin Rhythm Airplay

“LOSE CONTROL” (Teddy Swims)
ASCAP writer: Joshua "Ammo" Coleman
#1 Adult Contemporary

“LUTHER” (Kendrick Lamar with SZA)
ASCAP writers: Jack Antonoff, Kamasi Washington, Marvin Gaye, Scott Bridgeway
#1 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
#1 Hot Rap Songs
#1 R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming
#1 Rap Airplay
#1 Rap Streaming Songs
#1 Rhythmic Songs

“MAYDAY” (Three Days Grace)
ASCAP writers: Adam Gontier, Ted Bruner, Zakk Cervini
#1 Mainstream Rock Airplay Songs

“MESSY” (Lola Young)
ASCAP writers: Lola Young, Manuka
#1 Rock & Alternative Airplay

“MILES ON IT” (Marshmello & Kane Brown)
ASCAP writers: Connor McDonough, Digital Farm Animals, Riley McDonough 
#1 Dance Electronic Streaming Songs
#1 Hot Dance/Electronic Songs

“NO ONE NOTICED” (The Marias)
ASCAP writer: Gianluca Buccellati
#1 Rock Streaming Songs

“NOT LIKE US” (Kendrick Lamar)
ASCAP writer: Mustard
#1 R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales
#1 Rap Digital Song Sales

“NUEVAYoL” (Bad Bunny)
ASCAP writer: Justi Barreto
#1 Latin Digital Song Sales

“ORDINARY” (Alex Warren)
ASCAP writer: Alex Warren
#1 Digital Song Sales

“RESIDUALS” (Chris Brown)
ASCAP writers: Darius Logan, Dewain Whitmore Jr., Dominique Logan, Jerry Green
#1 Adult R&B Airplay Songs
#1 Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop
#1 R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay

“SHAKE IT TO THE MAX (FLY) - REMIX” (MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng, Shenseea)
ASCAP writers: Donny Flores, Skillibeng, Shenseea, Silent Addy
#1 Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs

“SI ANTES TE HUBIERA CONOCIDO” (Karol G)
ASCAP writer: Rios
#1 Latin Airplay Songs
#1 Tropical Airplay

“SOLTERA” (Shakira)
ASCAP writer: Kevyn "Keityn" Cruz
#1 Latin Pop Airplay

“THAT’S MY KING” (CeCe Winans)
ASCAP writers: Kellie Besch, Taylor Agan 
#1 Hot Gospel Songs

“TIMELESS” (The Weeknd feat. Playboi Carti)
ASCAP writers: Lawson, Playboi Carti, Tariq "Bl$$D" Sharrieff
#1 Hot R&B Songs
#1 R&B Streaming Songs

“TOO SWEET” (Hozier)
ASCAP writers: Daniel “Chakra” Nathan Krieger, Sergiu Gherman, Tyler Mehlenbacher
#1 Alternative Airplay Songs
#1 Hot Rock Songs

UP + UP (Colton Dixon)
ASCAP writer: Colton Dixon
#1 Christian Airplay

“WON'T BE POSSIBLE” (Tiësto, Odd Mob, Goodboys)
ASCAP writers: Ethan Shore, Odd Mob, Tiësto
#1 Dance/Mix Show Airplay

 

THE ASCAP FAMILY WROTE…

10 of the top 10 songs on these year-end charts

Dance Electronic Streaming Songs
Digital Song Sales
Hot Christian Songs
Hot Dance/Pop Songs
Hot Hard Rock Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot Rap Songs
Latin Digital Song Sales
Latin Pop Airplay
Latin Rhythm Airplay
R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay
R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming
Rap Airplay
Rap Streaming Songs

9 of the top 10 songs on these year-end charts

Adult Contemporary
Adult Pop Airplay Songs
Billboard Global Songs
Christian Streaming Songs
Country Airplay
Hot 100
Hot Dance/Electronic Songs
Hot R&B Songs
Latin Airplay Songs
Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop
Pop Airplay
R&B Digital Song Sales
Radio Songs
Rhythmic Songs