Management
Page: 9
Ariana Grande has a new manager in Brandon Creed. The superstar has signed with his newly-launched Good World Management firm, sources tell Billboard.
Grande made major headlines in August when she split with longtime manager Scooter Braun‘s SB Projects. Grande had been with the company since 2013, the year she released her breakthrough debut album, Yours Truly.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“[Ariana] likes that he understands her on a different level and between acting and music, she has a lot coming up and is excited to have found a new support system to help her execute her plans,” says a source close to the situation.
“She wants the focus to be her art and he puts her artistry and vision before anything else,” adds another source. “He is the perfect person to help her execute her visions for this next chapter of her life and career.”
In 2017, Creed — a longtime manager whose previous clients have included Bruno Mars and Lizzo — merged his own The Creed Company with Irving and Jeffrey Azoff‘s firm to form Full Stop Management. He split with the Azoffs in July, announcing the launch of Good World Management, bringing his clients Mark Ronson, Troye Sivan and Charli XCX along with him. Grande marks his third major signing since then.
In early August, Creed and Lydia Asrat announced they had signed Normani to a co-management deal through Good World and Asrat’s Q10. Then, in September, he signed Demi Lovato — another former Braun client.
Grande has had eight charting albums on the Billboard 200, six of them hit the top 10, with five topping the list. Her last release, Positions, debuted atop the chart in 2020 and spent two weeks at No. 1.On the Hot 100, she’s logged 73 entries — including 20 top 10s, seven of which hit No. 1. She most recently led the tally with her remix collab on “Die for You” with The Weeknd in March 2023.
Across her catalog of songs, she’s generated 23.5 billion on-demand official streams in the U.S., according to Luminate. Her albums have earned 22.4 million equivalent album units in the U.S, of which traditional album sales equal 3.3 million.
Grande recently teased her forthcoming seventh studio album with a series of photos posted to Instagram back in the studio. Artists including Selena Gomez, Billie Eilish and SZA expressed excitement in the comments for the pop star’s anticipated return.
On Saturday (Dec. 9), Grande performed “Oh Santa!” alongside Mariah Carey in New York. Next year, she will star as Glinda alongside Cynthia Erivo in the long-awaited Wicked film.
Channel Tres, Lizzy McAlpine and SG Lewis have all left their manager, Talya Elitzer, and Godmode, the boutique firm she co-founded, sources tell Billboard.
Channel Tres is now co-managed by William Robillard-Cole (Kaytranada) and Jerry Edouard (Saint Mino), sources tell Billboard. McAlpine has found a new manager in Molly Clark, who was formerly her day-to-day manager at Godmode and has now left the company as well, sources also say.
Elitzer declined to comment on the departures. The artists and their new managers also declined to comment.
Elitzer co-founded the independent firm in the early 2010s with producer Nick Sylvester. Prior, she worked as an A&R at Capitol Records. Channel Tres signed with Godmode for management in 2018. Last September, Godmode partnered with RCA to sign the artist to a major label deal. Since then, he has released one EP, this year’s Real Cultural Shit. His new single, “Walked In The Room,” arrives Thursday (Dec. 7).
Lewis and McAlpine both signed on as management clients this year, in April and May, respectively, on the heels of major successes. SG Lewis released his second album AudioLust & HigherLove in January, which featured Channel Tres, Tove Lo and others. It peaked at No. 13 on the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
As for McAlpine, her breakout hit, “Ceilings,” marked her Hot 100 debut in February. By March, it became her first No. 1 on a Billboard chart, summiting Alternative Streaming Songs. This September, she collaborated with Noah Kahan on a duet rendition of his song “Call Your Mom,” while in October she joined Reneé Rapp on stage to perform “For Good” from Wicked.
It’s been more than 27 years since Sublime performed its final show with Bradley Nowell, but recent moves by the late frontman’s family have paved the way for the band’s possible return with Nowell’s son Jakob Nowell as the famed Long Beach punk-ska-reggae trio’s next generation singer.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Jakob Nowell — who was 11 months old when his father died in 1996 — has been performing and touring for more than a decade, and this year signed a record deal with Epitaph Records for his group Jakob’s Castle and made a surprise appearance with Stick Figure at Coachella. On Dec. 11, he will perform at a benefit concert for Bad Brains frontman H.R. at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles alongside Sublime’s original members, bassist Eric Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh, for the first time ever. The trio are not calling themselves Sublime for the benefit show, but Jakob’s manager Kevin Zinger with Regime Music Group and musician-turned-executive Joe Escalante have already been selected by the original band members, along with Bradley Nowell’s wife (and Jakob’s mom) Troy Dendekker Nowell, to manage the rights and intellectual property for Sublime.
