Executive of the Week
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One of the bigger surprises of 2023 so far has been the music of Lil Yachty, the Atlanta-based rapper who released his first project in three years earlier this month. But rather than delving into the hip-hop styles for which he’s known, Yachty branched out with Let’s Start Here, releasing an album that is more psych rock than trap rap — and receiving some of the best reviews of his career in the process.
The album debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums chart last week, and has stuck around in the top 40 of the former and top 10 of the latter in its second week on the chart. And helping guide the stylistic switch up and land Yachty with some of the most intriguing collaborators he’s worked with in his career has been Motown Records vice president of A&R Gelareh Rouzbehani, who earns the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Rouzbehani discusses the switch for Yachty from hip-hop to alt-rock, and the somewhat unexpected success that the album achieved, given how difficult it can be to change the narrative for an artist who is nearly a decade into his career at this point. “It goes to show that great music still reigns supreme,” Rouzbehani tells Billboard. “Working with Yachty on this album was more about adding ideas rather than taking things away. He had a really strong sense of the record he was making and, for me, it was about bringing session ideas to the table, people I felt like could add to his vision.”
This week, Lil Yachty’s Let’s Start Here spent its second week in the top 40 of the Billboard 200 and the top 10 of the Top Rock Albums chart. What key decision did you make to help make that happen?
The beauty of this album’s success thus far is that it has organically resonated with people around the world. It goes to show that great music still reigns supreme. Working with Yachty on this album was more about adding ideas rather than taking things away. He had a really strong sense of the record he was making and, for me, it was about bringing session ideas to the table, people I felt like could add to his vision.
This album represented a stylistic switch for Yachty, from rap to rock. What did that entail from the A&R side?
I remember when I first met Yachty in Atlanta and we shared a love of Tame Impala and music that inspired him as an artist and me as an exec. He has always wanted to make an alternative record and I was itching to A&R an alt-leaning album. We didn’t necessarily sit down and say, “Hey, let’s do this now.” The stars just aligned. He had met Pony, Patrick and Jacob and just started creating. I’m grateful that Yachty trusts me with his art. As much as it’s vulnerable for an artist to put themselves in that position, it’s also something I don’t take lightly. To be able to call him and bounce ideas back and forth is something I enjoy. He was open to meeting and working with Teo Halm, so we invited him to a session at Mac Demarco‘s studio. They started vibing, Teo was playing chords and Mac was on bass. Nami, another extraordinary creative, came to that session. Credit to Yachty for saying yes. That day, “drive ME crazy!” was created, which is now the No. 1 most consumed song [from the album].
How is it different A&R’ing a hip-hop record vs. a rock record like this?
The initial process for me is always the same. The way we go about making the records may be different and, of course, sonically there are differences, but there’s always very similar underlying characteristics. Being aligned with an artist’s vision is the most important part for me. Once that foundation is set, it’s like painting on a blank canvas, whether it be rap, alt, pop, rock. I’m most inspired when I’m giving creative input and it just flows.
What challenges exist in shifting genres like this, and how do you overcome them?
I think the challenge really lies outside of the world you build. There wasn’t necessarily a challenge going into making the record; that came very naturally to Yachty. Since he’s a multi-genre artist, he can literally make any genre of music, he’s just that type of creative. It was about making sure we don’t alienate his core fans but also grow and reach new audiences. It was also really important for the alt/rock community to grasp this type of record coming from Yachty, who has evolved so much musically.
The album debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums chart with a strong critical reception. What did you do to help it succeed out of the gate, and how do you keep the momentum going now?
Having every department aligned on our goals was key for the rollout of this project. Everyone was really excited hearing the record, but the challenge was how to get it out to the world in the most meaningful and genuine way. That energy has to match the music, from marketing to international to creative. The goal was to have people listen to the album top to bottom, no skips, since it’s really a journey from the very beginning to the last track. Now, it’s about getting the live element in place and going into the second phase of marketing and our plans around ex-U.S. markets.
How has the job of an A&R changed over the course of your career?
Every A&R is different. It depends on each individual and what their strengths are and really focusing on those strengths. I’m very hands on and like to be a part of the creative process from inception, then putting a different hat on once we deliver the record.
Previous Executive of the Week: Debra Rathwell of AEG Presents
After nearly 60 years in the music business, there’s precious little Elton John hasn’t already achieved. The icon has sold millions of records, toured the globe countless times and even saw the biopic based on his life, Rocketman, win honors at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes. But this week he added another accolade to his extensive collection, and one that sets a mind-boggling record: his multiyear Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour became the highest-grossing tour of all time, and the only one to surpass $800 million in gross, passing Ed Sheeran’s Divide tour for the title.
John’s outing isn’t even over yet, and there’s still the possibility that this tour crosses even higher benchmarks before all is said and done. But it’s already a crowning achievement for Debra Rathwell, the executive vp of global touring and talent at AEG Presents, who promoted the trek. And the milestone earns her the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Rathwell breaks down how the tour came together and became so successful, the strategy behind moving up from arenas to stadiums midway through, the challenges posed by the pandemic and the lessons learned from such a gigantic undertaking. “I’m not sure that there will ever be another artist like Elton John, or a tour quite like the FYBR Tour,” she says. “But for any artist aspiring to achieve this level of success, this tour is probably the best example of what comes out of hard work and a love of performing: get out there and share your music with your audience.”
This week, Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour became the highest-grossing tour in history, and the first-ever tour to gross $800 million. What key decision did you make to help make this happen?
This all started to come together six years ago, back in 2017, a full year before the first date of the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. Jay Marciano (AEG Presents chairman/CEO), Howard Rose (John’s longtime agent), Keith Bradley (John’s tour director), Donna DiBenedetto (AEG Presents vp), Barrie Marshall (Marshall Arts), Doris Dixon (Marshall Arts) and myself met in Las Vegas to begin the job of routing and shaping the first half of tour. At that time, Elton John was playing the final shows of The Million Dollar Piano residency at the Colosseum.
Once we had our plan together, Elton held a press conference in New York in January 2018 to officially announce his retirement from touring, but not before he had embarked on a final run of 350 shows over three years, beginning that September. He wanted to travel around the world to say farewell to his fans. We all knew right then that this would be the greatest tour of all time, and that it was our job to back up Elton and deliver the goods.
No single person can take credit for the monumental success of the FYBR tour — apart from Elton John, of course. But if I had to describe my small part of it over these past five years, it’s been kind of a “utility player” role. Depending on the day, or even minute, it’s coach, captain or just “the bossy girl with the clipboard” who keeps things on course.
Elton spent the first few years of this tour in arenas, before moving up to stadiums this past year. Why did you guys go that route?
For several years prior to the first arena show in Allentown, Penn. (Sept. 18, 2018), Howard Rose had booked shows in smaller secondary markets, which created demand in the major markets. That demand, combined with the news of the retirement, created demand for multiple shows in those markets. We repeated this strategy several times during the tour. But we also made sure to return to many of the same smaller secondary markets; it was important for Elton John to bid a final farewell to as many of his fans as possible.
