For those destined to be songwriters, the spark of inspiration strikes early in life. That was one common theme from many of the heartfelt thank-yous and reflections shared by the diverse group of musical artists honored Saturday at Variety ‘s annual Hitmakers brunch in Hollywood.

Sabrina Carpenter , our Hitmaker of the Year, spoke wistfully of writing her first song at age 10. Tyler, the Creator credited his the roots of his creativity to the “crazy imagination” of his 7-year-old self. Tate McRae got going on writing songs in her bedroom at 13. EJAE, part of the powerhouse pop trio Huntr/x featured in the smash Netflix film “Kpop Demon Hunters,” did the same at 10. And 89-year-old blues legend Buddy Guy recalled growing up in rural Louisiana without a steady source of clean water in

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