Kevin Zinger
Fabrice Henssens
Zinger and Escalante have been hired to manage the “legacy assets, the licensing and all the business in Sublime going forward for Jake, Troy, Bud and Eric,” Escalante tells Billboard. “The guys plan to jam together in support of H.R. at the Teragram Ballroom on Dec. 11. Beyond that we’re not prepared to make any announcements.”
Zinger is a veteran music executive and documentary filmmaker whose clients include House of Pain, Tower of Power, Everlast and Steele Pulse. Escalante is bassist for the famed Orange County punk band The Vandals, as well as a music executive and Hollywood showrunner.
News of a relaunched Sublime has generated significant interest from festival talent buyers who have already begun submitting offers for festival bookings, Zinger tells Billboard. But for now, he says, the three men remain focused on rehearsing for the Dec. 11 show.
Joe Escalante
Aki Yamazaki
“We’re patiently waiting and doing the right thing,” says Zinger. “If the vibe’s there, the vibe’s there.”
Wilson is also a member of Sublime with Rome, a popular touring outfit led by singer Rome Ramirez that plays songs from Sublime’s catalog as well as Ramirez’s originals. The name Sublime with Rome was created as legal a compromise between Ramirez, Wilson and Troy Dendekker Nowell in 2010 after Nowell sued to stop the men from touring under the name Sublime.
Further complicating matters for Sublime relaunch with Jakob Nowell is that Sublime With Rome have a New Zealand tour and a number of big festivals booked in 2024;, as does Jakob’s Castle, who’s opening for G Love & Special Sauce on a tour running through the end of March.
Tickets are still available for Positive Mental Attitude: A Benefit For HR of Bad Brains at the Teragram Ballroom on Dec. 11, priced at $30 apiece. There is also a GoFundMe set up to benefit H.R. here.
Edgar Cutino, manager for Grammy-nominated R&B singer Fridayy, has launched a new management company called To The World Soon. In addition to Fridayy, Cutino’s new company is working with artists Rome Flynn, Elliot Trent, BaeRose, June3rd, Fortune and Landon Moss.
Fridayy has been one of the breakout in-demand featured stars of the past year, making his chart debut in August 2022 as a featured guest on the DJ Khaled track “God Did” alongside JAY-Z, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and John Legend, which peaked at No. 17 on the Hot 100 and earned three Grammy nominations, for best rap song, best rap performance and a surprise Big Four nod for song of the year. In October 2022, he appeared on the Lil Baby song “Forever,” which reached No. 8 on the Hot 100. Fridayy has been working with Cutino for three years, after the two first connected over Instagram.
“[Cutino] introduced me to writing and a different way to get into the industry,” Fridayy said in a statement to Billboard. “We really built what we have from the ground up. We figured it out together and we both were hungry for success. I tell artists it’s never about the name; when two people come together who believe in each other and are hungry, there’s no telling what can happen.”
Getting his start as a party promoter, Cutino launched a collective of engineers, producers and photographers for local acts in the San Antonio area, helping establish artists in the local scene. In addition to Fridayy and his roster at TTWS, he’s worked on projects by Drake, Chris Brown, Lil Baby, Swedish House Mafia and more, according to a press release.
Fridayy himself got his start as a producer and songwriter, working on tracks by Rae Sremmurd, Chris Brown and Wiz Khalifa, and also co-produced “God Did.” He signed a deal with Def Jam, which released his self-titled debut this past August.
“Edgar is the rare kind of young executive with the taste level, hunger, drive and vision needed to become one of the greats,” Def Jam CEO Tunji Balogun said in a statement. “As an A&R, Edgar has contributed across the entire roster at Def Jam, while also spearheading one of the most exciting new artist campaigns evolving in music right now. I’m excited and inspired to play a small role in their journey as it continues to blossom.”
Since Danny Nozell started managing Dolly Parton in 2005, her already legendary career has soared to new heights. But even Nozell, CEO of CTK Enterprises, couldn’t have predicted that Parton would be inducted into the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and, one year later, that her 30-track set, Rockstar — inspired by the honor — would become the highest-charting album of her nearly 60-year career.