It was always the plan that the final lap of the FYBR tour would be in stadiums. This was important to Elton and mapped out in the planning stages. Getting them organized and on sale during COVID turned out to be our biggest challenge.
Given the demand of an iconic performer’s final tour, how did you approach setting this up differently than you would have any other tour?
The tour was divided into two parts that we internally referred to as “Round One (179 shows)” and “Round Two (153 shows).” Round One kicked off with that Allentown show and ran all the way through to Sydney on March 7, 2020. Of course, we had no idea that the world would be shutting down four days after we wrapped Round One. And we certainly never imagined that Round Two wouldn’t be wrapped until summer 2023.
The tour also encompassed the pandemic. How did that affect your plans, and how did it force you to adapt once you got back on the road?
When we resumed touring in January 2022, we had very strict COVID protocols in place for all members of the touring team and local venue staff. With some minor adjustments in the routing, we were able to reschedule shows. Unfortunately, we had to cancel the two sold-out shows in Montreal and the two sold-out shows in Toronto due to government COVID restrictions. We also had to cancel some entire territories altogether; we always intended to bring the FYBR tour to Asia and South America, but two years of COVID delays and the rescheduling that followed made that impossible.
We also made the decision that the ticket prices for the stadium shows would be pretty similar to the arena shows — we were in a situation where rescheduled arena shows were on sale at the same time we were putting stadium shows on sale.
How has touring changed overall given the events of the past few years? And how has this tour itself evolved across the years that it’s been going?
The interesting thing to watch was that as the FYBR tour continued, the audience got younger. Elton John broadened his fan base over the life of the tour. Rocketman and his biography Me: Elton John were big moments for us. And The Lockdown Sessions album released in October 2021 was of course one more thing that connected him with a new generation.
The public demand for tickets increased exponentially as the tour was coming to an end. It actually got quite frenzied as the final shows approached in every market. We were all so excited that we were able to sell out three Dodger Stadium shows in Los Angeles, culminating with the livestream of the concert on Disney+.
What have you learned from this long-running Elton tour that you can apply to the rest of your clients?
First and foremost, the initial messaging and announcement of a tour is so important. It really is critical to its success. And the messaging that Elton John conveyed to his fans at that press conference all the way back in 2018 was front and center at all times.
Also, this tour really drove home the importance of having a strong team around you. I have loved every minute being a part of this team. It has been the greatest pleasure of my professional career to be involved with Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Luke Lloyd Davies and all of the wonderful people at Rocket Entertainment. Keith Bradley is the finest tour director and this tour would not have made it around the world for five years, in its many shapes and forms, without him. Many cherished hours were spent with Howard Rose and our touring partners Marshall Arts (Barrie Marshall and Doris Dixon) for the U.K. and Europe and Michael Chugg and Frontier for all of the shows in Australia and New Zealand.
Plus there’s our AEG Team: Andrew Sharp and John Merritt who have been traveling around the world for these past five years — apart from when they couldn’t — and Donna DiBenedetto, my promoting partner who keeps things organized. And of course, Jay Marciano’s leadership and experience has been invaluable. It’s just an incredible group of people from top to bottom.
I’m not sure that there will ever be another artist like Elton John or a tour quite like the FYBR Tour. But for any artist aspiring to achieve this level of success, this tour is probably the best example of what comes out of hard work and a love of performing: get out there and share your music with your audience.
To sum up: Start each tour with a clear message and intention, and a collaborative mentality is imperative. A successful tour requires lots of teamwork on the part of the agency, management, promoter and artist. Think big, and think worldwide. And always be patient. When I first meet with the extraordinarily talented artists with whom I get to work, I often joke that I will negotiate the rights to their 20th Anniversary Tour right then and there. But it’s not really a joke. That’s how much I believe in them.
Amid a wave of Afrobeats artists making inroads on the U.S. charts and American radio in the past few years — headlined by the likes of Wizkid, Burna Boy and Tems, among others — came Rema, the young Nigerian singer signed to Jonzing World and Mavin Records based out of Lagos. Having built a following locally, Rema — who refers to his music as Afrowave — began putting out a series of EPs in 2019 and 2020, landed a spot on the FIFA ’21 soundtrack and nabbed some fashion and branding partnerships as well as higher-profile collaborations with some of Nigeria’s up and coming artists.
But when he finally released his debut album, Rave & Roses, in March 2022, Rema’s star began exploding not just in Africa but around the globe. His album, which was critically well-received, became the launching pad for a tour that stretched into Europe and North America, while his single “Calm Down” began making inroads at DSPs and across the internet. But in August 2022, that buzz erupted after Selena Gomez hopped on the remix to “Calm Down.” Rema’s star then began an inexorable rise: The song debuted at No. 91 on the Hot 100 after its release and it has continued growing ever since, topping the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for 19 straight weeks, reaching a current high of No. 46 on the Hot 100 and, most impressively, reaching No. 1 on the Global Ex-U.S. chart this week. That success helps Mavin Records COO Tega Oghenejobo earn the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Oghenejobo breaks down how he and Mavin helped Rema grow from local Nigerian singer into one of the most in-demand Afrobeats artists around, how the Gomez collaboration came together and how his team has helped the song continue building, nearly a full year since its initial release — particularly impressive at a time when songs move so quickly in the modern music industry. “We stayed focused, paid attention to the details, got down and did the hard things needed to give the song a more viable shelf-life,” he says. “We connected with the music industry in every city we’ve been to, and religiously attended to the media rounds. It’s a lot of effort and hard work from everyone involved. We are proud, we are happy for the fans who are having a good time with the song, and we keep going.“
This week, Rema’s “Calm Down” remix feat. Selena Gomez topped Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Chart for the 19th straight week, and just reached No. 1 on the Global Ex. U.S. chart. What key decisions did you make to help make that happen?
As a label, one of our most important ideals is critical artist development with long-term success in mind. This is the foundation of our earliest work with Rema. After the first year together with him, the world saw his potential just as we did, and his debut project was one of last year’s most anticipated Afrobeats projects. The remix came at the perfect time. We wanted to consolidate on the earlier traction the song had in territories like France and the Netherlands and give the song more life globally. Some of the key decisions that enhanced that success is our aggressive response to the early rollout efforts, and in how we worked with our amazing distribution partners at Virgin Music. They rolled out innovative campaigns in a timely manner and simultaneously with our own marketing efforts as well. The process was made even more seamless by Selena Gomez and her brilliant team at Interscope. Also, it is one thing to have a great song, it is another thing to be able to make it connect with a live audience. Rema’s Rave and Roses Tour of Europe and North America was a great success. Our agency partners WME and CAA were phenomenal in aiding the smart routing of Rema’s performances. The artist’s connection with the creator community on social media, engaging with UGCs, were also key to the song’s success.
The song was originally from Rema’s album Rave & Roses, out last March. How did the remix come together, and what kind of effect has it had?
