Island bosses Imran Majid and Justin Eshak appear to be having their marquee moment with Sabrina Carpenter’s incredible run—undoubtedly one of the most important stories of 2024—and the breaking of Chappell Roan. Majid and Eshak have been in charge of the label for 2 ½ years now; conventional wisdom says it typically takes about three years to see if a new team gets it, and five to make it to the big time. This duo looks to be well ahead of schedule.
Carpenter has seized the top two spots at Spotify global with monster “Espresso” and its equally muscular (and notably edgier) follow-up, “Please Please Please” (which is #2 at Apple Music as of this writing, while “Espresso” is Top 10). Her new album, Short n’ Sweet, is due on 8/23. Carpenter co-wrote the two current hits with longtime collaborator Amy Allen, along with Julian Bunetta and Steph Jones (“Espresso”) and Jack Antonoff (“Please”).
“Espresso” (600m+ global Spotify streams) and Sabrina’s ’22 hit “Nonsense” (another Bunetta production, with north of 800m worldwide on the Spot) are both headed for the billion-streams mark. The growth rate for “Please,” meanwhile, looks bigger than that of either cut. Carpenter’s explosive action in the marketplace has happened in a remarkably short time, but the fuse was lit after the drop of her ’22 set, emails i can’t send, which includes “Nonsense.”
Carpenter (CAA) was inked to Island by A&R exec Jackie Winkler; she earned a huge boost from her support spot on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and her newly announced, AEG-promoted arena tour (kicking off 9/23) should be a very hot ticket indeed. She’ll also get a big look at the Outside Lands fest, where she is taking the spot just vacated by Tyler, The Creator.
The artist, who built up her performance chops in the Disney system, was developed over about a decade by manager Janelle Lopez Genzink, whose own Volara Management is part of Red Light.
And then there’s Roan, whose 2023 set enters the Top 10 this week with 45k, and her streaming smasheroo (“Good Luck, Babe!” now Top 10 Spotify U.S. and trending Top 10 global) isn’t even on that album—it’ll be on her next one, the release date of which remains TBA. Meanwhile, she has several other songs gaining steam. Having established her bona fides, via substantial Coachella and Governors Ball looks, as a bold and distinctive performer, Roan (Wasserman) appears to be on the verge of becoming very big. Her producer and primary collaborator, by the way, is none other than Dan Nigro, whose contributions have been essential to O-Rod’s extraordinary success; they co-wrote “Good Luck, Babe!” with the highly accomplished Justin Tranter. Nick Bobetsky-managed newcomer Roan has definitely moved onto the Grammy short list for Best New Artist consideration.
Breaking two acts wide open at roughly the same time is highly unusual. Perhaps it’s coincidental that Island’s temperature soared in the wake of the UMG reorg. But given the tight Island/Republic relationship, wonderers are wondering if Majid and Eshak got a little of the Lipman brothers’ magic from that genie bottle they keep under lock and key.
Top photo: Andrew Zaeh