Parton is joined by such artists as Elton John on “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr on “Let It Be,” and John Fogerty on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Long As I Can See the Light,” among others, on the Nov. 17 release, which also contains six originals. Rockstar debuted at a career-high No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200, surpassing Parton’s previous high of No. 6 for 2014’s Blue Smoke. With 128,000 equivalent album units, Rockstar also blasted in at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Album Sales charts.
Parton recorded much of the album in secret, not even telling Nozell. “[She] did not tell me until she had finished it and called myself and my staff in to listen to the album,” he says. “I said, ‘What album?’ She said, ‘The rock album.’ She didn’t want to tell me because she was afraid I would start cutting deals before it was done. She knows me well.”
The high numbers are a result of Parton’s inimitable talent, but also, to Nozell’s point, a global marketing plan that began rolling out months before the album’s release and included debuting the first single, “World On Fire,” on the Academy of Country Music Awards, which she hosted with Garth Brooks. The voluminous marketing efforts also included making a music video for Queen‘s “We Are the Champions/We Will Rock You” that tied in with NBC’s promotion of the 2024 Olympics, a London press junket with journalists from all over the world, a SiriusXM interview with Howard Stern, an HSN merchandise drop and a slot on Robin Roberts’ ABC special. The promotional slate was an endurance marathon that the 77-year-old Parton ran like a gold medalist, and devising and executing it helps earn Nozell the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Nozell talks about the different facets of the campaign and how, even after almost 20 years together, Parton still managed to surprise him in a major way.
There were literally dozens of promotional efforts for Rockstar. Was there one single campaign or interview that you felt pushed the album over the edge?
[No.] It was the long setup time, the combination of the entire global marketing plan and the way we executed it like a military operation. We researched everything, we planned everything and we strategized everything. When we felt like we had the right game plan, we executed and followed through. We have been following this protocol for two decades and it has always served us well. There’s no “I” in team. We manifest our own success and my team — CTK Enterprises/Butterfly Records — deserves all the recognition in the world. Kyle McClain, Steve Ross, John Zarling, Kelly Ridgway, Olly Rowland, Marcel Pariseau and my entire staff, as well as Big Machine’s Scott Borchetta, Mike Rittberg and everyone at [the label] deserve enormous credit. Dolly delivered an incredible album that will go down in history as one of her greatest.
Rockstar tops Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart and, at 118,500 physical copies sold, she more than double her previous biggest week 30 years ago with 50,000 for Slow Dancing With the Moon. You did four different CD configurations and 10 vinyl variants. Like Taylor Swift, does she have fans who will collect every version?
Our original goal was to be in the top five of the Billboard 200 and to do 70,000 in the first week. We definitely crushed that. Dolly’s fans are extremely loyal and I’ve gotten to know many of them over the years. They definitely like to collect every single version of the vinyls, CDs and even cassette tapes. In true Dolly form, we defied the norm of the current marketplace and sold a lot of physical product. While we were still focused on streaming, we wanted to give Dolly’s fans and consumers a memorable product that you could see, feel and read, just like I, and many fans, grew up doing. With streaming, you leave out a lot of the artistic element of the product.
You also went into non-traditional retailers, including Cracker Barrel, Dollar General and HSN. Were any of those new for Dolly and how important is it for you to meet Dolly’s audiences where they are, which might not be the traditional music outlets?
Being that we’ve had so much success with Cracker Barrel and HSN [before], but had not tested out Dollar General, we decided to take a chance and [have] Dollar General be an official retailer for chart-eligible sales. I was also the one who did the same for Cracker Barrel when Dolly did her first project with them years ago. This was one of the deal points I made sure was included. We’re not afraid to take chances because Dolly doesn’t go on everyone’s highway, she creates her own path. We wanted to stick to that mentality. We made sure that wherever there was a Dolly fan, we needed to reach them.
The vast majority of her consumption came from sales as opposed to streaming. Were there efforts to up her streaming numbers from the past or was the plan to focus on album sales, given her older audience demographic?
We met with the DSPs early on and played them the entire album. They were just as blown away as we were and wanted to partner. We gave them exclusive content and time with Dolly.
We thought that out of the starting gates we should go for Dolly’s core fan base and deliver them a high-quality product. This is why we offered 10 different vinyl variants and did expensive photoshoots, with top pop photographers like Vijat Mohindra, who Miley Cyrus introduced to Dolly. (Parton is Cyrus’s godmother.) Dolly’s never been a huge streaming artist but we have continually increased her footprint year over year.
Dolly sang “Rocky Top” at the University of Tennessee’s football game the day after Rockstar’s release and then performed during halftime at the Dallas Cowboys’ game on Thanksgiving. You even created special CD packages for each team. How did those appearances bring in a different Dolly audience?