Let me start by saying, incredible album by the way. So many gems in that project, and we are really excited about people discovering them. On the remix, shout out to our team, to Rema, the good people at Virgin Music, and of course, Selena Gomez and Interscope. The process of creating the song was seamless — as it often is when both artists love the song. Shooting the video and putting it out was our collective work and I am very proud we could make it work despite the complexity in the teams’ schedules. Strategically, Selena Gomez is one of music’s biggest stars and a collaboration with her is sure to expand the song’s reach even more. As expected the song has added new feats for both artists. It’s the No. 1 song on the Billboard Global Ex. U.S. chart — first time for both artists. Same with its place as the No. 1 song on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Chart. This is stunning for us, for Rema and for the culture.
How have you kept the song not just relevant, but continuing to grow for so long, particularly in an era when songs move so quickly?
Honestly, It took a village to keep the momentum going. There is the critical role Rema played with his tour of Europe, North America and Africa. Taking the music across new territories, connecting with new cultures. There is also the creator community — influencers and dancers using the song on TikTok, Reels and on Snapchat. The DJs who keep spinning it, radio, TV and the DSPs who love the song and just keep showing support. All the teams involved — Mavin Records, Jonzing World, Virgin Music and Interscope — have been amazing too. We stayed focused, paid attention to the details, got down and did the hard things needed to give the song a more viable shelf-life. We connected with the music industry in every city we’ve been to, and religiously attended to the media rounds. It’s a lot of effort and hard work from everyone involved. We are proud, we are happy for the fans who are having a good time with the song, and we keep going.
Rave & Roses was technically Rema’s debut, but he’s been building steadily over the years, including with some collaborations and inclusion on a FIFA soundtrack. How have you helped guide his growth to the point where the album was critically embraced when it was released, and the song has become a massive global hit?
Developing and activating new artists is always an exciting challenge for us at Mavin. There was no doubt about Rema’s talent from the start. But as they say, talent without hard work is nothing. There were a lot of things we still had to get right. His branding was important, his sound, his stage presence and a host of other things that needed attention. Rema is an interesting act to work with because he has a vision of how he sees himself. We at Mavin consider ourselves architects who can collaborate and execute this shared vision, and we were able to properly position him and his brand leading up to the project.
In his first year, we established his sonic versatility. We let the world understand that this is an artist with the ability to create new sounds and penetrate new markets. We had a phenomenal first year. We had three EPs in his debut year, and we kept working, recording and creating music. Brands like FIFA saw the potential and we had a great partnership. Rave & Roses was one of the most anticipated debut albums on the continent. We were patient in our approach and so was Rema. When the time came to put it out, we came on strong. “Calm Down” was the project’s lead single — and what a lead single that is!
How have you helped build Rema’s profile globally? And what deals have you made to help facilitate that?
From the onset, we were working on making a global superstar. His branding was made to be relatable with global audiences while retaining the fundamentals of what made him African. His sound is the same. He juxtaposes elements of western music with Afrobeats, interpolates languages and creates an experience that is enjoyable for both local and global fans. Everyone can enjoy a bit of Rema — and that is the charm. As we mentioned earlier, the collaboration with FIFA was great. We also had Beats on board, then Meta, Snapchat, Pepsi, HP. In fashion, we worked with Bohooman, Places+Faces, Jumpman and many others. These are brands that appeal to a young global audience and to Rema himself. They were a perfect fit for his profile and his trajectory.
With Wizkid, Burna Boy and now Rema breaking into the Hot 100, why do you think African artists are starting to see significant levels of success in the U.S.? And where do you see this going moving forward?
It takes tenacity, hard work and innovation. The sound has always been good, and we got even better. The industry is bigger. More competition, more investment, more collaboration, more access. It was only a matter of time and I am glad we are here. The U.S. audience is perhaps the most dynamic and experimental in the world. We can see how big K-pop and Latino music is here. The ambition is to have that level of success. To make more people fall in love with African music. The potential is immense. We will grow even bigger. As I often say, we are just scratching the surface. We used to dream of this, but now it’s time to put in work to properly represent the culture and connect with more listeners in the U.S.
The holiday season is usually a wash when it comes to new music releases: the charts are dominated by the likes of Brenda Lee, Mariah Carey, Michael Bublé and Bing Crosby, and carols are dominating the radio on just about every channel. But this year has been different: while the top 10 of the Hot 100 has been full of the usual suspects, the Billboard 200 has been dominated by SZA’s S.O.S., the first album by the alt-R&B singer/songwriter in five years that roared out of the gate upon its Dec. 9 release with the fifth-biggest debut of 2022 and that has ruled the Billboard 200 for three straight weeks, bridging the gap between the holiday season and the opening of 2023. (And the Hot 100 found room for 20 songs from the album for good measure.)
The success of that release has been no accident. SZA’s fans have been patiently — or not so patiently — waiting for the follow up to her critically and culturally acclaimed 2017 album CTRL for years and, over the course of 2022, have been eating up each single that SZA has released, with “I Hate U,” “Shirt” and, lately, “Kill Bill” all seeing huge success not just at streaming but also at radio as the release date crept nearer. And the payoff was worth it: S.O.S. is now the first R&B album by a woman to spend three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in a decade, since Beyoncé’s self-titled album accomplished that feat in 2013. And it helps make TDE president Terrence “Punch” Henderson Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Punch breaks down the rollout of the album, the way that both RCA and TDE helped build anticipation for the release and how the quality of SZA’s music helped push a hotly-anticipated album into commercially-successful and universally-acclaimed territory once again. “S.O.S. is what the fans have been waiting on and they’ve shown that. It’s been so much love and support since it dropped,” he says. “But it literally takes an army to make this whole thing work. It starts with SZA — she wrote and sang these songs with her whole heart and mind and soul and pain and life and her whole being. She put everything she had into it.”
This week, SZA’s S.O.S. spent its third week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. What key decisions did you make to help make that happen?
The key decisions were picking the songs and literally putting them out. The people have been waiting for SZA’s next offering for a long time. It takes time to create quality art that will last and really stand the test of time. That’s what we aim to do every time. Once it got to a comfortable space, we put it out and the people responded.
It’s been more than five years since SZA’s last album. How did you roll this out differently, with how much things have changed in that time?
Everything is the rollout. Every time we drop a single we attach another record to it just to keep people engulfed in what’s to come next. That’s something we’ve been doing since 2014. Once we got the album concepts pretty much locked in, I wanted to start sending out some clues for the core fan base. So we loaded the “Shirt” visual with a bunch of bread crumbs hinting at what’s to come. Then the Morse Code thing to further the conversations surrounding the album. Mix that with the amazing promo videos that SZA shot, and it was a good recipe. Even the spats online. Though they be real — and a bit out of context [Laughs] — it’s still all about the conversation surrounding the album.
December is traditionally a tough month to release an album, given the holiday music that often dominates. How did you set this up before its release to help it cut through the holiday noise?
