Table of contents for No. 1407 in Music Week

Youth is not being wasted on the young. Glastonbury has been a particularly useful barometer of this in recent years, with Billie Eilish becoming the youngest ever headliner aged just 20 back in 2022, and Olivia Rodrigo capping off the Pyramid Stage this year, aged 22. To think, at those ages I thought I was doing pretty good because I had an iPod. Everywhere you look, an exciting and increasing number of ever-younger artists seem to be hitting greater heights, and much sooner into their careers than ever before. And deservedly so. Yet it's also against this backdrop that this month's brilliant cover star CMAT (see p36) stands out so much. Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson is the first to admit it. Despite starting to post her own tracks when she was…

Your essential primer for the month ahead Co-op Live and Oak View Group executives have spoken to Music Week about their first year staging “world-class artists” and the venue's coup in landing the BRIT Awards. The BRITs will move out of London for the first time in its 48-year history to take place at Co-op Live in 2026 and 2027. The ceremony has been staged at the O2 Arena for 15 years. “The reaction was phenomenal,” said Guy Dunstan, SVP & GM, Co-op Live, who joined in October. “There's always been this view that events like the BRITs only take place in London.” Co-op Live is a joint-venture between Oak View Group, which is also the venue operator, and City Football Group. With a top capacity of 23,500, it is…

It's wild to be working at something for almost 10 years and then it suddenly clicks and you get a response from the universe,” Ravyn Lenae tells Music Week, sitting down for an interview ahead of her headline show in Perth, Australia. She's in the middle of a whirlwind global tour, and the excitement of the moment is palpable. “It's like, ‘Oh, OK, this is happening now!’” she laughs. “It feels like I'm catching up to all these amazing things that are now taking place all at once.” The singer is referring to the success of Love Me Not. Released in late 2024, the single has since gone viral, amassed more than 270 million Spotify streams, and hit No.2 in the UK. The track – which stands on sales of…

BURNA BOY (FEAT. SHABOOZEY) Change Your Mind (Spaceship/Bad Habit/Atlantic) Former Music Week cover star Burna Boy made history with his last record, as 2023's I Told Them… saw him become the first Afrobeats artist to secure a UK No.1 album. Back then, Atlantic's EVP and president of Black music, Austin Daboh, told us that the team would continue to “push the boundaries of what's possible”. The latest example of their work arrives in the shape of another gargantuan campaign for No Sign Of Weakness, a 16-track record that more than lives up to its title. Change Your Mind leans on Burna Boy's knack for a surprise, enlisting Shaboozey for a country-fried sing-along that pushes his sound in yet another new direction. Contact: Ebi Sampson ebi.sampson@august.agency CELESTE On With The Show…

“I am an extremely loud, hyperactive, Tasmanian devil person” CMAT CMAT is stretching out her eyelid to get at her lashes, pulling her face into new shapes and attacking it with a piece of cotton wool. “I'm taking all my make-up off because I hate the amount I have to wear every day,” she begins. “It's absolutely doing my head in and destroying my skin, so if I keep dabbing myself, that's why.” She does, repeatedly, causing her golden tooth jewel to twinkle as she moves her face. Events demanding full-on pop star glam are coming thick and fast for CMAT, who uses the initials from her real name (Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson) for her artist project. We meet after Primavera Sound in Barcelona where, with her six-piece Very Sexy CMAT Band,…

“I never doubted Ghost would get a No.1 at some point, I just didn't know when” KRISTEN MULDERIG, THE RICK SALES ENTERTAINMENT GROUP For all the success stories in Kristen Mulderig's career, one of the most notable had its first chapter in a Swedish bowling alley. Back in 2011, a month after being wowed by the mysterious band Ghost's debut appearance at Download Festival, and having been tipped off that they were in need of a manager, Mulderig made the 5,500+ mile trip from Los Angeles to Linköping, the hometown of Ghost's mastermind, frontman, songwriter and musician Tobias Forge. “It's about two hours south of Stockholm,” says Mulderig of the journey made by air and rail. She was met at Linköping train station by Tobias, then 30, his boyish looks at…

When Jesse Fink arrived at an Airbnb in Malibu for a few days of music-making with Myles Smith and co-writer Peter Fenn, he had no idea they were about to craft a global breakout hit. Stargazing has since amassed over 800 million Spotify streams and was crowned the biggest single of 2024 by a British artist. Here, Fink talks working with this year's BRITs Rising Star winner and their tequila- and pizza-fuelled creativity… Peter Fenn, the producer and co-writer on Stargazing, is one of my very dear friends. We met in 2019 and started working together and hanging out immediately. We were in similar places in our careers, we'd both had some good major label cuts but nothing that moved the dial so much. While we aspired to work with…

