It was a who’s who of the music industry on Wednesday night, as Billboard honored Jody Gerson, Lucian Grainge, Alex DePersia, Janelle Lopez Genzink, PlaqueBoyMax & Sharon Osbourne.
1/29/2026
Pusha T and Alex DePersia winner of the Breakthrough Executive Award at Billboard Power 100 Presented by VENU held at Zouk on January 28, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Billboard
On Sunday, Pusha T will be at Crypto.com Arena for the 2026 Grammy Awards, where Clipse — his rap duo with brother Malice — are up for five awards, including album of the year for their Let God Sort Em Out comeback project. But he was on a different stage Wednesday night, joining the Billboard Power 100 party at West Hollywood’s Zouk LA to put the spotlight on his manager Alex DePersia, Billboard‘s Breakthrough Executive of the Year.
“I’ve always been impressed with Alex’s creativity, her instincts, her strategic thinking and her all-out hustle,” Pusha said as he presented DePersia with the honor. “Alex has always been tapped in.”
And the star power didn’t stop there: Billboard Hot 100 queen Mariah Carey was also on hand to pay tribute to Jody Gerson, Billboard‘s newly minted Executive of the Decade for her work as CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group. In her speech — which was preceded by pre-taped well-wishes from Chris Martin, Brandi Carlile, J Balvin, Barry Gibb, Gracie Abrams and Rosalía — Carey recalled an early moment in her career when she wishes she had someone like Gerson on her side.
“I almost sold my publishing when I was 18 years old, for $5,000. We remember some of the songs in the catalog, right?” Carey said. “But I was just thinking: If I had someone like Jody there to protect me, it never would’ve gotten that far.”
Below, we’ve rounded up more highlights from the night, which was a who’s who of the music industry, as Billboard honored Gerson and DePersia, as well as Power 100 No. 1 Lucian Grainge, Executive of the Year Janelle Lopez Genzink, Disruptor Award recipient PlaqueBoyMax and Visionary Award honoree Sharon Osbourne.
Mariah Carey Presents Executive of the Decade Jody Gerson
Image Credit: Billboard
After a video montage featuring UMPG artists including Chris Martin, Brandi Carlile, J Balvin and Barry Gibb, Mariah Carey took the stage to present Billboard’s Executive of the Decade Jody Gerson, who has “approximately tripled her company’s publishing revenue, while championing songwriters and fighting for the value of a song at every turn,” Carey noted. “In the process she’s shown the music industry how to lead a global music giant with grace, integrity, selflessness and the utmost respect for both songwriters and her staff, while always speaking her mind and using her role as what she calls ‘a platform to build strategic bridges with influential leaders beyond the music industry. As a UMPG artist myself, I know the power of this woman very well, and I’m grateful to work alongside someone who advocates to steadfastly for songwriters.”
Gerson then came onstage to accept the award, calling it “truly a special moment, accepting this award from an artist and songwriter who’s spent more weeks at number one than anyone in history.”
In her speech, Gerson went on to say she has “the best job in the world, working with and supporting some of the greatest artists and songwriters of all time. They have all touched my heart and enriched my soul through their music. They mean the world to me, and I care about them and their songs deeply.” – KATIE BAIN
Power 100 No. 1 Lucian Grainge Is Introduced by Sherry Lansing
Image Credit: Billboard
With details of their long friendship, former film studio executive and chairwoman of Universal Music Group’s board of directors Sherry Lansing presented Lucian Grainge with his award for landing atop the Billboard Power 100 ranking for an eighth year.
“The only thing harder than becoming No. 1 is staying No. 1,” Lansing said of Grainge’s accomplishment. “The source of Lucian’s success is not just his vision or his business savvy or his ability to not only drive change but to embrace it. … The key to Lucian’s success is his undiminished lifelong passion for great music and the artists who make it.”
Grainge detailed how he has seen many technological advances in music over the years – from sheet music to radio to synthesizers and more. “But this time is different,” Grainge said. “It is different because we’ve always had to deal with reproduction and distribution, but now with AI, it’s going to really embed itself into the creation…we’ve never really had that before.”
He continued: “All of us will be challenged to be able to define what real creativity actually means and how we can protect the role of creative artists – human beings with original ideas and soul. I believe that this is an opportunity for all of us to collaborate – independents, majors, managers, lawyers – all of us with a common goal and common interest and shared values to harness AI. AI collaboration means aligning behind new legal frameworks and business models, structures that protect and elevate great music and great artists that ensure listeners are not overwhelmed in a sea of imitation and a sea of slop.”