There was talk of possibly pushing to January for that very reason. But personally, I’m not scared of the holiday season at all. To me, if everyone is thinking the same thing about NOT dropping during the holidays, that just means it’s wide open. [Laughs] We dropped “Good Days” on Christmas! The main issue was radio during that time, but with streaming it’s different; you don’t have to wait on programming, etc. The furthest I would’ve pushed it to was Dec. 30th. And that’s because it was mentioned in Billboard that we were dropping in December. Once a date is said, I’m sticking to it.
“I Hate U,” “Shirt” and “Kill Bill” all succeeded on both streaming and on radio. What did you do to help those songs cut through?
Again, the main thing we can do is provide the music. It does what it does after that. The streaming team and radio team do a great job at pushing the records, but they need the records first.
How have you been able to keep the album’s momentum going through the New Year and keep it atop the charts?
Most of the work comes in the setup and it carries over from there. First, you have to have great records and then you have to know where you can get the records from. You have to know that the album is out. [RCA execs] Zay [Isiaih Bonds] and Tío Matty [Matt Bernal] have to be engaging the DSPs. Jordan [Blaugrund] has to have a sales strategy. Baby Sam [Selolwane], Keith [Rothschild], LG [Lori Giamela] and Inca [Kevin Valentini] have to be on the phones with radio people. Camille [Yorrick] need to be speaking to directors and producers to make sure we good to shoot visuals through the holiday season. Ashley [Monae] has to be on with photographers and videographers and BTS people to make sure the images are right for exclusives, etc. I know it’s a ton of people I’m missing who played a role in this, but all of these things and people were in place to deliver the record.
S.O.S. is the first R&B album by a woman to spend three weeks at No. 1 in a decade, since Beyoncé’s self-titled project in 2013. It also had the fifth-biggest debut week of all of 2022. What is it about her, and this project, that have made those stats a reality?
S.O.S. is what the fans have been waiting on and they’ve shown that. It’s been so much love and support since it dropped. But it literally takes an army to make this whole thing work. It starts with SZA — she wrote and sang these songs with her whole heart and mind and soul and pain and life and her whole being. She put everything she had into it. Then you have all of the producers involved laying the soundscape. You have MeLisa Heath on the management side of things making sure everything is streamlined and running how it’s supposed to run. The whole TDE staff and the whole RCA staff on the front lines. The executive branch with [RCA’s] Peter [Edge] and Fleck [John Fleckenstein], Top [Dawg] and myself. Miss Carolyn [Williams] overseeing everything. Theola [Borden] overseeing press and TV, etc. And the fans. It literally takes an army of people. It’s also a full circle moment being that Beyoncé was the first person of that caliber to reach out to SZA and have her come in to work. Now to be mentioned in the same breath as her is truly amazing.
There are few more sacred spaces in the music world than the recording studio, and fewer still that evoke the kind of emotional reaction that Abbey Road Studios in London does. Inextricably linked with The Beatles, the studios have been the recording home for the likes of Pink Floyd, Aretha Franklin, Buddy Holly, Radiohead, Frank Ocean and Adele and has been one of the most storied places in music history since its inception in 1931.
Now, 90 years after Abbey Road first opened, Universal Music Group’s Mercury Studios is releasing If These Walls Could Sing, out today (Dec. 16) on Disney+. Directed by Paul McCartney’s daughter Mary McCartney, the documentary is a love letter to the studio that helped birth one of the greatest albums of all time and nurtured one of the most significant acts in music history. The release of the documentary helps earn Mercury CEO and co-president Alice Webb the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Webb discusses the making of the film, her three-year tenure atop the UMG-owned studio and the evolution and explosion of music documentaries over the past several years, with artists seemingly releasing a companion documentary to each major new album. “Much has changed in how fans consume content over the past few years that has enabled us to elevate the medium of music documentaries,” she says. “I think there is a diversity in the documentaries being made more now than ever before — from issues-led projects to ones that are easily consumable but offer great insight and information.”
This week, Mercury Studios released If These Walls Could Sing, the Abbey Road Studios documentary directed by Mary McCartney. What key decision did you make to help see this come to fruition?
Every decision starts with the story, and with this one we had a hefty responsibility to do it justice. Recruiting Mary McCartney, who is the heart of this film, was an incredibly easy decision to make given her unique perspective having grown up at Abbey Road. She is an amazing talent and as this was her feature directorial debut, our job was to build the best team to support her vision and the story of this magical place. If These Walls Could Sing is the result of a myriad of considered decisions — every film is a carefully crafted work of art and there’s no cookie cutter approach to breathing life into it. In the end, I think the key consideration is, are we doing right by the story, the artists and the fans around the world?
How did this project come together?
This was a story that had to be told and a project that had been gestating for several years, in several different incarnations, before I became involved. So, it was about putting the pieces together in the right way. My co-president, Marc Robinson, along with John Battsek and Ventureland, were key to building the foundation, along with Mary at the helm. When all of those elements came together, we felt confident to greenlight the feature.
What makes this topic in particular so important, both in general and for Mercury?
Abbey Road Studios is like nowhere else on earth. The walls rattle with stories; the magic of what was created within the studios still lingers all these years later. This year marked the 90th year of Abbey Road Studios. Looking back at the roster of artists including The Beatles, Celeste, Depeche Mode, along with scores such as Star Wars, was incredibly special; the music that was made there still connects with fans everywhere.
Part of the promise of the studios is the unconditional freedom provided to artists to find their sound — to be their unvarnished authentic selves. Doing justice to the artists, technicians and producers who’ve accomplished their best work at Abbey Road Studios is both an honor and a pressure that we felt keenly. With Mary’s vision and judging by the overwhelming support from luminaries such as Paul McCartney, Elton John, Roger Waters, Ringo Starr and others who attended the premiere this week, I think we may have pulled it off.
This film is being released with Disney+. How do you choose which distributor to go with, and which films see a theatrical release vs. a streaming one?
Your films are a bit like your children. Heaven knows some of them take as long to create as children do growing up. For that reason, you want these projects to go to the best home, which is why we couldn’t be prouder to have Disney+ as our partner for If These Walls Could Sing. In our experience Disney+ cares about artists, creators and storytelling — which is very much in line with everything we do at Mercury. And of course Disney+ has a massive global footprint. As soon as they knew we were making the film, they wanted it. They made it clear it mattered to them, just as it matters to us. That’s a persuasive combination, which as a filmmaker is what you hope to find in your distributor: someone who is as passionate about your film as you are and who will treat it like they made it themselves.
You’ve been running Mercury for three years now. Which projects have stood out for you that you’ve worked on during that time?
If These Walls Could Sing is an obvious highlight for the reasons I’ve already mentioned, but so is My Life As A Rolling Stone, the premium limited series we produced this year. It was an intimate, first-hand account of life as a Rolling Stone by Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ronnie and was special to me because I don’t think anyone thought there was anything left to say about these titans of music. But we knew different, and our faith was rewarded with four captivating films that were enjoyed by audiences in 96 countries. At the other end of the spectrum, I’m extremely proud of Mars, the short film we made with Yungblud. It’s about the life of Charlie, a transgender teenager growing up in the north of England. Not only was it a heartwarming film about self-acceptance and youth, but we made sure the story was told — on and off screen — by people whose lived experiences were LGBTQI+. We were dedicated to and deliberate about authenticity and although there were challenges, I wouldn’t change anything. Mercury Studios is driven by our values, and we’re proud to wear them on our sleeves, in the stories we tell and the way we make our films.
