When it comes to standing up for all music people, GRAMMYs On The Hill has long been a magnificent representation of how they put words into action. Now, they've announced its 2023 honorees.

On Apr. 26, the Recording Academy will host its annual GRAMMYs on the Hill Awards, Washington's premier annual celebration of music and advocacy, bringing together congressional leaders and music makers to recognize those who have led the fight for creators' rights.

Sponsored by City National Bank and benefitting the GRAMMY Museum, this year's awards will honor 13-time GRAMMY winner Pharrell Williams, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) for their contributions to support music creators. Special guests and attendees will be announced in the coming weeks.

"GRAMMYs on the Hill is a celebration like no other, spotlighting music's unifying power as we bring together our nation's leaders with some of the most renowned artists in the world," said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. "It's a privilege to honor Pharrell alongside Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Senator Cassidy, all of whom have fought tirelessly for pro-music policy that protects the creatives that make up our community."

"I'm very grateful to be honored at this year's GRAMMYs on the Hill among some incredible other honorees who have done tremendous advocacy work for others," says Williams. "It's important that we show up for each other and support one another to ensure that we can keep creating."

"It's an honor to be recognized at this year's GRAMMYs on the Hill for Congress's work to support the recording and performance industry during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic," said U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. "I was proud to lead the fight in Congress alongside musicians, venue owners, operators, and employees to pass the Save Our Stages Act, bringing critical relief to thousands of workers in the music industry."

"Music carried the spirits of the students at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music through to freedom. No matter where you are in the world — Kabul or New Orleans — music communicates resilience, passion, and culture," said Dr. Cassidy.

Williams has demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to protecting creators' rights and to philanthropy. From his vision in founding organizations such as Black Ambition and YELLOW, to his work and passion for social justice working with former Virginia Governor Northam to make Juneteenth a paid state holiday, he has proved himself a trailblazer not just in music but in service, and a champion for the music community.

Throughout his illustrious career, he has been honored with 13 GRAMMYs, including 2004, 2014 and 2019 Producer Of The Year, and ASCAP's Golden Note Award in 2012. He has received two Academy Award nominations for his original song "Happy" (Despicable Me 2) and for Best Picture-nominated Hidden Figures (2016) as co-producer. Williams also received a Golden Globe nomination for co-scoring the film.

In 2019, he received an Emmy nomination for his original song "Letter to My Godfather," for Netflix's The Black Godfather about legendary music executive Clarence Avant. In 2020, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame for his work as The Neptunes.

On Apr. 28, Williams' multi-day music festival SOMETHING IN THE WATER returns to his hometown of Virginia Beach and will continue its mission spotlighting the community.

Schumer and Cassidy are the congressional honorees being recognized for their stalwart support of creators. Together, they have championed key policies in support of music people, including co-sponsoring the Save Our Stages Act, which was included in the bipartisan COVID relief package passed in December 2020.

As Senate Majority Leader, Schumer ensured essential pandemic relief was available to assist gig workers and music small businesses. Schumer also sponsored the resolution designating Aug. 11, 2021 as "Hip Hop Celebration Day" and the month of November 2021 as "Hip Hop History Month," while Cassidy served as an original co-sponsor of the measure, which passed unanimously in the Senate.

In 2018, Schumer and Cassidy were both co-sponsors of the historic Music Modernization Act. Cassidy, along with Schumer, was also critical in efforts to help 272 young musicians, faculty and staff from the Afghanistan National Institute of Music escape Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and safely reach Qatar in 2021.

Today, many of the institute's activities have been re-established in Portugal, such as the Zohra Orchestra, Afghanistan's first all-female orchestra.

The awards dinner and presentation will take place at the Hamilton Live in Washington, D.C., with live performances from the musical honorees and additional special guests.

The following day, Apr. 27, the Recording Academy will host the annual GRAMMYs on the Hill Advocacy Day, which brings current and past GRAMMY winners and nominees, along with other esteemed industry leaders, to meet with lawmakers to discuss issues facing today's music creators.

