Names and faces
■ Two-time Grammy winner Lil Nas X will receive the Hal David Starlight Award at the 2022 Songwriters Hall of Fame induction gala, scheduled for June 16 in New York City. “Gifted young songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry via their original songs” are presented the award, which was created in 2004 to celebrate the legacy of David, the late pop lyricist known for collaborations with Burt Bacharach. Songwriters Hall of Fame chair Nile Rodgers said that Lil Nas X “is someone we are very proud to award the Hal David Starlight Award to.” “He has perhaps better than anyone demonstrated how powerful great songs are with ‘Old Town Road’ and ‘Montero’ dominating the charts for almost every day of the last three years,” he continued. The producer added: “If you’re lucky enough to be alive at this time, you know exactly who Lil Nas X is and he’s an incredible and inspirational person for every one of his communities as well.” Inductees for this year’s Songwriters Hall of Fame are Mariah Carey, Eurythmics, The Isley Brothers, Steve Miller, Rick Nowels, William “Mickey” Stevenson and The Neptunes. This will be the first time since 2019 that the ceremony is held due to the covid-19 pandemic.
■ Aimee Osbourne, daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, was among those who escaped a Hollywood recording studio fire that killed a 26-year-old music producer, her mother and others who work in the space said. Aimee Osbourne’s producer also escaped the blaze that began late Thursday afternoon in the two-story commercial building that houses several studios. It took 78 firefighters more than 50 minutes to extinguish the flames, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott said in a statement. Two people reported respiratory symptoms related to smoke exposure and were evaluated at the scene, but both declined to be taken to a hospital, Scott said. Building occupants said they heard no smoke detectors and saw no sprinklers go off. It was not immediately clear if the building had any code violations or citations. Authorities had not released the identity of the person killed, but friends and others who worked in the building, including musician and record label owner Jamal Rajad Davis, identified him as Nathan Avery Edwards, who recorded, produced and mixed music under the name Avery Drift. Aimee Osbourne, 38, and a producer she was working with were “the lucky two that made it out alive,” Sharon Osbourne said in an Instagram post, without identifying the producer. “Our prayers go out to the family and friends of the person that lost their life to this senseless fire,” Osbourne said. Aimee Osbourne is a singer who releases electronic pop music under the name ARO.