There seems to have been an explosion in artist documentaries in recent years, often produced by and in conjunction with the artists themselves. How has the music doc world changed during your career?
I think the fact that music documentaries have always been special is a reflection of the timelessness of music stories. Some of the best directors of our lifetime have committed their passions to this medium. Documentaries have always been a popular format to tell stories; there’s a rich history of storytelling from VH1s Behind the Music to our own series, Classic Albums, and so much more. Much has changed in how fans consume content over the past few years that has enabled us to elevate the medium of music documentaries. I think there is a diversity in the documentaries being made more now than ever before — from issues-led projects to ones that are easily consumable but offer great insight and information.
Great examples are our recent film, Shania: Not Just a Girl on Netflix and Interscope Films’ Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me on Apple+. There’s a level of honesty and authenticity in music documentaries that resonates with audiences. We’ve also been able to indulge in huge feasts of musical testimony with the likes of Amy, The Defiant Ones, Get Back, Moonage Daydream, in recent times. I’m excited to see how documentary projects continue to evolve.
What are your dream music projects with Mercury?
It’s endless. Mercury Studios’ core has very much been unscripted productions, but that’s starting to change. We’ve just announced our scripted co-production with Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders, SAS: Rogue Heroes) and Kudos (Broadchurch, Utopia, Spooks) which will bring This Town to our screens in 2024, and you can expect to see more scripted projects from us soon. Just as you can expect to see more premium audio projects, like our recent Audible limited series Crush Hour. It’s jam packed with characters, story, original new music, and is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. I’d say that’s definitely a dream project.
Few artist development stories in the past few years have been as impressive as that of Tems, the Nigerian singer-songwriter whose arresting voice and infectious melodies have wormed their way into the mainstream in her steady, insistent way. Since self-releasing her debut EP, For Broken Ears, in October 2020, Tems has become an in-demand voice for some of music biggest hitmakers, a status that accelerated after her feature on Wizkid’s “Essence,” the song that broke through and established Afrobeats as a genre to be reckoned with on the American charts last summer.
Since then, she’s collaborated with the likes of Drake, Beyoncé and Future, signed to RCA for the release of her second EP, If Orange Was a Place, last September, covered Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry” for the Wakanda Forever soundtrack and landed Grammy nominations in back to back years, one for best global recording for “Essence” in 2022; two more for best melodic rap performance and best rap song at the upcoming 2023 Grammys for her feature on Future’s “Wait For U” and another for her guest spot on Beyoncé’s Renaissance. (And, if not for an inexplicable Grammy rule that meant she was ineligible for best new artist due to the “Essence” nomination, even though she was just a featured artist, she would almost certainly be up for that top four honor this year. But we digress.)
This week, Tems’ still-nascent career notched another milestone, as she became the the No. 1 artist on Billboard’s first-ever year-end U.S. Afrobeats Songs Artists ranking, landing four songs in the top 10 of the year-end chart, led by “Essence” but also including her song “Found” feat. Brent Faiyaz and two songs from her debut EP, “Higher” and “Free Mind,” impressive for a two-year-old project in an era when music moves so fast. And that steady ascent to stardom has earned her manager, Muyiwa Awoniyi, the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Awoniyi breaks down how he’s helped guide Tems to impressive heights, and the strategies that have gotten them to this point. “I have always felt that if you focus on what is important, what feels urgent will take care of itself,” he says. “In this case, focusing on the actual music and her brand appeal, instead of the charts, allowed us to tell an authentic story that people could relate to.”
This week, Tems landed four songs in the top 10 of Billboard’s first-ever year-end Afrobeats chart, the most of any artist, including the No. 1 song, her feature on Wizkid’s “Essence,” which gave her the No. 1 spot on the year-end US Afrobeats Songs Artists ranking. What key decisions did you make to help make this happen?
I have always felt that if you focus on what is important, what feels urgent will take care of itself. In this case, focusing on the actual music and her brand appeal, instead of the charts, allowed us to tell an authentic story that people could relate to. Handling those things properly allowed us to attract people instead of chasing them and as a result, we built organic bonds with so many people as a team. Proper product placement, which in music means the right ears hearing the music, was a very key focus as we moved forward. It was important to utilize our network optimally and align with those that saw our vision — God has been extremely kind on that front. I have met some amazing people who have played parts in making sure Tems’ music gets heard, and the by-product of that has led to so many of her songs achieving great things such as charting on the U.S. Afrobeats Billboard chart and the Billboard Hot 100 as well. All that being said, though, I do my best and leave the rest to the Almighty.
Two of her songs in the top 10, “Higher” and “Free Mind,” are from her 2020 EP For Broken Ears. How have you kept the momentum from that project going over the past few years, particularly in an era when music moves so fast?
The first time I heard “Free Mind,” I actually wept. I knew that song was special and I feel everyone that has heard it probably feels the same way. The nature of the song preserved itself while we, as a team, focused on marketing the record and the EP as a whole. As a manager, being aware of your talent’s unique selling point is very essential and when we finished For Broken Ears we knew we had something special. It was music for those who want to feel. Which is why records like “Higher” got sampled by ATL Jacob for the “Wait for U” track with Drake and Future. I still feel some records will catch on, “Ice T” especially. As for music moving fast? There is a difference between McDonalds and soul food.
The other two songs in the top 10, “Essence” and “Found” feat. Brent Faiyaz, are collaborations. She’s also had some high-profile collaborations with Drake, Future and Beyoncé. How have strategic collaborations helped boost Tems’ career and find new fans?
Collaborations have been very important. I actually feel if artists removed their limiters, some of the most innovative sounds can come from collaborations. Regarding Tems, I wouldn’t say these were “strategic.” Yes we are aware of the exposure collaborating with such huge superstars would bring, but it has to be organic. It has to feel good. It has to feel right. That’s the only way you get records that transcend borders. If not, you just have another song. We have been approached by basically the whole music industry but the collaborations we took, and have taken on, felt right. Expect more.
Tems’ rise has coincided with a growing global appreciation of African music and African artists. How have you guys been able to capitalize on that, and what has that meant for the opportunities you’ve gotten?
When you manage one of the leading artists from our region, you tend to see it all. So capitalizing for us has always been based on where we were, where we are, and where we are trying to go. This is why we started off by not signing a record deal immediately. You cannot fully capitalize if you do not own and owning For Broken Ears has been such a huge blessing. God is good.
Tems has also been nominated at the Grammys for the second year in a row. What does that mean for you guys, and how can you use that to further Tems’ career?
