Coinciding with the launch of the Recording Academy's Songwriters & Composers Wing, the 2023 GRAMMYs feature the first-ever award for Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical. While they may not always get the same recognition as the performing artists, this award ensures that the writers who helped bring some of the year's most meaningful songs to life get their turn in the spotlight.
"To be honored by your peers for not just one song that you wrote, or an album that you worked on, but for the meaningful contribution and breadth of diversity of your songwriting across all genres in one given year would be the highest achievement that any songwriter could achieve — period," said Evan Bogart, Chair of the Songwriters & Composers Wing.
The prolific songwriters nominated in this inaugural award class showcase the vast spectrum of a year in excellence — from arena-ready pop to intimate ballads, R&B jams to country sparkle. Each writer was eligible to put forth up to nine songs demonstrating their skill, and the compiled list of tracks from the year's nominees reads like a guide to the sound of 2022.
Before seeing who takes home the honor at the 65th GRAMMY Awards — airing on CBS on Feb. 5, 2023 — learn more about the nominees for Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical below.
View the complete list of 2023 GRAMMY Award nominees across all 91 categories.
Amy Allen
• For My Friends (King Princess) (S)\
• The Hardest Part (Alexander23) (S)\
• If We Were A Party (Alexander23) (S) \
• If You Love Me (Lizzo) (T)\
• Magic Wand (Alexander23) (T)\
• Matilda (Harry Styles) (T)\
• Move Me (Charli XCX) (T)\
• Too Bad (King Princess) (S)\
• Vicious (Sabrina Carpenter) (S)**
Singer-songwriter Amy Allen founded indie pop group Amy & the Engine. Her ability to tap into both personal emotion and grand hooks proved the perfect compliment to a suite of tender yet sinewy songs — tracks that balance vulnerability and strength in the softest moments.
Allen co-wrote "Matilda" for Harry Styles' Harry's House, a subtle and warmhearted character sketch, as well as Sabrina Carpenter's "Vicious", a sort of venomous counterpart about a spiteful ex — and yet both songs carry a deep vein of self-reflection as well. Whether writing for Lizzo or King Princess, Allen helps capture an unflinching intimacy.
Nija Charles
• Cozy (Beyoncé) (T)\
• Ex For A Reason (Summer Walker With JT From City Girls) (T)\
• Good Love (City Girls Featuring Usher) (S)\
• Iykyk (Lil Durk Featuring Ella Mai & A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie) (T)\
• Lobby (Anitta & Missy Elliott) (S)\
• Ride For You (Meek Mill Featuring Kehlani) (T)\
• Sweetest Pie (Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa) (S)\
• Tangerine (Kehlani) (T)\
• Throw It Away (Summer Walker) (T)
Nija Charles has held her own place at the center of the hip-hop world since debuting as a songwriter in 2017 at just 20 years old. Charles further solidified herself the following year on tracks with Cardi B, 21 Savage, Meek Mill, and the Carters.
While 2022 saw the release of her debut solo project as Nija, Don't Say I Didn't Warn You, Charles infused that same lithe confidence and agility in a return collaboration with Mill ("Ride For You"), as well as contributing to "Cozy" on Beyoncé's Renaissance. She has also worked on tracks with some of the other biggest women in the game: Megan Thee Stallion, Kehlani and Anitta.
"I make [music] so that I can listen to it in the car and listen to my friends," Charles told Uproxx in a recent interview. That sense of camaraderie and fun marks every track in Charles' catalog and gives an assured boost to every artist she works with.
Tobias Jesso Jr
• Boyfriends (Harry Styles) (T)\
• Can I Get It (Adele) (T)\
• Careless (FKA Twigs Featuring Daniel Caesar) (T) \
• C'mon Baby Cry (Orville Peck) (T)\
• Dotted Lines (King Princess) (T)\
• Let You Go (Diplo & TSHA) (S)\
• No Good Reason (Omar Apollo) (T)\
• Thank You Song (FKA Twigs) (T)\
• To Be Loved (Adele) (T)
When Tobias Jesso Jr. released his 2015 debut solo album, Goon, the Canadian singer-songwriter was already starting to get attention from the likes of Adele, Sia, and HAIM. In fact, Adele even interviewed him for The Guardian, where Jesso swore his fealty to the patron saint of eccentric pop, Randy Newman: "Randy is a boss and literally couldn't act different if he tried."
Jesso has since stretched far beyond those roots, this year culminating with work for an impressively wide array of artists. He co-wrote three songs for avant-pop star FKA twigs' new mixtape, two tracks for masked indie country hero Orville Peck, and one song with Diplo, in addition to continued collaborations with Adele and a cut from Harry Styles' latest. Jesso infuses his trademark eccentric charm into every collaboration, no matter the genre.
The-Dream
• Break My Soul (Beyonce) (S)\
• Church Girl (Beyonce) (T)\
• Energy (Beyonce) (T)\
• I'm That Girl (Beyonce) (T)\
• Mercedes (Brent Faiyaz) (S)\
• Rock N Roll (Pusha T Featuring Kanye West and Kid Cudi) (T)\
• Rolling Stone (Brent Faiyaz) (T)\
• Summer Renaissance (Beyonce) (T)\
• Thique (Beyonce) (T)
The-Dream's list of hit singles (both on his own and as a writer/producer) stretches back a decade and a half; his particular brand of hyper-charged hip-hop has already netted five GRAMMY Awards.
Born Terius Youngdell Nash, the artist-songwriter-producer struck quadruple-platinum with "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" — and, 12 years later, is a co-writer for more than half of Beyoncé's Renaissance. The album's post-disco and Chicago house vibes slide perfectly into The-Dream's long line of gems, which are equally suited to radio play and the dance floor. Slow-rolling tracks for Brent Faiyaz and Pusha T rounded out the songwriter's impressive year, as The-Dream continues to innovate and experiment while simultaneously honoring the roots of the genre.
Laura Veltz
• Background Music (Maren Morris) (T) \
• Feed (Demi Lovato) (T)\
• Humble Quest (Maren Morris) (T)\
• Pain (Ingrid Andress) (T)\
• 29 (Demi Lovato) (T)
Songwriter Laura Veltz is no stranger to the GRAMMY nomination process, having received noms for Best Country Song each of the last three ceremonies: 2020 for co-writing Dan + Shay's "Speechless"; in 2021 for Maren Morris' "The Bones"; in 2022 for Morris' "Better Than We Found It.
Her partnership with Morris continued with three credits on the country star's 2022 album, Humble Quest: "Background Music," "Detour" and the sun-soaked title track. In addition to helping craft the first single from Ingrid Andress' Good Person, Veltz also stepped into new territory by co-writing and providing backing vocals for all but three tracks on Demi Lovato's acclaimed glam/pop punk record, Holy Fvck. Throughout, Veltz pushes self-discovery and honesty, ensuring each composition carries its own unique depth.