During the week of release, we wanted to create a marketing explosion. At the University of Tennessee, Dolly performed in front of 100,000 people and over 6 million TV viewers. Then the Dallas Cowboys on CBS had over 44 million TV viewers and 100,000 people live at the sold-out stadium. We could not have asked for a bigger look for the week of release. I can’t even put a price on this exposure.
However, there were a couple of caveats that I didn’t expect. The first was Dolly’s huge heart and generosity when she donated $1 million to the Red Kettle campaign with the Salvation Army, [which kicked off at the Cowboys’ halftime]. The second being that Dolly didn’t tell or show anyone that she was going to dress as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader until it was time to go to the stage. When she came out of the dressing room, myself, the security, and my staff fainted. I couldn’t tell the difference between Dolly and the cheerleaders. That is the genius of Dolly and people are still talking about it.
Rockstar is her highest-charting album ever on the Billboard 200. How do you top this?
Even though we’re really proud of everything, we still fell short of the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 and we have our sights set on this goalpost for the future. We are highly competitive and just want to win for Dolly. She deserves the very best, always. We feel that this global push has raised Dolly’s profile and gained her a lot of new fans. She gained 500,000 new followers on social media in the past seven days alone. We’re excited for the future.
Dolly’s work ethic is second to none. What could younger artists learn from her?
Dolly’s 77 and I’ve been chasing her for the last 20 years. She has no plans of slowing down. A younger artist could definitely look at her work ethic and see that the hard work pays off. They can also look at her huge heart: the more you give, the more you receive, and that’s worked really well for Dolly. Also, she doesn’t judge anyone. She tries to find positivity in everybody. They can also learn that dreams really do come true. Dolly keeps on dreaming and we have to help her execute them.
Reba McEntire has appointed longtime team member Justin McIntosh to serve as her manager, the singer announced Wednesday (Nov. 29). McIntosh has worked with the Country Music Hall of Famer for more than a decade, ever since he joined her at her former management home, Starstruck Entertainment. At Starstruck, McIntosh served as vp of marketing […]
Grupo Frontera has signed a management deal with Habibi, Noah Assad‘s management firm, Billboard can report. Raymond Acosta, director of talent management at the company — which also includes Karol G on its roster — will lead Frontera’s management team.
The deal comes seven months after Frontera and Bad Bunny‘s massive collaboration, “Un x100to” — an irresistible cumbia, norteña track — peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also up for song of the year at this year’s Latin Grammys.
Over the past two years, Grupo Frontera — previously managed by Victor Ruiz — went from local McAllen, Texas, band to a música mexicana global force. Composed of Adelaido “Payo” Solis III, Juan Javier Cantú, Julian Peña Jr., Alberto Acosta, Carlos Guerrero and Brian Ortega, the group broke out last year thanks to its tejano spin on Morat‘s 2019 single, “No Se Va.” The inventive cover scored the norteño group its first entry on any Billboard chart, ultimately peaking at No. 3 on the Hot Latin Songs tally (dated Nov. 12, 2022).
According to Raymond Acosta, Habibi was approached by Mexican hitmaker Edgar Barrera — who’s penned and produced for Grupo Frontera — and Alberto Acosta of Frontera after seeing the impact “Un x100to” had. “I asked Noah for an opportunity to get to know and study Mexican culture,” Acosta explains. “Because for me, identities are very important. One of my role models is Mr. Angelo Medina, he was the manager of José José and Emmanuel. He was the one who taught me [that] when you’re going to cross the pond, you have to know where you’re going.”
Grupo Frontera released its debut album, El Comienzo, via Barrera’s BorderKid Records label. The set bowed and peaked at No. 3 on the Top Latin Albums chart. In the past year alone, the group has placed eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100 — including “Que Vuelvas” with Carin Leon, “Bebe Dame” with Fuerza Regida and “Frágil” with Yahritza y Su Esencia. They have a distribution deal with Believe and own their masters.
“If you want to be the number one manager, your artists have to be number one,” adds Acosta. “I’m fulfilling my dreams by fulfilling the dreams of others. I think that’s the beauty of the management part. [At Habibi,] we don’t copy-paste marketing plans. That’s why when you see all the projects, none of them look alike. And seeing everything that is behind Frontera, the personality of each one and what they are doing, motivates us a lot.”
Additional reporting by Leila Cobo.
