Join us on October 11, 2025, at the historic Village Studio as SONA hosts its annual Songwriter Summit, a day designed to educate, inspire, and empower. Marking SONA’s 10th anniversary, this gathering isn’t just a look back at how far we’ve come, but a glimpse into the future of songwriting and advocacy. Featuring panels that cut to the core of today’s challenges and opportunities, conversations with industry leaders, SONA Member break out meetings with TikTok representatives, and a keynote from Congressman Maxwell Frost, the Summit is a rare chance to connect, learn, and stand together as a community of creators. Tickets are free for SONA Members! Please check your Member Portal, newsletter, or email info@wearesona.com to receive the code. If you are not already a SONA Member, join today at wearesona.com.
Click here for tickets to the 2025 Songwriter Summit.
The State of the Writing Room moderated by Jai Yoko with Autumn Rowe, Mette, Emily Warren, and J. Hart. This panel takes a pulse on the modern songwriting ecosystem including:
- Industry shifts and opportunities-how you get in the room and how it feels in the room
- Songwriter points and per diem
- The new expectations for “multi-hyphenate” writers (producer/writer/performer)
- What are the biggest challenges and opportunities facing Songwriters today.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS
AUTUMN ROWE
A leading writer and producer and advocate for songwriter’s rights, Autumn Rowe won the Grammy Award for Best Album at the 64th Grammy awards, one of two nominations in major categories for her extensive writing and producing work on Jon Batiste’s album “We Are.” Rowe co-wrote five of the album’s thirteen tracks, including the single “Freedom,” for which she also received a nomination in the Record of the Year category. Rowe, who grew up in the South Bronx without connections to the music industry, has become a rare woman of color to reach the most sought-after echelons of songwriting talent. She has collaborated with many of music’s biggest names, including Dua Lipa, Diana Ross, Lukas Graham, Andy Grammer, Ava Max, Angelique Kidjo, and Leona Lewis. Rowe’s hits as a songwriter include Alexis Jordan’s “Happiness,” which served as the official song of the FIFA World Cup and recently resurged in popularity after going viral on TikTok. Rowe is a celebrated vocal coach: she has appeared on The X Factor and on America’s Got Talent, where she served as the show’s only vocal coach for five years. She is also a talented DJ, who studied at Scratch Academy.
Along the way, Rowe has become a prominent player in the fight for songwriter’s rights, against the backdrop of a rapidly changing media landscape. She serves on the board of Songwriters of North America (SONA), where she sits on several committees, including DEI. During the pandemic, Rowe co-founded and became co-director of the Songwriter Fund, a nonprofit enterprise that provides emergency relief grants to songwriters affected by covid. The Fund has raised and distributed more than $500,000 in such grants to date. Rowe has used her place in the Recording Academy community to help advance the causes of musicians. She attended last year’s Grammys on the Hill awards, and lobbied extensively for songwriters’ rights with members of congress. She helped to fundraise, including through her DJ’ing talents, for Raphael Warnock and Nancy Pelosi. Rowe was also a group leader for the Recording Academy’s District Advocate Day. In the recent Copyright Royalty Board trial, Rowe served as a key witness, sharing her personal story as a songwriter and helping to secure a landmark ruling in favor of fairer compensation for songwriters.
Rowe has also been an outspoken champion for women songwriters and producers. In June 2022, she spoke at the annual NMPA event, alongside Jody Gerson, Carriane Marshall, and Golnar Khosrowshahi, on ‘Unsafe Situations’ and Other Challenges Facing Women in Music Business. The event, and Rowe’s contributions to it, received public attention, including coverage in Variety Magazine. In the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Rowe, along with MILCK, Ani Difranco and BIIANCO, created the song “We Won’t Go Back.” The song led them to headline the Women’s March in D.C and perform for an audience of world and private sector leaders at the Kennedy Center.
For her advocacy for women in music, Autumn was last year appointed a Spotify Songwriter Equal Ambassador and showcased on a Billboard in Time Square. Last year, she traveled to South Africa to speak to an audience of 1000 women, sharing her story of resilience and empowerment.
Rowe has also devoted her advocacy to fighting anti-semitism and racism; last year, she received a Peace Award from the CCFP for her activism in these areas alongside Darren Star and Eugine Levy. She is an executive board member of the The Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance (BJEA).