It’s a blessing. It makes us know that we are on the right track. We try not to make accolades define us in any capacity but the feeling of gratitude is always prominent. In terms of furthering her career, this is another page of her story, so we have to be aware to enjoy the moment, but not dwell on it. There are more pages in the book of Tems and we have to keep moving forward ’til the book ends. It’s really just staying focused and putting the work in while keeping God first in all things.
What have you learned about management during your career?
I’ll summarize it with this sentence: I have learned how important it is to gain equity within the hearts of human beings. One must master the art of selflessness. It takes you further than your ego ever would.
Where do you go from here to continue building Tems’ career further?
At the moment? Album mode. We have been working on this for quite a while. It’s her first baby and we all know how important it is for her. So all focus goes into that and then we allow God to take care of the rest. Definitely expect more from us at [my company] The Leading Vibe. We are always working.
In a week when everybody seems to be talking about touring, Post Malone pulled off his biggest feat yet: wrapping his 39-date Twelve Carat Tour with four sold-out shows in Los Angeles, the most he’s done in the city in his career. The run marked his return to touring, after a pandemic pause, and featured the hitmaker re-connecting with a fan base that has only grown with the release of his latest album, Twelve Carat Toothache, which he released this year.
Across the first 33 shows of the tour that were reported to Billboard Boxscore, Post moved 413,000 tickets between Sept. 10 and Nov. 6, bringing in $59.7 million, according to Billboard Boxscore — with the L.A. dates not even factored into those totals as yet. And it helps Post’s agent, UTA partner Cheryl Paglierani, earn the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Paglierani — who also reps clients like Dominic Fike, who played the Palladium this week, and Flo Milli, who just wrapped her own tour at The Roxy — speaks about booking the Post Malone tour, the challenges caused by the pandemic and the return to live music, and the differences in booking an artist as their career grows from the club level to arena headliner. “We’ve seen a lot of success by not skipping any steps and staying focused on consistent growth with each tour,” she says.
This week, Post Malone wrapped his Twelve Carat Tour with four sold out shows in L.A., after having sold 413,000 tickets across the tour’s first 33 dates. What key decisions did you make to help make that happen?
It’s always a team effort amongst myself, his managers Dre London and Austin Rosen, and our tour promoter Colin Lewis. Each tour starts with mapping out the markets we want to play and then building out a strategy that allows us to hit all the major cities while also making sure we’re able to weave in smaller markets we may not play as often. Post already has such a massive fanbase, but the goal is to always continue expanding and make sure that we’re reaching more people each time than we have in the past. On the last tour, we did two nights in L.A. and New York and now we are doing four. We’ve seen a lot of success by not skipping any steps and staying focused on consistent growth with each tour.
This was Post’s first tour since the pandemic. How did you want to re-introduce him to audiences with this tour?
Post is an artist who needs no introduction. This tour was more about a re-connection with the fans after three years of being out of the spotlight. He really stepped up the production and put his all into creating not just an incredible show visually, but an experience that fans will remember forever. The stage is set up with two GA pits that allow fans to get right up against the stage. During the entire show, he is dapping their hands, taking items from the crowd and truly engaging with them in a way I have never seen an artist do. When the show ends, he stays on stage for an extra 30 to 40 minutes signing autographs and taking pictures with fans as the venue is clearing out. It’s truly mind blowing to watch one of the biggest stars in the world show so much love to his fans and go above and beyond. I think it’s a big part of what differentiates him from other artists.
How has touring changed since the pandemic?
At first there were a lot of new hoops to jump through to follow vaccination policies and COVID regulations. We are starting to see a lot of regulations that were put in place post-pandemic get lifted and touring feels to be on its way back to normalcy. I can’t say there’s any one thing I could point to that is drastically different as a result of the pandemic.
What challenges are you facing with routing, pricing and venue selection these days that perhaps weren’t there in the past?
The biggest challenge has been avails and oversaturated markets. With so many artists looking to get back out on the road we saw so many tours going out during the same time periods. You always want to make sure your clients are playing the right venue and we would often encounter venues that had no avails for weeks, so routing became a lot more challenging. We are starting to see things level out a bit but I think it will take another 12 to 24 months to truly go back to normal.
How is booking an arena tour different from booking theater or club outings these days, as for some of your other clients?
The booking process is very similar but there are more intricacies to work through as an artist grows into larger rooms on the deal-making side. As the show grows, so does the production, the amount of crew that needs to be out on the road, and the amount of money being offered to the artist. There are more deal points that need to be negotiated than at the club level. Ticketing also becomes a lot more complex at the arena level where you’re scaling rooms at different price levels versus general admission clubs. Paying attention to the ticketing and how fans are buying is crucial to maximizing show grosses and needs to be done in real time. If you’re doing it right it can be very time-consuming but also greatly impact the amount of money the artist makes, and as agents it’s our job to ensure that we get the best deal for our clients.
Today (Nov. 11), the highly-anticipated sequel to the 2018 blockbuster film Black Panther, called Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, reaches theaters in the United States. But already, its soundtrack — released today through Roc Nation/Def Jam/Hollywood Records — is making waves: its lead single, “Lift Me Up” by Rihanna, debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100 this week, the elusive singer’s 32nd top 10 record and first since 2017, and became just the fourth song this century to debut in the top 10 of the all-format Radio Songs chart.
It’s a considerable success, not just for Rihanna but for the Wakanda soundtrack as a whole, which is full of artists from Nigeria, Mexico, the U.K. and the U.S. and blends local language music and artists with the cultural connectivity of the film — and helps Def Jam’s executive vp/chief creative officer and one of the producers of the project, Archie Davis, earn the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
“There’s a spiritual connection with this song and the conviction in Rihanna’s delivery that engages listeners,” Davis says about “Lift Me Up.” “I think once audiences see the film, they’ll feel that energy even more.”
Here, Davis tells Billboard about putting the soundtrack together, the impact of Rihanna’s involvement, as well as that of filmmaker Ryan Coogler, composer and producer Ludwig Göransson, and late Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman, and the strategies behind marketing soundtrack albums as opposed to an artist’s album. “A great soundtrack reminds you of a film, but a great album feels so vivid that you can almost see it play out in your head,” he says. “We try to do both.”
This week, the lead single from the Wakanda Forever soundtrack, Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up,” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became just the fourth song this century to debut in the top 10 of the Radio Songs chart. What key decision did you make to help make that happen?
It was a team effort, one thousand percent. It was important we set up the release properly on such a short timeline. A key component was carrying this record on tour around the world to make sure the right people heard it before it was released. Shout out to our radio teams at both Def Jam and Roc Nation for working tirelessly, leaving no stone unturned. All the records that our radio teams broke helped pave the way for us to debut in the fashion we did. The music video was also an integral component, which we shot on the Monday of release week and had out by that Friday. It was a complete effort by everyone to help us debut “Lift Me Up” with real impact.
This is Rihanna’s first song as a lead artist since 2016. How did you get her involved in this project?
