The Hal David Starlight Award, created in 2004, was named in honor of SHOF Chairman Emeritus Hal David, for his longtime support of young songwriters. Award recipients are gifted young songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry with their original songs. Gracie Abrams, a Universal Music Publishing Group writer, joins the distinguished company of SZA, Post Malone, Lil Nas X, Halsey, Sara Bareilles, Ed Sheeran, Nick Jonas, Nate Ruess, Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds, Taylor Swift, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Ne-Yo, Drake, Benny Blanco, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, Rob Thomas, and John Rzeznik.
SHOF Chairman Nile Rodgers said, “This continues to be an amazing time for songwriters, performers and music in general. Gracie Abrams is at the forefront of this movement with her award-winning songwriting style, impressive stage presence and her overall remarkable artistry. We are beyond thrilled that she will be the 2025 recipient of the Hal David Starlight Award.”
A consummate songwriter Gracie Abrams penned her first song at age eight and then went on to amass a devoted following on the strength of her emotionally intimate lyrics. Since making her debut in 2019, Gracie has emerged as one of the most compelling singer-songwriters of her generation, earning the highly coveted nomination for Best New Artist for the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Most recently, Gracie earned her second GRAMMY nod, this time for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards and made her Saturday NightLive debut as musical guest in December 2024.
Gracie’s debut project minor arrived in summer 2020, and the seven-song effort features her beloved singles “21,” “I miss you, I’m sorry,” and “Long Sleeves.” In November 2021, Abrams returned with This Is What It Feels Like, a 12-track project followed and kicked off 2022 with her sold-out North American headline tour for This Is What It Feels Like. In 2023, Abrams released her highly anticipated debut album, Good Riddance, in February, followed by a North American headline tour that sold out in under one hour.
She released her sophomore album, The Secret of Us, in June 2024 and it became her first ever #1 in the UK, Australia and the Netherlands and debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 in the US. Her single “Close To You” had over 3 million streams on Spotify on its first day and earned Gracie her first solo debut on the Billboard Hot 100. Another standout track, "I Love You, I'm Sorry," rose to a new peak of #11 on the US Spotify Chart. The Secret of Us Deluxe, released in October, featured four new tracks, including “That’s So True” which hit #1 on the US Spotify chart and has amassed more than 100 million streams. The song rose to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Gracie’s first Top 10 and also marked the first time she held the #1 spot in the UK for 5 consecutive weeks.
This past fall, Gracie embarked on her sold-out headlining tour, The Secret of Us Tour and following the U.S. leg of her tour, Gracie rejoined Taylor for the second North American Leg of the Eras Tour as direct support. She continues The Secret of Us Tour in 2025 with her long-awaited Europe, Australia, and Asia stops. In addition to playing arenas across Europe and Australia, Gracie recently announced her first solo arena tour in North America, The Secret of Us Deluxe Tour, which will include iconic venues such as Madison Square Garden, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and Kia Forum. Gracie Abrams continues to set the standard on creativity and songwriting while shattering records.