Charli XCSCharli XCX is having a great year. At the 2014 SESAC Awards she was awarded with Songwriter of the Year and Song of the Year for co-writing “I Love It” for Icona Pop. 


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Charli has also been everywhere performing “Fancy,” with Iggy Azalea, which she co-wrote and is a smash. “I never won an award like this before so it’s kind of cool and it’s also pretty weird but yes I want to thank SESAC for giving me this it’s very cool. I’d like to thank my manager David Bianchi, my mom and dad who came here … Sony ATV, Rich Messina, Tim Blacksmith, Iggy right now, Icona Pop, to the two people who I feel like taught me so much about songwriting and who I owe so much to and it’s always an honor to be in a room with them and that is Ariel Rechtshaid and Patrick my musical soulmates … and also to Britney Spears who blew my mind when I was five and when I saw “Hit Me Baby One More Time,” I was like this is it, I have to be doing that,” Charli told the crowd in her acceptance speech at the New York Public Library.

We also spoke with some of the other honorees of the evening.

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Nikhil Seetharam was honored for co-writing Kendrick Lamar’s “Swimming Pools (Drank) and the Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz track “Rich As F**k”.

Tell us about the songs you are honored for this year.

This year I’m getting two awards, one for “Swimming Pools,” and the other one for Lil Wayne’s song called “RAF,” it’s actually called “Rich As Fuck.” It’s just funny that I was asked what I wanted it to say on the plaque, because there’s a curse word, but they were kind enough to ask me what my mom thought and how she would feel about it. So it’s just exciting from day one, I’m always so excited to come to the shows, every year just gets more and more exciting.

Did you get to work in the studio with Kendrick Lamar?

 Absolutely, for “Swimming Pools” specifically, me and T-Minus did that back home, we work in Ajax, doing that song and following that we got to work in the studio with him, got to do a couple more songs as well. It’s just been a crazy ride from the get go  just because that song was what brought him out to the mainstream so for me it was incredibly exciting to see that a rapper that I idolize just blow up with that song. It’s just been crazy.
Did you get to work in the studio with Lil Wayne?
No, that was another song, I started that song at my house, I brought that over to T-Minus, we finished the beat, sent it over, four months later I heard back that Wayne recorded the song and that they were going to put it out so it was pretty spontaneous. I haven’t recorded in the studio with Lil Wayne yet, but I look forward to that, absolutely.
What do you have coming up?
I have been diversifying my portfolio, I’m working on a Bollywood film, and that’s been something that’s pretty new for me. The scoring and the songs as well. It’s very interesting because it’s very different from anything I’ve ever done. Using ethnic instruments and things like that, it’s just been pretty cool. There are some pretty big stars in it yeah.

Jaylien Wesley was honored for co-writing “will.i.am – Scream & Shout ft. Britney Spears.”

How did you come to work on “Scream & Shout”?
Just being in a random studio with Will.i.am and working on a lot of songs for like a year, and that was one of the songs that came out that I was a part of.
How did you first link up with will.i.am?
I was working on Cheryl Cole, in the United States she signed Will.i.am through Interscope so he heard my music and he was like “Yo lets work,” so that’s how it happened.
What else are you working on?
Aaliyah’s album, I’m working on that, I got like six songs on there.
Who are some of the featured artists?
Yeah, Chris Brown is on there, Ne-Yo, Drake, I have Snoop on there, Future, it’s a really dope album.
Who is the executive producer on it?
Basically I am. Something like that. It just fell in my lap, I’m really good with the A&R for the album. He used to work at EMI, he tried to get me a publishing deal a long time ago, so he gave the opportunity to do one song and that turned into six.
The Aaliyah songs are all unreleased recordings?
It’s all recorded, but it’s all songs that never came out, like demos, songs that weren’t good enough for the old albums.
What else are you working on?
I’m working on my artist, I have my own label, she just signed a label with Island Def Jam. I’m working on that.

