Nashvillians Bring Home BMI Pop Awards

Trent Dabbs and Barry Dean accept BMI Pop Awards along with their publishers and teams. (L-R): UMPG’s Evan Lamberg and Jody Gerson, Creative Nation’s Jeff Skaggs and Beth Laird, Barry Dean, Pulse’s Maria Egan, BMI’s Barbara Cane, Trent Dabbs, Kristen Dabbs, Sarah Lai

BMI honored the year’s most-performed pop songs at the organization’s 63rd annual Pop Awards, held May 12 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Nashville-based songwriters Barry Dean (Creative Nation) and Trent Dabbs (Ready Set) were among the honorees, for co-writing the Top 40 hit “Girls Chase Boys,” performed by Ingrid Michaelson.

Dynamic singer-songwriter P!nk received the BMI President’s Award for her outstanding achievement in songwriting and global impact on pop culture and the entertainment industry.

Taylor Swift, Tim Bergling a.k.a. Avicii, Benny Blanco, Ed Sheeran and Noel Zancanella all earned the coveted BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year title. Each penned three songs on the most-performed list.

John Legend clinched the BMI Pop Song of the Year honor for co-writing “All of Me.”

With 27 songs among the year’s most-performed, Sony/ATV Publishing claimed the prestigious BMI Pop Publisher of the Year crystal.