Variety’s 2019 Hitmakers and Hitbreakers Revealed

It’s almost time to say goodbye to 2019 and the horse it rode in on — or the horse that dominated the conversation: Lil Nas X’s. The year in pop has been largely defined by a gay black man peddling country tropes, an all-shapes-and-sizes-glorifying soul shouter and a waif who felt like Kate Bush reincarnated into a rock ’n’ roll high school valedictorian. Which is to say: hardly defined at all. As Hitmaker of the Year Billie Eilish tells it, 2019 was “pretty genre-less. This year has been about accepting or just being open to new stuff that doesn’t necessarily have a specific sound.” Adds her producer-brother Finneas O’Connell: “There aren’t a lot of sound-alikes. Even the top five that we were in for a minute, where it was ‘Bad Guy,’ ‘Old Town Road,’ ‘Señorita’ and ‘Truth Hurts’ — those are pretty different songs, right?” Yes, and with pretty different teams behind them, all with a talent for turning the slightly peculiar into the monumentally popular. Here’s to the creatives and execs who fed us hits so eccentric but memorable that the world may still be grooving to them when Lil Nas has bought his farm and Eilish is deep into her dotage.

See the full list of Hitmakers below and head over to the gallery to read individual capsules and check out the corresponding chart of the most-consumed songs of 2019 here.