The day is recognized as Capitol Hill's largest and most prestigious legislative event for music. This year, music creators will meet with Members of Congress to advance several key issues that the Academy and its members continue to advocate for, including:

• The HITS Act, which would allow an artist or songwriter to fully expense the cost of new studio recordings on their taxes, up to $150,000.

• The Restoring Artistic Protection Act, which would limit the use of lyrics and creative expression as evidence in court — a common practice that disproportionately affects the rap community.

• Reform of the live event ticketing marketplace to better protect artists and fans.

• The American Music Fairness Act, which establishes a performance right for artists on AM/FM radio.

Over the past 21 years, GRAMMYs on the Hill has hosted award-winning artists and applauded congressional leaders alike, including four-time GRAMMY winner Yolanda Adams, then-Vice President Joe Biden, two-time GRAMMY winner Garth Brooks, former United States Secretary of State and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), four-time GRAMMY winner Missy Elliott, former Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), 28-time GRAMMY winner Quincy Jones, seven-time GRAMMY winner John Mayer, current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and more.

The annual advocacy event has also led to several major legislative wins for the music industry, most notably the Music Modernization Act.

Keep watching this space for more thrilling news about GRAMMYs On The Hill — and the Recording Academy's ongoing fight for all music people.

AI And Copyright: How The Recording Academy Is Leading The Conversation To Protect Music Creators

Across 18 editions, GRAMMY Camp has historically been one of the most exciting events on the Recording Academy calendar — and now, we know just what 2023 GRAMMY Camp will look like.

Today, the GRAMMY Museum announced that 86 talented high school students from 71 U.S. cities across 22 states have been selected as participants in the 19th annual GRAMMY Camp program. Gracie Abrams, G Flip, Moore Kismet, Paul Klein from LANY, and Lizzy McAlpine will be this year's guest artists; they will discuss their career paths and help students prepare for the music industry.

The signature music industry camp for U.S. high school students will be held from Sunday, July 16, to Saturday, July 22, at USC's Ronald Tutor Campus Center.

"GRAMMY Camp embodies the GRAMMY Museum's mission and education initiatives," said Michael Sticka, President/CEO of the GRAMMY Museum. "We're thrilled that with the support of the Hot Topic Foundation, Camp has extended to seven days this year, allowing high school students interested in a career in music more time and immersion to study with leading industry professionals and artists, resulting in a genuine learning experience about life in the music industry."

This GRAMMY In The Schools program is presented by the GRAMMY Museum and Hot Topic Foundation. Additional program support is provided by BeatHeadz, Chuck Lorre Family Foundation, Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, First Horizon Bank, Ford Motor Company Fund, Natalie Cole Foundation, Pacific Bridge Arts Foundation, and the Recording Academy.

GRAMMY Camp will focus on all aspects of commercial music and provide instruction by industry professionals in an immersive and creative environment. The program features eight music career tracks: Audio Engineering, Electronic Music Production, Music Business, Music Journalism, Songwriting, Vocal Performance, Video Production, and Instrumental Performance.

All tracks culminate in virtual media projects, recordings and/or performances.

Applications for GRAMMY Camp 2024 will be available online in September at www.grammycamp.com. Read on for the list of students selected for 2023 GRAMMY Camp.

2023 GRAMMY Camp Selectees and Tracks (In Alpha Order by First Name)

4 Key Takeaways From The "Your Future Is Now" Scholarship Program, According To Past Scholarship Recipients

The GRAMMY Museum Grant Program, generously funded by the Recording Academy, has awarded more than $7.5 million to more than 400 noteworthy projects. As the program is currently taking applications, guidelines and Letter of Inquiry requirements are now available online.

The Grant Program administers grants annually to organizations and individuals to support efforts that advance the archiving and preservation of the music and recorded sound heritage of North America for future generations, as well as scientific research projects related to the impact of music on the human condition.

