Recognizing the achievements of inspiring women in the music community, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) announces the honorees for the 17th annual ASCAPWomen Behind the Music event, taking place Wednesday, November 12 in Los Angeles. This year, the ASCAP Membership team celebrates five-time Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter and KPop Demon Hunters’ songwriter, lead vocalist and rising star EJAE. These trailblazing women join an illustrious group of previous honorees that includes songwriters, artists, managers, attorneys, label executives and music publishers.

“Every year, ASCAP looks forward to spotlighting some of music’s most extraordinary women by honoring them for their achievements at our Women Behind the Music event,” says Nicole George-Middleton, ASCAP Executive Vice President & Head of Creative Membership. “This year we are thrilled to recognize three women who are pushing boundaries and capturing the world’s attention across different genres. Their creative success has propelled them to the top of the charts and is set to inspire the next generation of women in music. We congratulate EJAE, Kali Uchis and Kehlani and can’t wait to celebrate them at this year’s ASCAP Women Behind the Music.” George-Middleton will be on hand to present and congratulate the 2025 honorees:

Kehlani, Five-time Grammy Award-nominated singer and songwriter
Born in the Bay Area, Kehlani is a multiplatinum-certified singer and songwriter whose light has continued to glow brighter since 2014. Thus far, she has earned more than 20 gold and platinum RIAA certifications, amassed over five billion streams and garnered five Grammy Award nominations. Beyond blockbuster collaborations with Cardi B, Post Malone and Eminem, Kehlani has appeared on soundtracks such as Suicide Squad: The Album and The Fate of the Furious: The Album . She received the Rule Breaker Award from Billboard Women in Music and performed at Voodoo Music and Coachella, among others. Her fourth full-length, CRASH , received a Grammy nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album, while the hit single, “After Hours,” notched a nod for Best R&B Performance. She is also featured on Jordan Adetunji’s global breakout hit “Kehlani,” which scored her a third Grammy nomination in the Best Melodic Rap Performance category. Following her critically acclaimed While We Wait 2 mixtape, Kehlani ushers in a new era with her powerful 2025 single “Folded.” The track has already amassed 268 million global streams while soaring to #1 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay Chart. Adding to its momentum, R&B icon Brandy has put her own flare on the track, solidifying it as a cultural moment. Expanding her artistry yet again, Kehlani’s “Folded” signals the next thrilling chapter in a career defined by fearless honesty, cultural impact and timeless R&B innovation.

Kali Uchis, Grammy Award-winning global recording artist
Global superstar and Grammy-winning recording artist Kali Uchis has been hailed as a rare talent since she emerged. With artful forays into R&B, alt-pop, reggaeton and Latin strains, she has released several of the most lauded albums of the past decade including 2023’s Red Moon in Venus, which features the two-time platinum-certified “Moonlight,” and was regaled by TIME Magazine as the Best Album of the Year. In 2024, Uchis released ORQUÍDEAS, her highest-charting album to date. Debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200, the critically-adored record earned nominations for Best Latin Pop Album at the 2025 Grammy Awards and Best Pop Vocal Album at the Latin Grammys. Amid consistent acclaim and honors – including nine Grammy/Latin Grammy nominations and a 2021 win in the category of Best Dance Song for her appearance on Kaytranada’s “10%” – Uchis’s major breakthrough came with her 2021 smash hit “telepatía,” which has been streamed more than two billion times to date and was the Billboard Hot 100’s longest-running Spanish-language song by a solo act this decade with a 23-week streak. Uchis is now on her way to reaching the Spotify Billions Club three times over with the smash success of songs “telepatía,” Tyler, the Creator’s “See You Again” featuring Uchis, and soon to be “Moonlight.” Kali Uchis has toured the world over on multiple sold-out headlining runs, with her most recent, The Sincerely, Tour, a 25-city North American arena tour in support of her most personal body of work, her fifth studio album Sincerely: P.S.

EJAE, Vocalist and songwriter
EJAE (born Kim Eun-jae) is a New York City-based songwriter, vocalist and artist. She is the singing voice of Rumi, the leader of Huntr/x, the girl group featured in the hit Netflix/Sony animated movie KPop Demon Hunters. In addition to performing all of Rumi’s vocals, EJAE played a crucial role in the music and development of the movie – director Maggie Kang called her the “heart and soul” of the girl group. EJAE co-wrote the record-breaking single “Golden,” which has topped the Billboard Hot 100 Charts, Billboard Global 200 Chart, and been streamed 700 million times and counting on Spotify. She also co-wrote several other top 20 Billboard Hot 100 tracks from the soundtrack, including “How It’s Done,” “This Is What It Sounds Like” and “Your Idol” for the rival boy group Saja Boys, and the score’s “Hunters Mantra” which is an integral part of the movie’s musical throughline. The soundtrack became the first ever in Billboard history to have four songs simultaneously chart on the Billboard Top 10. Beyond her work on KPop Demon Hunters, EJAE has written, vocal directed and contributed background vocals for several world-renowned K-pop groups. Her credits include major hits like aespa’s “Drama” and “Armageddon,” Red Velvet’s iconic track “Psycho,” and songs with artists such as Le Sserafim, TWICE, Taeyeon, NMIXX and Fifty Fifty, among others. Her debut solo single In Another World was recently released on October 24 2025.

DJ C. Devone will provide music at the event.

Previous ASCAP Women Behind the Music honorees include Grammy-winning singer-songwriters Coco Jones,Kandi Burruss and Kelly Rowland, Grammy-winning artists and songwriters Victoria Monét and Joelle James, hip-hop legends Salt-N-Pepa, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriters Summer Walker and Jazmine Sullivan, legendary musician and singer Sheila E., Grammy-winning production and songwriting duo Nova Wav, superstar executives Shari Bryant, Brittney Davis, Phylicia Fant, Sammye Scott and Nicole Wyskoarko and more.