Justin Tranter, Allee Willis & More to be Honored at 2023 SONA Warrior Awards

Being honored for: “making revolutionary advancements in the music business.”

Bio: Tranter is known for their work in the LGBTQ+ community and for working with stars such as Julia Michaels, Selena Gomez, Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and many more. They received a Grammy nomination for song of the year six years ago for co-writing Michaels’ hit “Issues” with Michaels, Benny Blanco and Stargate. From 2004 to 2014, Tranter was the lead singer of Semi Precious Weapons, a rock band based in New York. Since February 2017, they have been a board member of GLAAD.

Being honored for: “her legacy and impact made across genres.” Rosanna Arquette will present the award. Brenda Russell, one of her collaborators on The Color Purple, will perform in Willis’ honor.

Bio: Willis, who died in 2020, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019. Her most famous works include The Rembrandt’s “I’ll Be There for You,” the beyond-catchy Friends theme (for which she received a Primetime Emmy nod); Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” and “Boogie Wonderland” (with The Emotions); and the Pet Shop Boys’ “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” (with Dusty Springfield). Willis won a 1985 Grammy for best album of original score for the Billboard 200-topping Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, which contained “Neutron Dance,” a hit she co-wrote for The Pointer Sisters. Her work on The Color Purple (2006) brought her both a Grammy nod for best musical show album and a Tony nod for best original musical score. In addition to being a songwriter, Willis was a multi-media artist, collector, art director and lovable eccentric.

Being honored for: “her talent, resilience, and leadership.” Autumn Rowe, who won a Grammy last year as a producer, songwriter and featured artist on Jon Batiste’s We Are, will present the award. Miko Marks will perform in Palmer’s honor.

Bio: Palmer has landed three hits as an artist on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. When she first charted in 2007 with “Country Girl,” she became the first African-American woman to hit that chart since Dona Mason scored in 1987 with a collab with Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass. Palmer had a substantial country hit in 2008 with a cover of the Jordin Sparks/Chris Brown smash “No Air.” Palmer’s cover rode Hot Country Songs for 15 weeks, peaking at No. 47. Palmer is seen as paving the way for such Black women in country and country-adjacent genres as Mickey Guyton, Brittney Spencer, Allison Russell and Yola. Palmer is also the host of Apple Music’s podcast, Color Me Country Radio with Rissi Palmer.

Being honored for: “being a longstanding ally to songwriters.” Five-time Grammy-winning songwriters/producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (who were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017) will present the award.

Bio: Matthews became CEO of ASCAP on Jan. 13, 2015. She had served as evp and general counsel at ASCAP since 2013. Prior to ASCAP, Matthews served as evp and deputy general counsel at Viacom Media Networks (formerly MTV Networks) since 1998. In that capacity, she guided her business and legal affairs teams through the early days of the shift to digital.