When Rowe isn’t busy in the studio, she spends her time volunteering as a Grammy mentor. She has also lectured at Berklee school of music and at Stargate’s music schools LAAMP in LA and LIMPI in Norway She recently launched a mentorship program with BMG and SONA called “Ask the Insider,” which matches industry experts and mentees. She continues to bring her powerful message of personal triumph and advocacy for others to audiences around the world.
Autumn most recently, launched her JV Publishing company with Spirit Music group singing Signing Mira Housey. Autumn Rowe sees her success as a win for everyone. She uses her growing platform as an opportunity to give back to her community and fight for inclusivity, knowing from her own experience that, in a world where not all musicians can survive, there can be no music in the world.
METTE
METTE is an independent artist, songwriter, and performer whose work bridges music, dance, and film. She is the writer and performer of Mama’s Eyes, which earned her a prestigious Ivor Novello Award nomination. Having garnered the confidence to pursue music after her dance career, Mette describes the journey as her most fulfilling yet. Briefly signed, she has since been empowered by her independence — a perspective that fuels her advocacy for songwriters’ equity and fraternity. A proud member of SONA and published by Warner Chappell, Mette is currently working on her debut album in Los Angeles. While carving out her own space in pop music, she's committed to ensuring that her proposition remains rooted in artistry, integrity, and humanity.
EMILY WARREN
New York-born Emily Warren is a songwriter and artist. Hailing from a musical family — during her childhood her father frequently played guitar and sang to her and her brothers — it was her childhood piano teacher who introduced her to the concept of writing her own songs. As a songwriter, Warren has written songs such as the Grammy Award-winning, 10x Platinum single “Don’t Let Me Down” by The Chainsmokers and multi-platinum singles “New Rules” and “Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa. Other recent releases include Rose "toxic till the end", Dua Lipa “Falling Forever,” Sofi Tukker “Veneno,” “Bread” and “Spiral,” Lizzo “Naked,” The Chainsmokers x Kim Petras “Don’t Lie,” Paris Hilton x Sia “If The Earth Is Spinning,” and Shakira “Don’t Wait Up.”
JHART
James "JHart" Abrahart is a true multi-hyphenate whose skillset spans being a singer-songwriter, producer, vocal producer, and arranger. Born and raised in London, England and Atlanta, Georgia respectively, his roots and influences are firmly planted on two separate continents. A force in the music industry for over a decade, he has written with and for artists spanning multiple genres, including Justin Bieber, Keith Urban, Muni Long, Illenium, Kylie Minogue, Cher, Troye Sivan, Jon Bellion, Kelsea Ballerini, Usher, and many more.
As an artist, JHart has amassed millions of solo streams, been a featured vocalist for top-tier DJs like David Guetta and Felix Jaehn, and played some of the most iconic music venues in the world, including a headline set at Coachella with Kygo.
He recently released a collection of original music executive produced by 2x Song of the Year GRAMMY winner and 3x GRAMMY-nominated Producer of the Year, D'Mile.
In addition to new music, JHart filmed a TV show with Netflix called "Hitmakers" that aired in over 200 countries, and performed the national anthem for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Lakers during the 2024 season. He has a publishing company with fellow songwriter Sarah Hudson called Same Wave Publishing, that aims to take a bespoke, creative friendly approach to mentorship, development, and publishing. Their first signing was “Alna Hofmeyer” who has the current Demi Lovato single as well as the current Illenium single, both cowritten by Sarah and JHart, respectively.
As an outspoken member of the LGBTQ community, JHart aims to use his artistry and songwriting to continue shining a mainstream spotlight on queer perspectives and stories, and to help cultivate and mentor the next generation of LGBTQ musical talent.
JAI YOKO
Jai Yoko (she/her/they) is an Artist Development Specialist, Project Manager, and Rights & Royalty Manager dedicated to education, advocacy, and sustainability in the music industry. Founder of Jai Yoko Ent, Jai helps artists develop their voice, manage rollouts, rebrands, and launches, and protect their rights through catalog and royalty management. She is recognized for transforming Agile and Waterfall methodologies into frameworks that actually work for artists, while also building custom systems and workflows tailored to each creative’s needs. Beyond direct artist work, Jai has consulted with global platforms including BandLab, IndieFlow, and WIPO CLIP, designing scalable tools for independent creators. As ,Co-Chair of Education for SONA as well as professional member of the Recording Academy, RAMPD, and Grimalkin Records, Jai has mentored over 1,000 artists, contributed to 10M+ independent streams, and unlocked hundreds of royalties—proving that with the right foundation, artists can build careers on their own terms.