FIVE-TIME GRAMMY-NOMINATED SINGER-SONGWRITER KEHLANI, GRAMMY-WINNING GLOBAL RECORDING ARTIST KALI UCHIS, AND KPOP DEMON HUNTERS' LEAD VOCALIST EJAE TO BE HONORED AT 2025 ASCAP WOMEN BEHIND THE MUSIC

Annual ASCAP Event Celebrates Women Leaders in Music

NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Recognizing the achievements of inspiring women in the music community, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) announces the honorees for the 17^th 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 Kehlani, Grammy Award-winning artist Kali Uchis, 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
Kehlani will open your eyes, open your mind, and open your heart. For as blunt as she may be about life, lust, and love, her music occupies an elevated state above even the best high, yet remains deeply human and accessible with every listen. To date, she has earned over 20 gold and platinum RIAA certifications, tallied more than five billion streams, and received five Grammy Award nominations. Throughout 2024, Kehlani dominated the cultural conversation with her fourth full-length album CRASH, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album, while the hit single "After Hours" earned a nod for Best R&B Performance and racked up over 279 million streams. Touring globally, she's sold out legendary venues including Brooklyn's Barclays Center, London's The O2 Arena, San Francisco's Chase Center, and Los Angeles' Kia Forum. Following her critically acclaimed While We Wait 2 mixtape, she ushers in a new era with her 2025 single "Folded," a soaring anthem that has already amassed more than 300 million global streams, earned her first solo Billboard #1, and claimed the top spot on Apple Music's R&B charts in both the US and UK. Across the Billboard charts, it has peaked at #18 on the Hot 100, #37 on the Global 200, and has inspired the star-studded "Folded Homage Pack," featuring fresh interpretations by R&B icons Toni Braxton, Brandy, JoJo, Mario, Ne-Yo, and Tank. Her recent collaboration with Cardi B, "Safe," has captivated listeners worldwide, amassing over 43.6 million streams, with its music video generating 1.8 million views in just 24 hours. Kehlani stands as one of R&B's most beloved voices — a truth-teller, innovator, and artist who continues to redefine the genre on her own terms.

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.

About ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a membership association of more than 1.1 million songwriters, composers and music publishers, and represents some of the world's most talented music creators. Founded and governed by songwriters, composers and publishers, it is the only performing rights organization in the U.S. that operates on a not-for-profit basis. ASCAP licenses a repertory of over 20 million musical works to hundreds of thousands of businesses that use music, including streaming services, cable television, radio and satellite radio and brick and mortar businesses such as retail stores, hotels, clubs, restaurants and bars. ASCAP collects the licensing fees; identifies, matches and processes trillions of performances every year; and returns nearly 90 cents of every dollar back to its members as royalties. The ASCAP blanket license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. ASCAP puts music creators first, advocating for their rights and the value of music on Capitol Hill, driving innovation that moves the industry forward, building community and providing the resources and support that creators need to succeed in their careers. Learn more and stay in touch at www.ascap.com, on Twitter and Instagram @ASCAP and on Facebook.

SOURCE ASCAP - American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers