Tom Morello, Annie Lennox, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Songwriters Honored at 2026 SONA Awards
The Songwriters of North America honoured Tom Morello, Annie Lennox, Desmond Child, writers from *KPop Demon Hunters* and Kobalt chief Laurent Hubert at its annual awards in Los Angeles. The event recognised songwriters’ contributions while highlighting debates over free expression, copyright and artificial intelligence.
Morello received SONA’s first Freedom of Expression Warrior Award for his advocacy of First Amendment rights and spoke about protest music’s role in social movements. Child urged the industry to protect songwriters’ work, calling copyrights human rights; Hubert and Lennox warned that AI should not displace human creativity. Four *KPop Demon Hunters* songwriters accepted the Global Impact Award, while Lennox received the Artist Songwriter Award and performed “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”.
In short
- Tom Morello received SONA’s first Freedom of Expression Warrior Award.
- Awards speakers highlighted copyright, censorship and AI.
- Annie Lennox was honoured and performed “Sweet Dreams”.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of strong protections for expression and copyright argue that songwriters need room to challenge power and reliable control over work they have created. They see protest music as an important part of public debate, and warn that AI systems which use or replace human-created work without fair recognition or compensation could weaken both creative livelihoods and the value society places on human artistry.
The case against
Others may argue that these aims need to be balanced with open access to culture and new forms of expression. Broad copyright protections or restrictions on AI could limit legitimate reuse, experimentation and technological development; likewise, defending free expression means protecting a wide range of viewpoints, including those that may offend or challenge established causes.
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