This past week has been one of the big ones on the music calendar, with the Recording Academy announcing the nominees for the 2024 Grammy Awards, set to take place on Feb. 4. When they were unveiled, one of the year’s biggest honorees was Victoria Monet, whose album JAGUAR II was a critical smash when it debuted in September of this year. Monet, who started her career as an artist in a girl group before seeing success as a songwriter for Ariana Grande, Blackpink, Travis Scott and others, earned seven nominations, the second-most of any artist, including nods in the coveted best new artist and record of the year categories.
The nominations span a variety of areas: in addition to best new artist and record of the year for her song “On My Mama,” she earned nods for R&B album, R&B performance, R&B song, traditional R&B performance and engineered album, non-classical, recognizing her for artistry, songwriting, performance and overall quality. It’s a testament to Monet’s work rate and vision, as well as to the team around her, including manager Rachelle Jean-Louis, who earns the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Jean-Louis discusses the work and planning that went into setting up and delivering JAGUAR II, how the album campaign extended into every facet of Monet’s career and the dedication and teamwork that it took to pull off a feat that is now being recognized with so many nominations by the academy. “One thing I’ve heard people say is, ‘If the music is great, people will find it,’” Jean-Louis says. “Sure — but they’re more likely to find it if you can give them as many touch points and opportunities as possible.”
This week, Victoria Monet was nominated for seven Grammy Awards, including best new artist and record of the year, the second-most of any artist for the upcoming 2024 awards. What key decisions did you make to help make that happen?
The first important decision was made years ago, on the heels of her writing two No. 1 records. She had an opportunity to open on a tour she was excited about, and I advised she focus on her artistry and developing an identifiable world and sound, specifically as an artist, for fans. That was our first “tough” conversation — convincing someone I’d just started working with to pause and reflect on the big picture. We focused on developing her own sound with longtime collaborator D’Mile. That world became JAGUAR — the first project we released independently in 2020, and now, JAGUAR II. I A&R’d and co-executive produced both projects and worked alongside her and D’Mile to make something we were all proud of.
The next important decision at that time was choosing to stay independent and partner with Platoon for the first JAGUAR so she had full creative autonomy and as bulletproof of an identity as possible before going back into a major label system. Back then, she had interest from the majors because of songwriting success, but I wanted loyal core fans there for her, not just anyone she was affiliated with, so if and when she did decide to partner with one, it would be a true partnership to help amplify her vision. JAGUAR II was released via Lovett Music in partnership with RCA Records to help her music reach new heights.
She was a songwriter for years before beginning her recording career, which is not always an easy transition for artists to make. How did you help that process, and what were the challenges involved?
This is actually a common misconception. Victoria did start her music career as an artist; she was signed in a girl group that ended up getting dropped from their label. To provide for herself and keep working while sorting out contracts and having developed further under an incredible songwriter like Lashawn Daniels, who wrote hits like “Say My Name” for Destiny’s Child, she tried to keep her dream of artistry alive by songwriting. It can be incredibly difficult for people who have success as songwriters first to be able to brand themselves and differentiate the songs they write for others from their own work. Victoria has always been great at that. Victoria’s artistic voice really is unique. After the music was made, I wanted to make sure her visual identity was credible and set her apart. I searched Vimeo for hours looking for directors before finding Valentin Petit, an incredible French director, to shoot “Moment” as the first true music video from JAGUAR. It’s important to me that the visual art match the caliber of the music. We have an incredible creative team that is dedicated to that, which you can see by the videos for JAGUAR II. Our creative director Charlotte and art director Jess are both fearless, talented women who work hand in hand with us to push the art and story forward.
This nominated album, JAGUAR II, is the second half of a two-project series. How did you approach the entire rollout differently from perhaps a more traditional release schedule?
Attention spans are so short. One thing I’ve heard people say is, “If the music is great, people will find it.” Sure — but they’re more likely to find it if you can give them as many touch points and opportunities as possible. When we first started talking about the rollout for JAGUAR in 2019, we were going to do three parts to be consistent and give fans more chances to discover Victoria and her music. More singles to focus on one at a time to point back to a cohesive world. We didn’t plan for a pandemic to happen in the middle of that process, but we adapted and released four singles off a nine-song project to keep it going consistently for as long as possible over the course of a year. A lot of the rollout for both JAGUAR and JAGUAR II is sustained by content in between our videos and singles, and great press moments thanks to our longtime indie publicist Dana Meyerson at biz3. We released two singles in 2021 after the birth of her daughter to stay in the conversation, did her first pre-show award show performance at BET Awards that year, then revisited the remaining songs for JAGUAR II.
