UPDATE (Jan. 23): Chappell Roan and veteran manager Roger Davies have been added to the already stacked list of honorees at the annual Resonator Awards, which will be presented by We Are Moving the Needle on Jan. 27 at Los Angeles’ iconic Chaplin Studios (formerly Henson Studios).
Roan will receive the Harmonizer Award, presented by Heart’s Nancy Wilson; Davies, who has managed such music superstars as Olivia Newton-John, Cher, Sade, Tina Turner, Janet Jackson and P!nk, will receive the Transformer Award. The Harmonizer Award honors a creator who uses music to leverage social change. The Transformer Award, which will be presented by a special guest, celebrates a changemaker who uplifts women’s voices across the industry.
Comedian Fred Armisen will host the show. Performers include FLO, Greg Kurstin, Jim James, Lucius, Sia, Thundercat and Victoria Canal, plus a DJ set by U.S. Girls. There will also be a tribute performance in honor of this year’s Luminary Award recipient, Chaka Khan, featuring Grace Bowers, Hayley Williams, Lalah Hathaway, Maggie Rogers and more surprise guests. The event’s live music is supported by Live Nation Women, a division at Live Nation dedicated to driving progress for women across the industry.
In the lead-up to the Resonator Awards, We Are Moving the Needle will host a curated auction featuring exclusive music memorabilia. All proceeds will benefit the organization’s scholarship fund. The auction will include instruments signed by boygenius, Haim, Remi Wolf, Train and more. The digital auction is open to the public on eBay, with additional special items to be revealed at the live auction next week.
PREVIOUSLY (Jan. 7): Chaka Khan, St. Vincent, Haim and Amy Allen are among this year’s honorees at the 2026 Resonator Awards, which will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 27, at Chaplin Studios (formerly known as Henson Studios) in Los Angeles. The Resonator Awards are presented by We Are Moving the Needle, which was founded in 2021 by Grammy-winning mastering engineer Emily Lazar.
“Empowered women empower women,” Khan, who is set to receive the Luminary Award, said in a statement. “I am honored to be part of a movement that celebrates the creativity, resilience, and determination of women creators everywhere. We lift each other and shine. Together, we are moving the needle.”
Fittingly, for an event being held during Grammy Week, several of the honorees are 2026 Grammy nominees.
Allen has four nominations this year – songwriter of the year, non-classical (an award she won last year), album of the year for her contributions to Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend (Allen won in that category three years ago for her work on Harry Styles’ Harry’s House); and two song of the year nods, for cowriting Carpenter’s “Manchild” and the Bruno Mars/Rosé collab “APT.”
Honorees Roselilah and Jayda Love are current record of the year nominees. Roselilah is nominated for co-producing the Kendrick Lamar/SZA collab “Luther”; Love as engineer/mixer of Doechii’s “Anxiety.” Love won a Grammy earlier this year for best rap album for Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal.
Many other honorees are past Grammy winners. Khan is a 10-time Grammy winner. In addition, she will receive a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy at the Special Merit Awards on Saturday, Jan. 31. St. Vincent, a six-time Grammy winner, is the only female solo artist to win multiple Grammys for best alternative music album. She has won in that category three times, for St. Vincent, Daddy’s Home and All Born Screaming. Gena Johnson has won two Grammys – best country album for Chris Stapleton’s Starting Over and best Americana album for Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s Weathervanes.
Other honorees include five-time Grammy nominees HAIM; 2025 Grammy nominee Bella Blasko (Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams, The National); 2025 producer of the year (non-classical) Grammy nominee Alissia (Mary J. Blige, Anderson .Paak, Kaytranada); writer-producer duo Elvira Anderfjärd and Luka Kloser who crafted Addison Rae’s breakout debut album this year; and Betty Bennett, co-founder of the audio company Apogee Electronics.
Resonator Hall of Fame Awards will be presented to Elaine Martone, Jaime Sickora, Judith Sherman, Mary Mazurek and Michelle Sabolchick, and posthumously to songwriter Allee Willis, who died in 2019, and producer, songwriter and DJ Sophie, who died in 2021. Previous Hall of Fame inductees include Alicia Keys, Linda Perry, Ann Mincieli, Leslie Ann Jones and Marcella Araica.
The event will include a seated dinner, awards ceremony, and live performances. Funds raised will go to support the mission of We Are Moving the Needle – a nonprofit organization working to “radically reshape the future of the recording industry.” The organization empowers women, trans, and non-binary creators, producers and engineers to succeed through scholarships and grants, mentorship, research, advocacy, and community events.
“We Are Moving The Needle is about strengthening the music industry so creators can thrive on their own terms,” Lazar said in a statement. “The Resonator Awards are a reflection of that mission — honoring not only remarkable artistry, but the shared commitment to building an industry that lives up to its values.”
In 2019, Lazar became the first female mastering engineer to win a Grammy for best engineered album, non-classical for her work on Beck’s Colors. Two years later, she became the first mastering engineer to land three Grammy nods for album of the year in a single year. She was the mastering engineer on Coldplay’s Everyday Life, Haim’s Women in Music Pt. III and Jacob Collier’s Djesse Vol. 3.
Here’s a complete list of this year’s honorees, with the presenters listed alongside them:
Luminary Award: Chaka Khan presented by Sia
Golden Trifecta Award: St. Vincent presented by Olivia Rodrigo
Disruptors Award: HAIM presented by Rostam
Powerhouse Award: Gena Johnson presented by Jason Isbell
Exceptional Ears Award: Bella Blasko presented by Aaron Dessner
Exceptional Ears Award: Jayda Love presented by special guest
Calliope Award: Amy Allen presented by Laufey
All-Star Award: Alissia presented by Anderson .Paak
In Stereo Award: Elvira Anderfjärd and Luka Kloser presented by Addison Rae
Breakthrough Award: Roselilah presented by Emily Lazar
Equalizer Award: Betty Bennett presented by Tony Berg
Resonator Hall of Fame Awards: Elaine Martone, Jaime Sickora, Judith Sherman, Mary Mazurek, Michelle Sabolchick, Allee Willis (In Memoriam), SOPHIE (In Memoriam)