A complete list of honorees follows:

Songwriter of the Year: Charli XCX

 

Song of the Year: “I Love It”

Written by Charli XCX

Published by: Sony ATV Sounds

 

Publisher of the Year: Sony ATV Sounds

 

Visionary Award: Richard Gottehrer

 

 “I Love It”

Recorded by: Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX

Songwriter: Charli XCX

Publisher: Sony ATV Sounds

 

“Scream & Shout”

Recorded by: will.i.am feat. Britney Spears

Songwriter: Jaylien Wesley

Publisher: Jada Loves Daddy’s Musik
“Love More”

Recorded by: Chris Brown feat. Nicki Minaj

Songwriter: Darrell “Keyz” Eversley, Howard “Haydock” Eversley & Shaun “SJ” Spearman

Publisher(s): Lost On Campus, No Orientation & Underclassman Music

 

“Poetic Justice”

Recorded by: Kendrick Lamar feat. Drake

Songwriter: Elijah “Scoop Deville” Molina

Publisher: Elijah Molina Music

 

“Loveeeeeee Song”

Recorded by: Rihanna feat. Future

Songwriter: Denisia “Blu June” Andrews

Publisher(s): Bu Music Publishing LLC, Denisia Andrews Songs & Universal Tunes

 

“Swimming Pools (Drank)”

Recorded by: Kendrick Lamar

Songwriter: Nikhil Seetharam

Publisher: Sony ATV Sounds & Kromatik Music

 

“Rich As F**k”

Recorded by: Lil Wayne feat. 2 Chainz

Songwriter: Nikhil Seetharam

Publisher: Sony ATV Sounds & Kromatik Music

 

“Lover Of The Light”

Recorded by: Mumford & Sons

Songwriter(s): Edward Dwane, Ben Lovett, Winston Marshall & Marcus Mumford

Publisher: Universal-PolyGram Intl Tunes, Inc.

 

“Ball”

Recorded by: T.I. feat. Lil Wayne

Songwriter(s): Eric D. Goudy II aka EII, Earl Hood & Rico Love

Publisher(s): E. Hood 66 Music, Sony ATV Sounds, Grandmas Boy & Rico Love Is Still A Rapper

 

“Beat It”

Recorded by: Sean Kingston feat. Chris Brown

Songwriter: Chris Constantine

Publisher: C Breeze Ent.

 

“Ain’t Worried About Nothing”

Recorded by: French Montana

Songwriter: Eric D. Goudy II aka EII, Earl Hood & Rico Love

Publisher(s): E. Hood 66 Music, Sony ATV Sounds, Grandmas Boy, Rico Love Is The Best Rapper Alive & WBM Music Corp.

 

“A Couple Of Forevers”

Recorded by: Chrisette Michele

Songwriter: Chrisette Michele

Publisher(s): Chrisette Michele LLC, Sony ATV Sounds & Four Kings Publishing

 

“Stand Up”

Recorded by: All That Remains

Songwriter(s): Philip LeBonte, Oliver Herbert & Michael Martin

Publisher(s): Bardic Lore Music, Full Bladder Music, Meathead Music & Tunes of R and T Direct

 

“Work B**ch”
Recorded by: Britney Spears

Songwriter: Anthony Preston

Publisher: Kinda Silly Publishing

 

“LoveHate Thing”

Recorded by: Wale feat. Sam Dew

Songwriter: Sam Dew

Publisher: By the Chi Publishing & Sony/ATV Sonata

 

“Hollow”

Recorded by: Alice In Chains

Songwriter: Jerry Cantrell

Publisher: Roosters Son Publishing

 

“Every Praise”

Recorded by: Hezekiah Walker

Songwriter: Hezekiah Walker

Publisher(s): Lil Eva Music & Luv Ki Music

 

“I Will Wait”

Recorded by: Mumford & Sons

Songwriter(s): Edward Dwane, Ben Lovett, Winston Marshall & Marcus Mumford

Publisher: Universal-PolyGram Intl Tunes, Inc.

 

“Heart Attack”

Recorded by: Trey Songz

Songwriter: Rico Love

Publisher(s): Sony ATV Sounds & Rico Love Is Still A Rapper

 

“Wild Ones”
Recorded by: Flo Rida feat. Sia
Songwriter: Jacob Luttrell

Publisher(s): Artist Publishing Group East & LSLX Music

We also got to meet Nyticka Tiki Hemingway and Chuck Young at the SESAC Awards. You can check out Nyticka’s new mixtape below: 

http://soundcloud.com/user452336824/sets/me2

You can check out Chuck’s mixtape here:

http://m.soundcloud.com/chuck-young-2/sets/child