UNITED KINGDOM CMAT Take A Sexy Picture Of Me Video Creations: 130,000 What began as a playful dance routine by TikTok creator Sam Morris [@justsammorris], is now one of the most popular trends on TikTok this year. The routine, set to the second verse of CMAT's Take A Sexy Picture Of Me, directly mirrors each lyric. It includes miming chopping for ‘butcher’, stirring for ‘baker’, a house shape for ‘home’, a baby bump motion for ‘family-maker,’ and so on, finishing with a defiant point to the self on ‘Now tell me, what was in it for me?’ Affectionately dubbed the ‘Woke Macarena’, the trend merges choreography with commentary on the invisible labour, expectations and image standards women are expected to navigate, and the TikTok community has used the dance to…

Brandi Carlile, artist Earlier this year, 11-time Grammy winner Brandi Carlile had a No.1 album alongside her musical hero Elton John. Here, she takes time out during a rollercoaster year to reflect on the “outrageous” reality of working with her idol, befriending Joni Mitchell and the power of musical activism… Discovering Elton John was a gateway drug into everything that informs my artistry now… “I dressed as him for Halloween, I took homemade Elton John jewellery to school, I wrote essays about the underappreciation of his albums in the ‘80s… I was doing a book report on a boy called Ryan White who had died of AIDS-related pneumonia in the ‘90s, and there was this angelic but complicated rock star who had befriended him and sang a song called Skyline…

Gemma Farrington Sync manager, Sentric Music You began your career at Manchester-based indie label Scruff Of The Neck. How did that experience prepare you for the world of sync? “I'm so grateful for having worked in the independent world! Being part of a small team at Scruff Of The Neck meant wearing many hats: I gained insight into every aspect of the record-making process, learned that there's no ‘right’ way to do things and realised how connected this industry is. Another key lesson was to trust my instincts and draw on all my experiences, even if they don't seem relevant. The industry leaves a lot of room for individuality and the best results come from those who carve their own path.” You've placed syncs with brands like Adidas, PrettyLittleThing and…

JULY 18 Alex Warren You'll Be Alright, Kid Atlantic Daron Malakian And Scars On Broadway Addicted To The Violence Daron Malakian And Scars On Broadway Fletcher Would You Still Love Me If You Really Knew Me? Capitol Hard Life Onion Island EMI Jade Bird Who Wants To Talk About Love? Glassnote Rachika Nayar & Nina Keith/Disiniblud Disiniblud Smugglers Way (Domino) Slaughter To Prevail Grizzly Sumerian We Are Scientists Qualifying Miles Groenland JULY 25 Alice Cooper The Revenge Of Alice Cooper EarMusic Bruce Dickinson More Balls To Picasso Sanctuary/BMG Fitz And The Tantrums Man On The Moon Atlantic Mabel Mabel Polydor Marina And The Diamonds Froot (10 Year Anniversary) Atlantic Nick Drake The Making Of Five Leaves Left Island/UME Night Moves Double Life Domino Patty Griffin Crown Of Roses PGM/Thirty Tigers Paul…

Management: Barry O'Donoghue, This Label: CMATBaby/ AWAL Recordings CEO: Lonny Olinick MD: Matt Riley SVP: Victoria Needs & Sam Potts A&R: Will Hunt Marketing: Fay Pritchard Audience Development: Tom Stabb Publisher: Tom Cater (BMG Publishing UK) Agent UK + ROW: Natasha Gregory & Rebecca Nichols (Mother Artists) Agent US: Carly James & Kevin French (CAA) Print & Online Press: Dan McCormick (Overheard PR) Radio: Steve Stone (Kill Your Darlings PR) TV: Emma Bailey (DawBell) Creative Director: Eilís Doherty Art Director: Kelly Ford…

Before there was Mimi The Music Blogger, there was Music With M – a sharp, distinct voice writing about music on her WordPress blog. Fast forward to now, and Mimi is one of the UK's most respected tastemakers: a multi-award-winning journalist, presenter and cultural strategist known for championing Black music and chronicling its global impact. With a background in finance and investment, Mimi has hosted, moderated and appeared on platforms such as BBC 1Xtra's The Rap Show, JD Sports’ Take The Crown series, Apple Music, Amazon Music's +44, JBL Presents, Link Up TV and more. As a presenter and host, she has interviewed the likes of Usher, Will Smith, Snoop Dogg, Ciara, Tiwa Savage, Bellah, Tion Wayne and IVD, and has covered events from Wireless Festival, the Latin Grammys and…

Perhaps the greatest endorsement of label and artist services deals is that they can no longer simply be regarded as an alternative; they are now an established part of the mainstream. “It's fair to say that the industry has shifted, and artist and label services deals have fortunately become the norm, rather than the exception,” Christiaan Kröner, president of Downtown-owned Fuga, tells Music Week. “Artists now have far more options when it comes to building a successful career. There are more routes to market than ever.” Earning itself a seat at the table once exclusively reserved for traditional record labels, the sector is flourishing like never before – and it doesn't take much sleuthing to find out why. The nucleus of its allure, contends Kröner, is in offering arrangements that…

