BMI Holds 73rd Annual BMI Country Awards
BMI presented its 2025 BMI Country Awards on November 18, honoring the prolific career of BMI Icon Award recipient Clint Black, as well as the Country Songwriter, Song and Publisher of the Year. The 73rd annual event also celebrated the top songwriters and music publishers behind this past year’s 50 most-performed songs in Country music. BMI’s President & CEO Mike O’Neill hosted the evening alongside Chief Revenue & Creative Officer Mike Steinberg, and Nashville’s VP, Creative, Clay Bradley.
Since Black’s affiliation with BMI in 1993, he has achieved 22 No. One singles, all of which he either wrote or co-wrote himself, and received 20 BMI Country Awards. As this year’s BMI Icon, he joins an elite group of songwriters who have had an indelible influence on music makers over generations, including Bill Anderson, Matraca Berg, Dean Dillon, Vince Gill, Merle Haggard, Toby Keith, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Randy Owen, Dolly Parton and Hank Williams, Jr. Serving as a leading voice of his generation, Black influentially paved the way for the ‘90s country phenomenon, which was on display as Midland opened the ceremony with Black’s debut chart-topper “Better Man.” Later in the evening, Jamey Johnson performed “Untanglin’ My Mind,” Wynonna Judd and Randy Houser traded verses on “A Bad Goodbye,” while Riley Green closed the tribute with “Killin’ Time.”
BMI recognized the songwriters and publishers behind the 50 most-performed country songs of the previous year, where Charlie Handsome was named BMI Country Songwriter of the Year. Handsome co-wrote five of BMI’s most-performed songs in Country music including Post Malone featuring Luke Combs’ “Guy For That,” Dylan Scott’s “This Town’s Been Too Good To Us,” Morgan Wallen’s “Love Somebody,” Post Malone featuring Wallen on, “I Had Some Help,” and Post Malone featuring Blake Shelton on “Pour Me A Drink.”
“I Had Some Help” performed by Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen was named the 2025 BMI Country Song of the Year, published by Big Loud Mountain, Sony/ATV Songs LLC and Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. Written by Handsome, Hoskins, Ernest Keith Smith, Wallen and Chandler Paul Walters, the record-breaking hit debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks.
The 2025 BMI Publisher of the Year accolade went to Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., which published 32 of the 50 most-performed songs of the year, including megahits like Luke Bryan’s “Love You, Miss You, Mean It;” Zach Bryan’s “28,” “Pink Skies,” and “Tourniquet;” Jordan Davis’ “I Ain’t Sayin’;” Tyler Hubbard’s “Back Then Right Now;” Ella Langley featuring Riley Green “you look like you love me;” Cody Johnson’s “Dirt Cheap;” Thomas Rhett’s “Beautiful As You;” Jelly Roll’s “Halfway To Hell,” “I Am Not Okay,” and “Liar;” Lainey Wilson’s “4x4xU,” and Bailey Zimmerman’s “Holy Smokes.”
Marking a record-breaking year, 38 first-time award winners were recognized including Seth Ennis’ for Dylan Marlowe and Dylan Scott’s “Boys Back Home,” Thomas Eriksen for Kane Brown’s “Miles On It,” Mackenzie Carpenter for Megan Moroney’s “I’m Not Pretty,” Travis Heidelman for Dasha’s “Austin (Boots Stop Workin’), Carrie Karpinen for Koe Wetzel’s “High Road,” Chase Matthew for his hit “Love You Again,” Nevin Sastry for Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Zach Top for his hit “I Never Lie,” and Tucker Wetmore for his hit “Wind Up Missin’ You.”
For a complete list of the 2025 BMI Country Awards winners, please visit https://awards.bmi.com/show/country-2025.
A special thank you to BMI’s partners INFINITI and WP Global Private Equity Partners for supporting the 73rd annual BMI Country Awards.