Coming back to the remaining music years later, Victoria felt something was missing and that she could do better, so I set more sessions for her. Those songs were “Cadillac,” “Party Girls (feat. Buju Banton),” “Alright” produced by Kaytranada, “How Does It Make You Feel,” “Stop (Askin Me 4Shyt)” and “On My Mama.” More than half of the album. She was right.
For JAGUAR II specifically, how did you want to present it, given it was such a long-awaited project and yet, also, her debut album?
Victoria is one of the most dedicated perfectionists I’ve ever met — in the way that I imagine the greats I’ve always respected were when they created some of the most important albums of our time. We wanted to continue the theme of JAGUAR being a representation of Victoria as a complex Black woman, making sure each song showed another side of her so it could speak to women everywhere. We still believe in albums as experiences, not chasing singles, so that was a determining factor of what songs to pick to represent JAGUAR II. The singles were all different enough to keep fans engaged and looking forward to the album.
We started with “Smoke” featuring Lucky Daye since it continued the sound established with D’Mile on the first project. It served the true R&B purists in her fanbase. Victoria felt strongly about “Party Girls” as the next single to get out ahead of the summer given the island influence. Our label supported her vision to deliver a visual that continued to elevate her art, and it accomplished that by raising the bar for her.
“On My Mama” was the easiest entry point for all of the above — there’s enough musicality for the purists, a recognizable sample that isn’t overused, a hip-hop element to bring in new fans, a universal celebratory message and an incredible video with choreo that continues to have its own viral moment. It’s an ode to Black culture and Victoria’s identity on multiple fronts as a Black woman. “On My Mama” is where she arrived, right before we put out the album. Thanks to our passionate radio team led by Sam Selolwane, “On My Mama” has hit No. 1 on urban radio and is making its way across the charts at other formats as well.
In addition to the singles, the key to this rollout was using her live show to propel the music. Victoria is an incredible performer. In March of this year, we kicked off her new era with “Smoke,” and quickly followed with the announcement of her first-ever solo show in partnership with Spotify to bring the experience to Los Angeles. We did this again right after “On My Mama” came out in June, announcing her highly anticipated first solo tour, which sold out in minutes. By the time the album came out, we had a sold-out tour for loyal fans and so much positive feedback on the songs. The tour intentionally brought most of the songs on JAGUAR II to life to keep people going back to the album after its release. Word of mouth, whether via the Internet or real life, is still some of the most valuable advertising, and the tour has accomplished that.
There is a wide breadth to these nominations, which celebrate artistry, songwriting, performance and overall quality. What does that say about Victoria as an artist, and to the work you guys have put in?
It says a lot about Victoria. Her dimensions as an artist are mirrored by her dimensions as a person: she’s already wearing many hats of intersectionality as an openly bisexual Black woman. She’s also a mother, so these nominations are already serving as lessons for her daughter that she can do whatever she chooses to. It’s a beautiful thing to watch Victoria be nominated as an artist for the first time and share that experience with her daughter, who is also making history as the youngest ever to be nominated. Representation matters deeply. The nominations amongst her peers in the Recording Academy speak to seeing the range of her skills, each of which she works hard to hone.
The nominations speak to the years of hard work collectively by Victoria and our largely female team. It’s a largely affirming moment in my own life and career for every time I thought maybe the world would not recognize what I have been working hard to get people to see and sacrificing time with family and loved ones to do. I advocated for a difficult path in favor of creative control for Victoria and she trusted me.
I’m an independent manager that is also an openly queer Black woman. I’m a first-generation American and daughter of Haitian immigrants. This is something I have dreamt of since I was a kid. The majority of superstars have male managers, and most of them are white. While the journey was incredibly difficult and at times isolating, it makes these nominations very rewarding for me personally. It’s a reminder to trust my instincts. This is a moment for our entire team, in which we are being seen. Everyone has been working tirelessly at their crafts before meeting Victoria and came together to make something we are all proud of.
What can all these nominations help you guys further accomplish moving forward — and what is next for you guys?
The nominations have started opening doors to opportunities our team has been pitching and campaigning for Victoria for years, but the work doesn’t stop. There’s certainly a tangible validity to them that is really helping our cause. Things aren’t necessarily automatically easier or not requiring work per se, but they absolutely are helping as another co-sign to the credibility of Victoria as an artist.
