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Alicia Keys has signed with CAA in all areas, the company announced earlier this week.
Among her many achievements, the singer-songwriter has sold an estimated 65 million records since the release of her 2001 debut album,
“Songs in A Minor,” and is the subject of “Hell’s Kitchen,” a Broadway musical featuring her music and lyrics inspired by her life growing up in New York in the 1990s. It won two Tony Awards amid 13 nominations and a 2025 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. She is also a founding member of She Is the Music, a nonprofit to advance women’s careers in music. She is managed by Roc Nation; she had previously been with WME for nearly 15 years.
+ Songwriters of North America has announced that nominations for the 2026 Emerging Songwriter Award, presented by YouTube Songwriters, are now open. According to the announcement, the award “uplifts a SONA member who exemplifies originality, craft, and a commitment to creative integrity.”
Five finalists — who must be SONA members to be considered — will be recognized, with the recipient announced live at the Annual SONA Awards on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California. Songwriter must have at least three publicly released songs in the past two years and at least three outside cuts (songs cut by another artist).
Nominations are open through Friday, August 14, 2026. The finalists and winner will be decided by the SONA membership. Finalists will receive a package which includes priority invitations to YouTube events like writing camps and masterclasses, dedicated strategy sessions with the YouTube team, SONA and YouTube curated stewardship with SONA Award nominees and winners, the opportunity to perform at select SONA events, and more.
“SONA has always been built on a simple idea: by Songwriters, for Songwriters. That’s what makes this award, created in partnership with YouTube Songwriters and voted on by SONA members, so meaningful. It’s Songwriters celebrating Songwriters, and recognizing the incredible new voices shaping what comes next,” said Michelle Lewis, SONA Co-Founder and CEO of SONA and the SONA Foundation.
“It is incredibly exciting to watch this award continue to take shape now in its second year, further cementing YouTube Music and SONA’s shared commitment to championing songwriters at every step of their journey,” said Jenna Rubenstein, Head of Songwriter Relations for YouTube Music. “We are honored to keep shining a light on the songwriting community’s immense talent, and it remains deeply meaningful that this award comes directly from fellow songwriters who intimately know the soul of this work.”
+ Prescription Songs has signed Nashville-based producer-songwriter-engineer Rich Harris, who has worked closely with SZA, DJ Khaled and Sexyy Red, among others, as well as commercial work. The signing was led by A&Rs Chris Martingago and Sophia Battaglia, in partnership with Pray for My Haters, a venture founded by producer-songwriter Tony Esterly and manager Dave Hopper.
“This is the dream team!” Harris said. “I’m very grateful to be working with a group of people that so personally understands my work and operates with such intention. Everyone on this crew has already been pushing hard for me and I couldn’t be more excited to have made this official.”
+ The Country Music Association has announced the newest class of participants into its Women’s Leadership Academy, after a record year of applicants, according to the announcement. The academy kicked off with an opening reception on August 2, at the Chloe Nashville, where Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer, and Tiffany Kerns, Senior Vice President of Industry Relations and Philanthropy, delivered opening remarks.
“Over the next 12 weeks, the cohort-based program will guide 16 high-performing, high-potential women through weekly group coaching, peer connection, and hands-on leadership training,” the announcement reads. “Beyond learning directly from executive coaches and industry mentors, participants join a growing community of program alumni who continue supporting one another well beyond the program’s conclusion.”
“Every new class of the Women’s Leadership Academy reminds me how much talent and heart exist in this industry,” says Kerns. “This program was built to outlast its 12 weeks. The relationships, confidence and perspective these women gain stay with them well beyond the program. Watching this cohort step into the program with such openness and ambition has been inspiring, and I know they’ll carry that same spirit forward as they help define what’s next for our business.”
The new class of CMA’s Women’s Leadership Academy includes:
Elisabeth Ashley (Manager)
Kelly Bolton (Vice President, A&R, Warner Records)
Victoria Cappelli Greiner (Senior Director of Digital Marketing, Global Touring, AEG Presents)
Annie Flook (Vice President, Artist Relations, AXS)
Hannah Galluzzi (Vice President, A&R, MCA)
Claire Heinichen (Senior Editor, Country, Spotify)
Lindsay Hyslop (Director of Recorded Music, Canada, BMG)
Lucia Kaminsky (President, The Sandbox)
Marne McLyman (Manager, Maverick Nashville)
Kelsey Middleton (Head of Marketing & Digital Strategy, TRACK mgmt)
Amanda Quinton (President, Quinton Digital)
Alexis Rosenberg (Head of External Relations, WME)
Jamie Sudhalter (Head of A&R, The Core Entertainment)
Randi Tolbert (Senior Artist Manager, Q Prime South)
Margaret Tomlin (Vice President, A&R, Sony Music Nashville)
Jamie Lynn Younger (Vice President, Marketing, Big Loud)