Recipients are determined based on criteria such as merit, uniqueness of project and the ability to accomplish intended goals.

The deadline for submission is June 2, 2023. To view guidelines and new Letter of Inquiry requirements, visit here.

Keep watching this space for more developments regarding the GRAMMY Museum!

4 Key Takeaways From The "Your Future Is Now" Scholarship Program, According To Past Scholarship Recipients

Thirteen-time GRAMMY winner Pharrell Williams understands how to wield his influence for the betterment of humanity. When he's not in the studio making award-winning music, the prolific multihyphenate spends his time supporting causes like education, sustainable fashion, conservation, and human rights, and leverages his platform to make change happen — creating a blueprint for merging passions with social causes.

The visionary's philanthropic reach is awe-inspiring. Since establishing his first non-profit, From One Hand to AnOTHER, in 2008 — a six-week summer camp that offers learning programs focused on science, technology and the arts to children from low-income families — Williams has given a host of communities access to resources, tools and life-changing opportunities. He's helped build an after-school center in his hometown of Virginia Beach, offered internships to students from Harlem, New York, and launched a non-profit initiative for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs on the heels of the 2020 racial justice protests.

Ultimately, the mega-producer wants to make the world a better place for future generations, which shines through in his dedication to education, climate action and equality. By taking action to tackle these big-picture issues, Williams is showing others in his position that it's possible to do what you love and make a difference in the world.

To mark Williams' efforts and their impacts, the multihyphenate will be honored alongside U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) at this year's GRAMMYs On The Hill in Washington D.C. The annual event spotlights congressional leaders and music makers who have worked together to raise awareness and pass legislation to help ensure fair pay and equal rights for creators. 

Ahead of the event on April 26 and 27, take a look at four ways Williams has supported the music industry — and beyond. 

He Advocates For The Protection Of Creators' Rights

Williams has made a concerted effort to negotiate with labels for control of his music, and he uses his platform to help fight for equality and equity for all artists. "I shouldn't be the only one with this preferred deal," Williams said to the head of Columbia Records after negotiating a deal to own his masters in 2015. "All artists should own their intellectual property — otherwise you're just working for someone else. It's really weird: They own the fields where you and God have laid the seeds; you do the harvesting, but they have the ownership."

Williams has consistently highlighted the importance of ownership in music, and his push to usher in new protections for artists extends to the virtual world. In 2021, the music mogul joined the advisory council of CXIP DAO, a decentralized organization that allows creators to protect their copyrights and manage their digital assets.   

Read More: Everything You Need To Know About GRAMMYs On The Hill 2023: What It Is, Who It Benefits & What It Has Accomplished

He Supports And Funds Arts & Music Education Programs

Williams got his musical start as a drummer in elementary school before taking band in middle school, where he met a similarly music-minded classmate named Chad Hugo, his future production partner in the Neptunes. Along with support from his grandmother, this educational experience shaped Williams into the innovator he is today, and encouraged him to center much of his philanthropy on the arts and education as a whole.

"I want all children to have access to that kind of creative growth, access, and support. All kids, not just my own," Pharrell told Billboard in 2019. 

His actions have shown just that: In 2009, Williams' non-profit launched a Summer of Innovation camp in association with NASA. His foundation would go on to donate school supplies and offer free after-school programs and camps to kids from his hometown areas. 

In 2018, the "Happy" singer partnered with American Express Platinum for The Yellow Ball, a fundraising event at the Brooklyn Museum to benefit Young Audiences Arts for Learning. Soon after, he joined forces with Verizon to launch a tech-forward music curriculum for underserved middle schools all over the country, which provides students with access to virtual reality, 3D printers and other emerging technology. 

He Launched A Private School

Back in 2021, Williams took his education advocacy to the next level when he announced the launch of Yellowhab, a tuition-free private school for third to sixth graders from low-income families in his home state of Virginia. Always innovating, Williams's micro-school takes "a future-forward approach" to learning that includes using tech and other methods to immerse students in the educational process.   

