The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has named Summer Walker one of three honorees for its 15th annual Women Behind The Music ceremony.
According to ASCAP, the honor “recognizes inspiring women in the music community, honoring songwriters, artists and executives including managers, attorneys, label executives and music publishers.”
“ASCAP Women Behind The Music is such a special event for us because we get to recognize incredibly talented women who have made an impact through their art, contributions and leadership while connecting in person with our community,” said Nicole George-Middleton, ASCAP’s senior vice president of membership and ASCAP foundation executive director. “We are proud that we can continue this effort to inspire women to pursue careers in music, whether they are creatives or executives.”
This year’s Women Behind The Music honorees also include LVRN’s Executive Vice President and General Manager Amber Grimes and Atlantic Records’ Senior Director of A&R Sammye Scott.
Presented by the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul department, the annual event will take place Thursday, Nov. 16, in Atlanta, Georgia, where George-Middleton will be present to present each award.
DJ Tee Y will spin throughout the celebration.
Past recipients include Jazmine Sullivan, Kelly Rowland, Kandi Burruss and Victoria Monét.
Walker has had a lot to celebrate in 2023. The Grammy-nominated singer has achieved a milestone by securing her first two No. 1 singles on urban radio.
The first one is for “Karma,” which is a part of her 2018 debut project, Last Day of Summer. The second one is for “Good Good,” which is a lead single from Usher’s ninth album, Coming Home, featuring 21 Savage.
Walker received over 30 new RIAA certifications this year, including a platinum award for her Last Day of Summer EP. She recently reissued the project in celebration of its fifth anniversary.
Additionally, Walker, along with SZA and Usher, received nine nominations at the 2023 Soul Train Awards, making her one of the top-nominated artists of the night.
The ceremony will air Sunday, Nov. 26, at 8 p.m. ET on BET and BET Her.
Recently, Walker released a special project of her 2018 song “Girls Need Love” that features various women in R&B as guests.
She also released a new EP (CLEAR 2: SOFT LIFE) earlier this year and collaborated with other artists such as Daniel Caesar, Kali Uchis, Diddy, and Alex Vaughn.