I give all credit to the filmmaker for connecting with her when she saw the film. I think that helped move her emotionally to even want to be part of this project. Kudos to Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Göransson, and a million praises to Tems, Rihanna, Tunji, Wale, Davies, Jay Brown, Omar Grant, Shari Bryant, and the whole Roc Nation team for pulling it together. I also think, in a way, a lot of this came from Chad.
What was it about this song that you felt resonated so well, not just for the film but also among music fans?
Its relatability. The lyrics “Lift me up / hold me down, keep me close / safe and sound.” There are so many people we wish we could say that to. Those are words we tell our children, wish our ancestors could say to us, maybe even pray at times. There’s a spiritual connection with this song and the conviction in Rihanna’s delivery that engages listeners. I think once audiences see the film, they’ll feel that energy even more.
What did you want to get across with this soundtrack?
We wanted this project to be an immersive audio experience. I see the music existing as an invisible character, an extension of Wakandan culture that can be heard sonically and felt emotionally. These songs are all tied to emotions in a way I’ve never seen done before in a film. There’s an intentionality behind all the music, and my hope is audiences will be equally submersed in the music as they are experiencing the film. The two entities work hand in hand. There are a few different languages on the soundtrack, but those willing to research will find easter eggs through the music.
This album features a slew of Nigerian and Mexican artists, as well as American and British hip-hop artists. How did you choose who was involved and how did you make sure that it all fit together?
I think we chose by prioritizing authenticity to the story and understanding the nature of our platform. For example, while exploring Mayan Mexican culture it was important to choose artists that could relay such a precious identity. However, that’s not to say we couldn’t hear an artist like Rema shine the way he does on “Pantera” alongside Aleman. This is where Ludwig’s genius presents itself. He was learning how to construct these sounds with producers from their respective cultures while simultaneously experimenting. Authenticity was paramount. We also wanted to make sure the voices of many, even some that are lesser known, were represented. To think this movie and music would only resonate in the U.S. would’ve been a disservice.
Soundtracks can be hit or miss on the charts — some come and go, but some become massive hits. What goes into making a great film soundtrack that also translates to chart success?
In my opinion I believe it’s a great story, amazing narrative, and a host of incredible artists that care about the art being created. None of this can be done without amazing artists. If everyone understands the weight of the message we’re trying to convey it helps tremendously. My job is to make sure I help that message resonate within culture and the world. A massive amount of research goes into these projects, and direction from the composer and director helps as well. We’re ultimately trying to create a world that’s portrayed visually with music and there’s a great level of care that goes into each project. Those are general pillars, but each project is different from the last. Being able to learn, adapt and react is important. Sometimes there’s momentum or energy that comes from the least expected places that you must follow. It may lead to a dead end, but there’s something to learn in that process. Being able to harness those experiences and channel it holistically with a clear vision in mind all combines to make a great soundtrack.
What goes into developing and marketing a soundtrack like this as opposed to an artist’s album?
Soundtracks are worked on by lots of people, with many influences and real deadlines. When it comes to marketing a soundtrack, I feel like you’re also marketing the community to ensure it’s surrounded by the culture being represented. I think a key difference with a soundtrack is I have a built-in story I’m moving off of, whereas an artist is a blank canvas. An artist’s album a lot of times is someone’s real life experience. It’s a different conversation when you have to put your face out there as an artist. With a soundtrack like this you get to play make believe, in a way. There’s more room for imagination and that’s where we can expound upon as much as possible for the audience. A great soundtrack reminds you of a film, but a great album feels so vivid that you can almost see it play out in your head. We try to do both.
Manuel Turizo is a Colombian with no Dominican roots and yet the 22-year old singer, known for catchy Latin pop songs that incorporate urban beats, has scored his biggest hit ever by dipping into bachata. The beloved Dominican genre known for its trademark syncopated rhythm, plucked guitar and guira carries Turizo’s latest single, “La Bachata” (La Industria/Sony Music Latin), which has been steadily rising up the charts since May.
The track, which replaces bachata’s traditional guitar with electronic riffs and R&B vocals, debuted at No. 44 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart June 18 and on Billboard’s Global 200 and Global Excl U.S. charts in July. Since then, it’s been slowly growing, reaching No. 6 on the Global 200 and No. 3 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart this week. On the U.S. Latin Airplay chart, “La Bachata” this week became Turizo’s fifth No. 1 but only his second solo track to reach the top spot since 2019’s “Sola.” And that success so far helps earn Turizo’s manager Juan Diego Medina the title of Billboard‘s Executive of the Week.
“It’s Manuel’s most important song, and it’s the song that’s placing him in the best and most decisive moment of his career,” says Medina — who also manages Nicky Jam and ChocQuibTown — noting that Turizo’s monthly listeners on Spotify went from 19 million to 32.7 million since releasing “La Bachata”.
While Medina built his company, La Industria Inc., to a large degree on the basis of data mining and savvy social media management, he attributes a big chunk of Turizo’s current success to international promotion and to his ability to connect with audiences at a ground level with his very personal take on a very distinctive genre. Now, “La Bachata” — written by Turizo, Edgar Barrera, Andrés Jael Correa Rios, Miguel Andrés Martinez and Medina himself — will kick off what’s likely to be his biggest album yet, 2000, slated for release in early 2023.
“With so many avenues open to promote music,” says Medina, “I’ve opted to go back to the streets, to the root of this business and touch people.”
Manuel has had big hits with pop/urban tracks like “Vaina Loca” with Ozuna and “La Nota” with Myke Towers. Why a bachata of all things?
Manuel is absurdly versatile at a musical level and he doesn’t get stuck on a genre. He wants to do everything. He hadn’t released a bachata before, but he’d recorded another bachata, which actually Romeo Santos produced [and will also be included in 2000]. This track was brought to us by Edgar Barrera, who wrote it with Rios [Andres Jael Correa Rios]. Then, Slo [one third of ChocQuibTown and the producer of most tracks on Turizo’s upcoming album] heard it and thought it would be perfect for Manuel with a bit of an urban touch. Manuel loved it. When they played it for me, I decided to go with it because it was different. It was a bachata, but not the kid of bachata Romeo or Prince Royce would do. It had an urban touch, a sort of hidden dembow. It was a gamble.
What were your expectations?
Truth, 50-50. It was 50% this will kinda work, and 50% this will break all rules. The song began with 400,000, 500,000 daily streams, and that’s a good start. Nowadays, to be on the top five, you have to do 5-6 million daily streams. We started slow, but once we saw that traction, I thought, we have to activate the Latin region. I called Afo [Afo Verde, Sony Latin Iberia’s president and chairman], who was in Croatia, and I said, “If we want this song to do what we want it to do, we need to activate Latin America.”
But before Latin America, you focused on Spain?
Manuel’s consumption in Spain has always been good, and we did our first big campaign there because that’s where the song first took off. Sony has an internal platform that details all consumption and we can see what countries things are working at. It first broke in Spain, then in Mexico. The U.S. is where we’ve had the hardest time. And, keep in mind, there are Spanish artists like C. Tangana and Rosalia who’ve released bachatas, but none had had Manuel’s repercussion, even though he’s neither Spanish nor Dominican. He’s Colombian.