Victoria has been telling me just about every week she’s been doing promo, touring or working that she can’t wait to get back in the studio because she’s inspired, and I can’t wait to dive back into the creative process. There’s still so much to do. We’re looking forward to releasing more music and content and doing more collaborations. We’re excited to bring her live show to more people and continue to build her audience globally. She’s expressed a desire to act as well.
And what do these mean for you as a manager?
I want to be able to continue to open doors for myself and others through these nominations. I have two stellar artist clients — one being Victoria and one being an incredible rising vocalist named Saint Harison that I want to make sure reach as many people as possible with their talent. The journey for Victoria has been an incredible story that people are authentically connecting to. I’ve always been a creative first and foremost, and my heart has been in storytelling. Whether that’s helping to get out the stories of my clients or telling stories of my own, that has been the root of my passion that I’m excited to keep exploring.
Warner Records has launched underscore works recordings, a joint venture with Charly Salvatore’s Nashville-based management company underscore works.
The new label will focus on discovering and developing fresh country music talent, and launches with two new signings: Dipper and Wesko.
Salvatore launched underscore works in 2022; the company works with artists including Warren Zeiders, Priscilla Block and Dalton Dover. Zeiders, who is signed directly to Warner Records, debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 with “Pretty Little Poison,” which is currently in the top 20 on the Country Airplay chart.
Texas native Dipper recently released his debut EP Evergreen, including his first single, “She’s Got Wings.” Dipper also signed a global publishing deal with Bailey Zimmerman, The Core Entertainment and Warner Chappell Music.
North Carolina native Wesko spent the past four years performing with his band and writing songs, while working as a foreman for an erosion control company and balancing a full college course load. He continued building his audience in North Carolina, as well as building his social media following before signing with underscore works recordings.
Warner Records’ Co-Chairman & CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck and Co-Chairman & COO Tom Corson said in a statement, “Together with Charly, we’ve already seen incredible success with Warren Zeiders – a newcomer to the scene who has quickly made a big impact. The underscore team shares the same dedication we have when it comes to artist development and building meaningful and lasting careers, making it a no brainer to expand our partnership so we can support even more special artists. Dipper and Wesko are two genuinely talented, hard-working musicians with bright futures ahead, and we look forward to collaborating with underscore to bring even more great music to fans around the world.”
Salvatore added, “Aaron, Tom, and the entire world-class Warner Records team have an amazing track record when it comes to breaking new acts and, more importantly, sustaining that momentum. They’ve been incredible partners with Warren, and there’s no one else I’d want to be running alongside as we take this exciting next step in the underscore works journey. With a deep passion for developing emerging artists, I’m thrilled to embark on this new chapter with remarkable talents like Dipper and Wesko, who are destined to captivate the world’s stage.”
Latin superstar Chayanne is a chart machine. The Puerto Rican heartthrob boasts a multi-decade streak of 15 albums that have reached the top 10 on Billboard’s Latin Pop Albums chart since his self-titled debut in 1989. Only one other Latin act (Rocío Dúrcal) has matched that feat.
But Chayanne’s last album was 2014’s En todo estaré, released nine years ago, while his last tour stopped short in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And although he’d had plenty of singles chart activity since then, his last No. 1 was 2007’s “Si nos quedara poco tiempo,” which topped the Hot Latin Songs chart.
Certainly, expectations and pressure were high for Chayanne to deliver, and he’s done just that. His new album, Bailemos, out on his longtime label, Sony Music, opened at No. 3 on Billboard’s Latin Pop Albums chart, while his current single, “Bailando Bachata,” notched its 13th week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart, marking his longest-running single to date on any chart. One of the most successful Latin touring acts in the market, Chayanne is also readying what will be his next mammoth, multi-year tour, which kicks off next year and will include arenas and stadiums in the United States, Latin America and Spain.
Despite the long gap between studio albums, at the core of Chayanne’s success is consistency: He’s a self-described “label artist” who has been signed to Sony since his 1989 debut. He could also be described as a one-manager artist. Patty Vega, director of Chayanne’s Chaf Enterprises, has managed him for the past 27 years with a steely, steady hand. The Colombian-born Vega, known for her no-nonsense, get-it-done style and her ability to position her client in every country in the world, is one of the very few female managers in Latin music, albeit one who prefers to stay behind the scenes. This week, given Chayanne’s success, she earns the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week — and explains why her legacy artist remains in his prime.
It’s been nine years since Chayanne’s last studio album. What did it mean to you as a manager to wait nearly a decade for your artist to release an album?
