00:00Good evening, everyone. Good evening, and welcome to Variety's Power of Young Hollywood 2026.
00:05I'm Mario Lopez.
00:07And I'm Dominic Lopez.
00:08And we're going to be your hosts tonight.
00:09We are very excited to be here celebrating some of the most talented young artists in all of entertainment.
00:15It's pretty surreal, honestly.
00:17Most of the people we're honoring here tonight are the same people my friends and I watch, listen to, and
00:22follow every day.
00:23Which means this is one of the few nights where my son actually thinks I'm pretty cool.
00:27Let's not get carried away.
00:28All right, I won't.
00:30The funny thing is I started out in this business when I was just a little kid.
00:34And now years later I get to watch Dominic take that same journey, and it's kind of a cool full
00:39circle moment.
00:40But one thing that hasn't changed over time is that success doesn't happen overnight.
00:45It takes talent, it takes discipline, resilience, and about a thousand auditions where someone says, we'll let you know.
00:53Still waiting on a few of those.
00:54Exactly.
00:55The people that we're celebrating tonight, they didn't get here by accident.
00:59They've earned it through hard work, through passion, and constantly pushing themselves creatively.
01:05And they've inspired a whole generation, including me.
01:08It's really cool getting to share a stage with people whose work I've admired for years.
01:11Yes, and our industry is changing faster than ever, as you all know.
01:15There's new platforms.
01:16There's new ways to tell stories.
01:18There's new audiences all around the world.
01:20But one thing never changes in that it's a constant, and that's great storytelling.
01:26And tonight is all about celebrating young artists who aren't just following the conversation, they're leading it.
01:31And hopefully they'll still have time to stop for selfies after the show.
01:35Priorities, that's right.
01:36So let's get to the reason we're all here.
01:39Our Triple Threat Award.
01:40That goes to Tate McRae.
01:45She's a singer, songwriter, dancer.
01:48Honestly calling her a triple threat almost feels like underselling it.
01:52At this point, she may need a few more categories.
01:54In judging my social media, she also has about 500 million people trying to learn her choreography.
01:59That's right.
02:00And tonight we're also going to be honoring Somber as songwriter of the year.
02:05His music is connected with millions of fans, and if you've had Back to Being Friends stuck in your head
02:11lately, don't worry.
02:12So is everyone else.
02:13And we're also recognizing Tyreek Withers with the new Leading Man Award.
02:18He's the kind of actor who commands the screen every time he shows up, and something tells me this is
02:24just the beginning.
02:25Basically, remember you saw him here first.
02:27And finally, we are celebrating Malachi Barton with the Rising Star Award.
02:34He's been building an impressive career for years now, and it's exciting to watch him continue to level up with
02:39every project.
02:40I'm just hoping he gives me some career advice backstage.
02:43Yes, join the club on that one.
02:44And tonight, for the first time ever, the event will feature a live musical performance presented by Amazon Music's Breakthrough
02:52program that they have.
02:54And it's only fitting that the artist helping us make history is Sienna Spyro.
03:00Sienna is one of music's most exciting new voices, fresh off the release of her acclaimed debut album, Visitor,
03:06and recently named the newest artist in Amazon Music's Breakthrough program.
03:10Sienna, already captivating audiences all around the world with her talent.
03:15So, congratulations, Sienna.
03:17Please join us in welcoming Sienna Spyro, Performing Pure.
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