Humbly, this was an organic success. Obviously, it comes with an investment and a strategy. But you don’t reach these levels only with investment and strategy. The song was received well when the algorithm proposed it.
So, Spain was key. What else do you think made a major difference here? Because there are a lot of bachata songs out there, including Romeo Santos’ entire new album, but none are having this impact.
Another key factor is that three, four days after the song’s release, we went to the Dominican Republic and did a lot of press, but we also spent time with bachata and Dominican organizations. That gave a lot of credibility to the fans. There’s a lot of Dominican migration to Spain. So, spending time in the Dominican Republic was key. That came linked to Manuel’s “Bailando Bachata con Manuel Turizo” TikTok campaign. Everywhere he went, he’d get out of the car in the middle of the street — in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Spain, everywhere — and he’d ask a woman to dance bachata with him [filming the interaction and posting on TikTok]. We’ve forgotten to connect with people and to make the fans feel you’re human, like them. Today, there are so many avenues to promote your music, that we’re saturated. I’ve opted to go back to the people, to the root of this business and to feel the street. We went viral on the ground, and then we did the big actions with the big tools. It’s not often that we do both those things. We do the big things, but we forget the people.
You say the U.S. was your hardest market to penetrate. Why is that, especially considering Manuel is so close to the U.S. and you’re based here?
Once the song broke in Latin America, it went viral in Asia, and then Europe. The U.S. was last. I feel it’s a market where urban, street music is far stronger today. It’s not an easy market to penetrate when your product is more clean, more lyrical. It sounds contradictory because there are successful pop acts like Camilo. But Manuel’s music is made for adults, not kids, and adult ears are not always geared toward romantic fare. Conquering the U.S. market isn’t easy when you have to compete with acts like Maluma, Balvin, Camilo.
You’re No. 1 on Latin Airplay, which is radio. How important is radio to you?
We always try to work with radio stations. I’m faithful to radio and I think I’m not one of those who thinks it doesn’t matter anymore. Some people are not tech-savvy, they like their radio, they like to hear the DJs. I think radio is the biggest ally of people who want to listen to music free. YouTube is also still very important to us, especially in Latin America.
Manuel has had other major hits. How important is “La Bachata” to him?
It’s his most important song, and it’s placing him in the biggest and most decisive moment of his career. He’s at that stage where he’s poised to go to the next level, and this is the song that will make him a star, God willing.
Do you have more bachatas planned?
Not for the moment [aside from the Romeo-produced track]. I feel we can’t abuse [the genre]. It’s about proposing new things, not getting stuck on a single one.
The past two years have been a whirlwind of success for Doja Cat, who emerged from TikTok virality to become one of radio’s most beloved artists of the young decade so far. And she’s been on the type of hot streak that has her in rarefied territory: With five top five hits on Pop Airplay off her latest album, the RCA-released Planet Her, her album became just the seventh to ever accomplish that feat, a mark she set over the course of an entire calendar year — an impressive achievement in an era when attention spans are short and longevity is fleeting.
This week, Doja Cat adds to her run of success as her latest single “Vegas,” off the Elvis soundtrack (also out on RCA), became her sixth No. 1 single at Pop Airplay — replacing her collaboration with Post Malone, “I Like You (A Happier Song),” atop the list and making her the first artist to replace herself atop the chart since Ariana Grande nearly two years ago. And as “Vegas” also becomes Dojo’s sixth top 10 single on the Hot 100 — all since 2020 — her manager at SALXCO and newly-named executive vp of A&R and artist development at Capitol Music Group Gordan Dillard is Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Dillard tells Billboard about Dojo’s success at pop radio, how her team has kept the album alive and charting for so long and how they leverage TikTok to help work records at radio, as well as some of the transformations in the industry. “We approach albums with longevity in mind,” he says. “When the music is complete, we work months to build out strategic marketing plans, release schedules, promotional assets and much more. We are very strategic when it comes to how and when the records are released [and] we work very closely and far in advance with our partners to ensure maximize impact and longevity for every record.”
This week, Doja Cat’s “Vegas” reached No. 1 on the Pop Airplay chart, her sixth No. 1 on that chart, and became her sixth top 10 Hot 100 hit. What key decisions did you make to help make that happen?
There were a lot of decisions that went into the success of this record. We approached it the same as we would any solo Doja record, but also gave a ton of support to the director Baz Luhrmann, the film itself, and the release. We executed our marketing efforts in tandem with the film. “Vegas” was first premiered with Shonka [Dukureh] — rest in peace — at Coachella before the film or trailer featuring “Vegas” was released which laid a great deal of anticipation for the release. Along the way, the entire team, both RCA and management, played a key role in executing and staying consistent with the efforts to hit these record-breaking achievements.
“Vegas” replaced her collaboration with Post Malone, “I Like You (A Happier Song),” on the chart, making her the first artist to replace themselves there since Ariana Grande almost two years ago. Why has she had such success at that radio format?
Doja is a world-renowned musical artist and one of the biggest female pop stars of her generation. She has always put music first and with the incredibly hardworking promotional team at RCA, she has had and will continue to have radio success. Our radio partners are also amazing and supportive.
This song in particular didn’t make big waves immediately on its release, but after picking up steam on TikTok has grown into her latest major hit. How have you guys been able to use TikTok to help fuel Doja Cat’s songs and career in other areas?
The digital world is an ever-evolving machine. Breaking records and artists are much different than they were even just a few months ago. Doja and her music has always had a great following on TikTok and the TikTok team has always been great to work with while always being supportive of our marketing ideas. Social media has always been a key component to Doja’s organic communication with her fans and we’ll always keep it that way.
Planet Her had produced five top-five hits at pop radio, just the seventh album to do so, and stretching across more than a year. In an era when albums tend to come and go relatively quickly, what did you and your team do to keep the album so relevant and producing radio hits for such an extended period of time?
We approach albums with longevity in mind. When the music is complete, we work months to build out strategic marketing plans, release schedules, promotional assets and much more. We are very strategic when it comes to how and when the records are released [and] we work very closely and far in advance with our partners to ensure maximize impact and longevity for every record. Also, our team is very strong, smart and we strike together. Teamwork is key in our success.
This song is from the Elvis soundtrack. Do you work songs differently for a soundtrack song as opposed to something from one of her own projects?
No, this record specifically came at the perfect time. The process is still the same even if this song was from a soundtrack. We still approach it as if it’s a solely Doja Cat record.
You’ve been a manager for a decade, both with your own company and with SALXCO. How has management evolved in that time?
In my opinion, management is much more involved nowadays more than ever. Managers have become CEOs of the artist’s business. We are much more involved in the growth of the artist’s initiatives outside of just music. We are somewhat business partners with our artists.
You also have a new job at Capitol. How do you balance that job with managing an artist at another label?
I don’t think about it like that. They are separate and I don’t mix the two. Although the skill sets are transferable and help with both positions. I also have amazing teams on both sides that support and allow me to be instrumental in the individual successes. Without them neither would be possible.