VASSY’s ascent to the penthouse of EDM has been rewarded with a special U.S. songwriter’s award.
The Greek Australia-born, U.S.-based singer and songwriter collects her first platinum plaque from the National Music Publishers’ Association for “Bad,” which she wrote and recorded with David Guetta and Showtek.
The award was organised by VASSY’s publisher, The Royalty Network, and presented in Los Angeles last Friday, Feb. 9 — the release date for her new album Supreme, cut with hit producer Tim Myers (OneRepublic) and Position Music.
“It is a rare award, these are hard to get,” VASSY tells The Music Network.
The Royalty Network’s president, Frank Liwall, West Coast director Steven Weber, and A&R creative Ian Fletcher were on hand for the presentation.
For VASSY, the ceremony had a touch of the surreal; an earthquake shook L.A. just as the plaque changed hands, a truly “weird” moment, she tells TMN.
The NMPA certifies songwriters of RIAA-certified singles. RIAA counts both sales and on-demand streams towards its platinum (1 million) certifications.
Raised in a Greek household in Darwin, VASSY (born Vassy Karagiorgos) made the leap to the United States in the early 2010s for a fresh start. The punt paid off when she became the first Australian artist to hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart with her solo number “We Are Young.”
It’s one of her six leaders on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart, including “Bad,” which has raced past one billion streams on YouTube alone, earning inclusion in APRA AMCOS’ The 1,000,000,000 List (she’s an ambassador for the performing right society).
Last year, VASSY created history when she was awarded Icon status at the 2023 EDMAs, becoming the first-ever female recipient.
VASSY can expect another call from the NMPA. “Secrets,” her club hit from 2015 with Tiësto and Kshmr, is certified gold in the U.S.
Supreme, she explains, was “so much fun” to create and “a chance for me to go back some of my original musical roots, creating a fusion of quirky, eclectic songs.”