There was nothing “everyday” about Sly Stone. The influential singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, who died on June 9 in Los Angeles aged 82, was a man who walked the walk, bringing people together whether he was calling out social injustice or just commanding his audience to ‘dance to the music.’ “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved dad, Sly Stone of Sly And The Family Stone,” read a family statement. “After a prolonged battle with COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] and other underlying health issues, Sly passed away peacefully, surrounded by his three children, his closest friend, and his extended family. While we mourn his absence, we take solace in knowing that his extraordinary legacy will continue to resonate and inspire for generations…

“There are still misconceptions about how music is made and who is responsible for it” Matt Soczywko Hosts: Jocelin Francis (mix engineer), Matt Soczywko (marketer/creative director), Mirek Stiles (head of audio products, Abbey Road Studios) & Igor Maxymenko (co-founder, Audiomovers) Contact: matt.soczywko@abbeyroad.com Audiomovers is at the forefront of pro audio software innovation. What was the inspiration for launching this podcast? Matt Soczywko: “I've met countless mastering engineers, tracking engineers, producers, A&Rs, composers, you name it, who have the best stories, and it's our mission to honour them. These are stories that connect places around the globe, about how records come to be. There are misconceptions as to how music is made, who is responsible for it, and there are still problems with how it is credited. Lots of people are trying…

@charli_xcx 365 days of Brat <3 (Charli XCX, artist via X) Saturday, June 7 @lovelimmy The Gen Zs in the office just held up a cassette and asked me if these were audio or video. (David Lim, Outside Organisation via X) Wednesday, June 11 @StephAchigbu The other day I said I wasn't working hard enough and my husband looked at me like I was crazy (I am). (Steph Achigbu, TikTok via X) Thursday, June 12 @leethommo Just realised how wrong I've been getting the lyrics in that first verse of [The Housemartins’] Happy Hour for the past 39 years. Thanks, subtitling team. #TopOfThePops (Lee Thompson, music consultant/writer via X) Friday, June 20 #1 @taylorswift You belong with me. (Taylor Swift, artist via Instagram) Friday, May 30 @martinlt.bsky.social It's definitely a T-shirt, shorts…

“There's something freeing about the fact that ‘week one’ no longer matters” Jade Bird Having hit the Top 10 with your debut album, how do you reflect on your breakthrough now? “There's a freedom now where the industry feels like anarchy. Everyone gets caught up in monthly listeners, but nothing's adding up. People that have a bunch of monthly listeners can't sell out shows and vice versa, so the measurement of success is changing and, honestly, all I care about is being able to play shows for the rest of my life. There's something freeing about the fact that ‘week one’ no longer matters and a record can have a life whenever, so it's never over. That's such a positive about where we are now, especially being a woman, where you're…

JENSEN McRAE The LA-based artist fuses soft-pop and folk in her candid new record, I Don't Know How But They Found Me!. Here, she talks stereotypes, jamming with Justin Bieber and why finding a label is a bit like dating… I Don't Know How But They Found Me! is your second album. How have you grown between your first record and this one? “This album is about me being a lot more self-assured and comfortable in who I am and especially in my taste. There was a lot of growing up that happened between my first record, [2022's] Are You Happy Now?, and this one. That first album was a story of my coming of age, and this one is about breakups, relationships, things I hadn't experienced before. It really…

Right now, life is moving fast for Toyin Mustapha. Music Week encounters TikTok's head of music partnerships, UK, Ireland & SSA on a Friday lunchtime at home in Manchester. He's just popped in to see his five-week-old daughter to “give her a quick cuddle” and is back at his desk to reflect on the position he's held for a year this August, as well as the Music Week Award his team won for their Add To Music App. “We were really delighted to win the award,” he begins. “We've always known there's been a real correlation between what's been happening on TikTok and on streaming services, so for us to be able to close that gap and produce a feature where songs can be added or listened to at the…

Sharing the recipe for Zebralution's secret sauce, co-CEO Konrad ‘Konny’ von Löhneysen takes a page from the handbook of another German-hailing firm. “Vorsprung durch Technik,” jests the good-humoured Berlin-based executive. “It's a bit of that.” Audi's iconic slogan, which translates as “progress through technology”, could just as easily apply to Zebralution. With offices in Germany, the UK, Mexico, Brazil, Netherlands, France, Spain and the United States, the independent digital distributor has not stood still since its 2004 launch. “We were the first music-only digital distribution company in Europe,” says von Löhneysen. “Our business is now 50% music, 50% audiobooks. In the UK and US, or in France, audiobooks is a very small business, but it's very big in the Spanish and German-speaking markets, so that is about half of our…

On May 13, the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee returned to the issue of grassroots music, and we saw something that's become increasingly familiar in recent years – a sector trying to lead itself, while waiting for a government that still hasn't quite shown up. A year on from the Committee's report into grassroots music venues (GMVs), the picture should have shifted. There was consensus in that report, agreement from across the music industry and public support. Even the Minister, Chris Bryant, described GMVs as “the research and development labs of the UK music industry”. But the reality is that we're still losing one every week. And worse, we're doing it under a policy regime that's quietly extracting money from the sector, while telling the sector how vital it…