It was a struggle because the years kept going by. But Chayanne was waiting for his moment, and in between, he did two tours — and remember, each Chayanne tour takes roughly two and a half years to complete. Then we had the pandemic, and that’s when we started to talk about an album. So it’s not like we weren’t on it. Afterward, Sony’s songwriting camp system was magnificent and it’s something Chayanne hadn’t done before. They brought together songwriters, producers and the artist, who in this case had input on everything and was able to pinpoint what he wanted and contribute to the songs. And we see the results: 13 weeks at No. 1 and No. 3 in sales. The experience of making this album was totally different from before.
How so?
Before they would send us songs, the songwriter would chat with Chayanne, Chayanne would give his input, they’d record a demo, but it’s very different from actually being in the studio and working the songs there. This time, we had three studios going on, and in the space of one week, we had 16 songs, which we whittled down to nine.
Chayanne became a superstar at a time when albums were sold, radio and TV were all-important and there were few Latin global stars. How do you explain to an artist like that that the world of music and promotion is very different now?
We had very long, involved conversations, and above everything, we have a very good relationship. We have our big differences in terms of the proposals that we consider. But he is always open to analyze something. Sometimes he’ll get up and say no, but a seed is planted. This was a long process. For example, he was very reticent with social media. He said he didn’t have the time and he didn’t want to do things his fans might not like or want. Convincing him to really work on his social media was intense. But today, he understands it perfectly, and everything he does resonates, which says a lot about his fans and how faithful they are to him. Those millions of followers he has, he’s gained every one of them organically. For example, “La Bachata” — you go on Instagram and there’s thousands of posts of people dancing to it.
That’s Chayanne. How did you change?
Well, I had to learn. You have a formula that’s given you a great response for decades. And suddenly, it’s not the same. So you have to adapt. That’s why convincing Chayanne to open up to other things was so major. He’s remained relevant because, first and foremost, people love him. That’s not something you can buy; that’s genuine and that’s something we’ve built through the years. But also, beyond music, for example, we do a lot of campaigns.
What do you mean by campaigns?
We have many commercial campaigns with brands, and that keeps his image relevant in many countries. Lala in Mexico, for example, is a very well-known milk brand and every year we do a national campaign that includes traditional media like television and banners, and digital. [Department store] Falabella has done a Christmas campaign with Chayanne in Chile, Colombia and Peru for five consecutive years. Chayanne’s image is very present.
While you’re doing a lot with digital and social media, radio has been very central to the promotion of this album. Is it a struggle with the label to attack both avenues of promotion?
Not at all. It may seem old school but it’s essential for us. And Chayanne has spent his entire life with Sony, and this marketing team is the best. We meet constantly, and they understand perfectly that although he now has a younger audience — because the age range of his fans is younger now — he also has a fan base that doesn’t understand social media as well, and still listens to radio and still wants to buy the CD and the poster. Radio is still very important, and radio has embraced Chayanne in every country. Television is also important and continues to sell for us. We have to consider all those elements: the mothers, the aunts, the grandmothers, the daughters. It’s many generations. But, I felt supported one thousand percent [by the label]. I thank my team every day… They’re all on team Chayanne.
What has been the biggest challenge with this album?
The same one as ever: To get people to love it. Having him do something great and being able to say, “We did it.” It’s very hard [to stand out] in such a competitive industry where there are so many young artists making hits, and where artists from other generations aren’t as visible. You have to really strive to do something better than the last album. Make a better tour than the last tour. At the end of the day, word of mouth is what gets people to your shows. But in the end, all the pieces fell into place. This album had to come out now, and Chayanne had to be ready.
I know you’re touring next year. What can you tell me?
It’s throughout all of Iber-America: from Spain to Argentina, going through every single country in Central and South America. For the U.S. I already have a proposal for 40 arena dates. Our last tour was 100 dates, and we had to cut the last five months due to the pandemic. As Alejandro Soberón [CEO of OCESA] once said, with Chayanne, you have to sell subscriptions because female fans go see him again and again when he plays. [He] can play a Movistar arena now, and come back months later and do it again. We repeat in a lot of markets.
You’ve worked with Chayanne for 33 years, 27 of them as his manager. That’s very unusual, especially now, when artists change managers at a very fast clip. To what do you attribute the longevity?
I think honesty. And loyalty. The most important thing for me is to look someone in the eyes and know that I’m telling them the truth and they can trust me. That’s the way it’s always been. We’ve disagreed, of course; we have our tempers. But we’ve worked with respect: He respects my work and I respect his.