The Weeknd Named Songwriter of the Year at ASCAP Pop Awards; Post Malone’s ‘Circles’ Is Top Song

The ASCAP Pop Music Awards named the Weeknd as songwriter of the year, and the Post Malone hit “Circles” as song of the year, in results announced as part of an extended virtual rollout of winners Tuesday.

The publisher of the year prize went, as it often does, to Warner Chappell Music, whose top ASCAP-affiliated songs during the frame included the Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” Dan + Shay’s “10,000 Hours,” Meghan Thee Stallion and Beyonce’s “Savage (Remix),” Dua Lipa’s “Break My Heart,” Selena Gomez’s “Lose You to Love Me,” Maddie & Tae’s “Die From a Broken Heart” and many more.

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The Weeknd now has 13 ASCAP Awards to his name (which the performing rights organization formally renders as “Abel ‘The Weeknd‘ Tesfaye”), but 2021 marks the first time he’s won the top songwriter of the year prize.

The award for “Circles” went to its ASCAP-affiliated contributors, Louis Bell, Kaan Güneşberk and Billy Walsh. The song was the first No. 1 hit not to be part of a collaboration or include a feature.

As with the 2020 ceremony, the pandemic knocked this year’s ASCAP Pop Awards out of the Beverly Hilton Hotel and into virtual status, with the festivities being spread out online over a period of several days instead of concentrated into one evening.

Related programming commenced Monday with an Instagram Live performance and interview with songwriter Phil Plested, who picked up an award for co-authoring Lewis Capaldi’s international smash “Before You Go.” On Wednesday, Madison Emiko Love and Leland, co-writers of Ava Max’s “Kings & Queens,” will talk about crafting the hit on ASCAP’s Instagram Live at 6 p.m. ET. The awards fare continues through Thursday on ASCAP’s Instagram, Twitter and Facebook accounts, and can be sought out using the hashtag #ASCAPAwards.

The complete list of winners ican be found at www.ascap.com/popawards21.

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