"If the system is fixed and unfair, then it needs to be broken," Williams said in a press release.  "We don't want lockstep learning where so many kids fall behind; we want bespoke learning designed for each child, where the things that make a child different are the same things that will make a child rise up and take flight."

He Uses Fashion To Help Global Causes

The fashion influencer has created a number of clothing and accessory lines throughout his career, from the Billionaire Boys Club label to its many offshoots. He's partnered with high-profile brands to create collections that raise awareness and funding for socially conscious causes; in December 2022, his global lifestyle brand ICECREAM collabed with Mini USA for a capsule collection whose proceeds went to Polar Bears International, a non-profit that works to protect the endangered species.

But with eight million metric tons of plastic in the ocean, his sustainable denim collection with Bionic Yarns may be his most socially impactful. Over a two-year period, this collaboration converted an estimated seven million plastic bottles into clothing items.

"We are trying to infiltrate the entire spectrum of fashion, high-end and low. It's a part of sustainability and the cause is to never throw anything [plastics and trash] into the ocean again," Williams told Women's Wear Daily in 2014. "The ocean is just one part of the earth we're concentrating on, but the world is made up of 75 to 80 percent water. It's a huge place to start."

Inside GRAMMYs On The Hill 2023: How The Recording Academy Will Fight For Creator's Rights

For more than half a century, the Songwriters Hall of Fame has honored and celebrated the greatest songwriters and composers of our time.

The GRAMMY Museum's The Power of Song: A Songwriters Hall of Fame Exhibit lauds the work and legacy of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and explores the mysteries behind the making of great music. The newly expanded traveling exhibit launches at the GRAMMY Museum on April 26 and will run through Sept. 4.

Through artifact displays, an original film, and interactive experiences, The Power of Song: A Songwriters Hall of Fame Exhibit, examines the songwriter's creative process, tells the stories of great songwriters — all of whom are Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees or Special Award recipients — and digs deep into the celebrated compositional works that make up the American music treasury.

Curated by Jasen Emmons — the GRAMMY Museum's Chief Curator & VP of Curatorial Affairs — and Kelsey Goelz, GRAMMY Museum's Associate Curator, the exhibit pays tribute to artists who have significantly contributed to America's rich songwriting legacy.

The GRAMMY Museum has an ongoing collaboration with the Songwriters Hall of Fame and served as one of its physical homes since 2010. This partnership resulted in the curation and launch of this traveling exhibition, which illuminates the art of songwriting and offers an inside look at the creative process behind popular songs. 

Originally launching at CUNY Graduate Center in New York this past summer, the newly expanded exhibit opening in Los Angeles includes several new, never-before-seen artifacts representing the careers of songwriters such as Tom Petty, Allee Willis, the Songwriters Hall of Fame's current Chairman and Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Nile Rodgers, and many more.

It also includes interactive content where visitors will be able to explore a sprawling database of Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees and choose between several “song spotlights” to hear renowned songwriters explain the origins of a song.

Highlights from The Power of Song: A Songwriters Hall of Fame Exhibit include:

• An original exhibit film featuring songwriters Jimmy Jam, Toby Keith, Carole King, Smokey Robinson, Carole Bayer Sager, and Diane Warren, sharing insights about their creative process.

• A songwriting interactive featuring Toby Keith, Carole King, Smokey Robinson, and Don Schlitz, each dissecting one of their hit songs.

• A piano owned by George Gershwin – one of three pianos that he commissioned during his career.

• Handwritten lyrics and other songwriting artifacts representing the creative work of inductees Desmond Child, Hal David, Steve Dorff, Lamont Dozier, Will Jennings, Holly Knight, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Henry Mancini, John Mellencamp, Alan Menken, Cole Porter, Taylor Swift, and others.

Learn more about The Power of Song: A Songwriters Hall of Fame Exhibit and advanced ticket reservations for the exhibit.

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