Category	Hitmaker	Artist	Song
Songwriter	Amy Allen	Halsey	“Without Me”
Producer-Songwriter	Benny Blanco	Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello Benny Blanco, Halsey & Khalid	“Señorita” “Eastside”
Producer-Songwriter	Tommy Brown	Ariana Grande	“7 Rings” “Thank U, Next”
Producer-Songwriter	Cashmere Cat	Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello Benny Blanco, Halsey & Khalid	“Señorita” “Eastside”
Producer-Songwriter	Cirkut	Ava Max	“Sweet but Psycho”
Producer-Songwriter	Cook Classics	Panic! at the Disco Ava Max	“High Hopes” “Sweet but Psycho”
Producer	Mike Dean	Travis Scott	“Sicko Mode”
Producers-Songwriters	Disclosure	Khalid	“Talk”
Producer-Songwriter	Frank Dukes	Post Malone Jonas Brothers	“Wow” “Sucker”
Producer-Songwriter	Finneas	Billie Eilish	“Bad Guy”
Producer-Songwriter	Charlie Handsome	Khalid	“Better”
Songwriter	Sam Hollander	Panic! at the Disco	“High Hopes”
Producer-Songwriter	Jonas Jeberg	Panic! at the Disco	“High Hopes”
Producer-Songwriter	Ilya	Ariana Grande	“Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored”
Songwriter	Jozzy	Lil Nas X	“Old Town Road”
Songwriter	Ilsey Juber	Panic! at the Disco	“High Hopes”
Songwriter	Savan Kotecha	Ariana Grande	“Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored”
Songwriter	Madison Love	Ava Max	“Sweet but Psycho”
Songwriter	Victoria Monet	Ariana Grande	“7 Rings” “Thank U, Next”
Producer-Songwriter	Jimmy Napes	Sam Smith & Normani	“Dancing With a Stranger”
Songwriter	Tayla Parx	Ariana Grande Panic! at the Disco	“7 Rings” and “Thank U, Next “High Hopes”
Producer-Songwriter	Ricky Reed	Lizzo	“Truth Hurts”
Songwriter	Anthony Rossomando	Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper	“Shallow”
Producer-Songwriter	Jake Sinclair	Panic! at the Disco	“High Hopes”
Producers-Songwriters	Stargate	Sam Smith & Normani	“Dancing With a Stranger”
Songwriter	Ali Tamposi	Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello	“Señorita”
Producer	T-Minus	J. Cole	“Middle Child”
Producers	Taz Taylor & Nick Mira	Lil Tecca	“Ransom”
Producer-Songwriter	Billy Walsh	Post Malone Post Malone & Swae Lee	“Wow” “Sunflower”
Producer-Songwriter	Andrew Watt	Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello Benny Blanco, Halsey & Khalid	“Señorita” “Eastside”
Producer-Songwriter	Wheezy	Meek Mill f. Drake	“Going Bad”
A&R	Joey Arbagey, Epic Records	Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello	“Señorita”
A&R	Tyler Arnold, Republic Records	Post Malone & Swae Lee	“Wow””Sunflower”
A&R	Tunji Balogun, RCA Records	Khalid	“Talk” and “Better”
A&R	Ziggy Chareton, Island Records	Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello	“Señorita”
A&R	Brandon Davis, Atlantic Records	Lizzo	“Truth Hurts”
A&R	Caroline “Baroline” Diaz	DaBaby	“Suge”
A&R	Edgar “Edd Grand” Machuca, Artist Partner Group	Halsey	“Without Me”
A&R	Dallas Martin, Atlantic Records	Meek Mill f. Drake	“Going Bad”
A&R	Rob Stevenson, Republic Records	Post Malone Post Malone & Swae Lee	“Wow” “Sunflower”
A&R	Julian Swirsky, Republic Records	Lil Tecca	“Ransom”
A&R	Evan Taubenfeld, Crush	Panic! at the Disco	“High Hopes”
A&R	Jeremy Vuernick, Capitol Music Group	Halsey Marshmello & Bastille	“Without Me” “Happier”
A&R	Wendy Goldstein, Republic Records	Ariana Grande Jonas Brothers	“7 Rings” “Thank U, Next” “Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored” “Sucker”
Executives	Toby Andrews, Astralwerks	Marshmello & Bastille	“Happier”
Executives	Mike Caren, Artist Partner Group	Ava Max	“Sweet but Psycho”
Executives	Ethiopia Habtemariam, Motown	Lil Baby f. Gunna	“Drip Too Hard”
Executives	Justin Lubliner, The Darkroom	Billie Eilish	“Bad Guy”
Executives	Angie Pagano, Artist Partner Group	Ava Max	“Sweet but Psycho”
Executives	Jim Roppo, Republic Records	Post Malone Post Malone & Swae Lee Ariana Grande Lil Tecca	“Wow” “Sunflower” “7 Rings” & “Thank U, Next” “Ransom”
Executives	Ron Perry, Columbia Records	Lil Nas X	“Old Town Road”
Executives	Dana Sano, Republic Records	Post Malone & Swae Lee	“Sunflower”
Executives	Astrid Taylor, Mad Love Records and Friends Keep Secrets	Benny Blanco, Halsey & Khalid	“Eastside”
Management	Jason Aron and Anthony Li, Anti-Pop	Halsey	“Without Me”
Management	Scooter Braun & Allison Kaye, SB Projects	Ariana Grande	“7 Rings” “Thank U, Next” “Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored”
Management	Andrew Gertler, AG Artists	Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello	“Señorita”
Management	Roger Gold, Gold Music Management	Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello	“Señorita”
Management	Dre London, London Ent.	Post Malone Post Malone & Swae Lee	“Wow” “Sunflower”
Management	Kevin Beisler & Brandon Creed, Full Stop Management	Lizzo	“Truth Hurts”
Management	Scott Nagelberg, Crush	Panic! at the Disco	“High Hopes”
Management	Adam Leber & Gee Roberson, Maverick	Lil Nas X	“Old Town Road”
Management	Danny Rukasin & Brandon Goodman	Billie Eilish	“Bad Guy”
Management	Phil McIntyre, Philymack	Jonas Brothers	“Sucker”
Management	Moe Shalizi, The Shalizi Group	Marshmello & Bastille	“Happier”
Management	Courtney Stewart, Right Hand Music Group	Khalid	“Talk” and “Better”
Promotion	Juliette Jones, Atlantic Records	Meek Mill f. Drake	“Going Bad”
Promotion	Larry Khan & Nino Cuccinello, Interscope	J. Cole DaBaby	“Middle Child” “Suge”
Promotion	Geo Bivins, RCA Records	Khalid	“Talk” and “Better”
Promotion	Bill Evans, Capitol Music Group	Lil Baby f. Gunna	“Drip Too Hard”
Promotion	Andrea Ganis, Atlantic Records	Ava Max	“Sweet but Psycho”
Promotion	Lori Giamela & Kevin Valentini	Khalid	“Talk” and “Better”
Promotion	David ‘Davey Dee’ Ingenloff, Republic Records	Post Malone Post Malone & Swae Lee	“Wow” “Sunflower”
Promotion	Greg Marella, Capitol Music Group	Halsey Marshmello & Bastille Sam Smith & Normani	“Without Me” “Happier” “Dancing With a Stranger”
Promotion	Brenda Romano, Interscope	Billie Eilish Benny Blanco, Halsey & Khalid Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper	“Bad Guy” “Eastside” “Shallow”
Promotion	Ayelet Schiffman, Island	Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello	“Señorita”
Promotion	Gary Spangler, Republic Records	Ariana Grande Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello	“7 Rings,” “Thank U, Next” “Señorita”
Promotion	Dixie Tipton, Capitol Records	Lil Baby f. Gunna	“Drip Too Hard”
Publishing	Shawn Holiday, Sony/ATV	Lil Nas X Travis Scott	“Old Town Road” “Sicko Mode
Publishing	Lillia Parsa, UMPG	Halsey	“Without Me”
Publishing	Ryan Press, Warner Chappell	Post Malone & Swae Lee	“Sunflower”
Publishing	Casey Robison, Big Deal Music Group	Lizzo Panic! at the Disco	“Truth Hurts” “High Hopes”
Publishing	Darryl Watts, Universal Music Publishing Group	Marshmello & Bastille	“Happier”
Marketing & Commerce	Michael Alexander, Republic, Def Jam and Island	Post Malone Post Malone & Swae Lee Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello	“Wow” “Sunflower” “Señorita”
Marketing & Commerce	Matt Bernal, Republic Records	Post Malone Post Malone & Swae Lee Lil Tecca	“Wow” “Sunflower” “Ransom”
Marketing & Commerce	Jordan Blaugrund, RCA Records	Khalid	“Talk” and “Better”
Marketing & Commerce	Marleny Dominguez-Reyes & Donna Grynn, Republic Records	Post Malone Ariana Grande Lil Tecca	“Wow” “7 Rings,” “Thank U, Next” “Ransom”
Marketing & Commerce	Mike Horton, Republic Records	Post Malone Ariana Grande Lil Tecca	“Wow” “7 Rings,” “Thank U, Next” “Ransom”
Marketing & Commerce	Tim Hrycyshyn, Republic Records	Post Malone Ariana Grande Lil Tecca	“Wow” “7 Rings,” “Thank U, Next” “Ransom”
Marketing & Commerce	Kevin Lipson, Republic Records	Post Malone Ariana Grande Lil Tecca	“Wow” “7 Rings,” “Thank U, Next” “Ransom”
Marketing & Commerce	Kerri Mackar, Republic Records	Post Malone Post Malone & Swae Lee	“Wow” “Sunflower”
Marketing & Commerce	Brooks Roach, Atlantic Records	Ava Max	“Sweet but Psycho”
Marketing & Commerce	Grace James, Atlantic Records	Lizzo	“Truth Hurts”
Media	Joseph Carozza, Marisa Bianco, Beau Benton, Republic Records	Post Malone Ariana Grande Lil Tecca	“Wow” “7 Rings,” “Thank U, Next” “Ransom”