“If we get this right,” Grainge added, “I believe that this transformation will allow our industry to continue to grow and continue to change – because we’ve grown and changed cyclically for the last 50, 60, 70 years. This transformation is different.” – TAYLOR MIMS
Pusha T Presents Breakthrough Executive Alex DePersia
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores/Billboard
Clipse’s Pusha T — nominated for album of the year at this coming weekend’s Grammy Awards for their comeback album Let God Sort Em Out — presented the Billboard Breakthrough Executive of the Year award to his manager, Alex DePersia. “I first met Alex DePersia 15 years ago when she was just getting started in music, as an assistant at Pharrell’s company I AM OTHER. Over the years, I’ve watched her make moves, navigate the industry, meet new challenges and continuously grow into the incredible executive she is today. I’ve always been impressed with Alex’s creativity, her instincts, her strategic thinking and her all-out hustle. Alex has always been tapped in.”
DePersia took the podium to thank Clipse, her “original mentor” Caron Veazey, and a slew of other top women executives — Jody Gerson, Jen Mallory, Lesley Olenik and more — saying, “I look up to these women deeply. Their guidance has shaped how I build, how I lead, how I parent — everything. I carry it with me, and it’s a privilege to know them.”
She then spoke about her career, started in 2011, working with Ron Laffitte and rising through the ranks through the years, working with artists like Gracie Abrams, Pharrell and more. “2025 was a breakthrough year for me,” she said. “I started my own company, By The Way, and my husband and I welcomed our first child. … Motherhood gave me the confidence to bet on myself, create on my own terms, and to move with even more intention. It sharpened my instincts, deepened my empathy, and raised the bar for how I show up, for my artists and for the work.” Then, to cap her speech, she added to huge applause, “Fuck ICE, and have a great night.” – DAN RYS
Executive of the Year Janelle Lopez Genzink Introduced by Imran Majid & Justin Eshak
Image Credit: Billboard
Following a warm introduction from Justin Eshak and Imran Majid, Island co-CEOs (and Billboard’s 2025 executives of the year), Janelle Lopez Genzink accepted her honor as the 2026 Executive of the Year. Lopez Genzink touched on her childhood, saying that she has been given the amazing opportunity to “live out a dream.” As she shared, it was all possible thanks to her grandma immigrating and working double shifts in the garment industry.
As a result, Lopez Genzink — a second-generation immigrant — said she has always believed in “what the American dream can actually be.” Today, that dream looks like founding a leading music management company, Volara, and supporting a roster that includes Sabrina Carpenter, Marina and HAIM. “I started Volara to create more space for women in the industry,” said Lopez Genzink. She then added of her roster, and herself: “There is nothing better than a strong woman with a clear vision.” – LYNDSEY HAVENS
PlaqueBoyMax Receives Disruptor Award From VENU’s Terri Liebler
Image Credit: Rashida Zagon/Billboard
While presenting PlaqueBoyMax with the Disruptor Award, Terri Liebler, president of growth & strategy at VENU, said the Twitch streamer-turned-artist “has a way of pulling people into the story and challenging the status quo” while “rewriting the playbook in real time.” In accepting the award, PlaqueBoyMax, a 2026 Grammy nominee for best dance/electronic recording for “Victory Lap” — making him the first Twitch streamer ever to be nominated for a Grammy – thanked collaborators Fred again.. and Skepta, adding, “I am just extremely blessed to have the ability bind these worlds together and do something new.” – CHRIS EGGERTSEN
Sharon Osbourne Accepts Visionary Award From Clive Davis & Michelle Anthony
Image Credit: Billboard
Judging from Sharon Osbourne’s speech at Wednesday night’s Billboard Power 100 party, her fiery spirit is still very much intact six months after the tragic death of her husband Ozzy Osbourne.
The businesswoman and television personality — who managed her late husband’s career, as well as The Smashing Pumpkins, Mötorhead and Lita Ford over the years — accepted the Visionary Award from record execs Clive Davis and Michelle Anthony, who lauded Sharon’s accomplishments, from founding Ozzfest to helping organize what would become Ozzy’s final concert, July’s Back to the Beginning benefit show in Birmingham, England. “This award honors people who see farther, fight harder and leave the business different than they found it,” Davis said in his intro. “Sharon Osborne has done all three loudly, unapologetically and with results that speak for themselves.”
In her speech, Osbourne noted that her music-manager father taught her the right and wrong things to do in this business — because she saw first-hand how he swindled musicians out of their money. But there was one lasting lesson: “He told me at the age of 15, if I wanted to make it in this industry, I had to know more than any other man in the industry. And I would say that my balls are bigger than many men’s, and I’m quite proud of that,” she said to big laughs and applause from the crowd. — KATIE ATKINSON
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