Paul Grein, Billboard’s awards editor, began writing for the magazine as a freelancer in 1975, when he was a junior at the University of California, Los Angeles. He graduated in 1976 with a degree in communication studies and joined the Billboard staff the following year. He created the Chartbeat column in 1981, for which he won a Donaldson Award (named after Billboard co-founder William Donaldson) in 1984 as the best column in the magazine (there was no Billboard.com in those days). Over the years, he has also covered popular music for such outlets as the Los Angeles Times, Yahoo Music and Hits. Grein rejoined Billboard in 2019, with the goal of covering the awards beat with the same authority and obsessive zeal that Billboard has long brought to its chart coverage. Grein’s hobbies include listening to music, following the charts and watching award shows, which means his job is a perfect fit. Grein believes that music and staying on top of the ever-changing music scene keeps him young.
