RCA RAMPS UP KEEP COOL, UPS TUNJI, SIGNS NORMANI

Tunji Balogun has been promoted to Executive Vice President, A&R, at RCA Records, which has entered into a joint venture with his new label, Keep Cool. Fifth Harmony’s Normani is the first artist to sign to the label.

Balogun, Courtney Stewart, Jon Tanners and Jared Sherman founded Keep Cool and will together sign and develop new artists.

“This is a natural progression for Tunji whose passion for music and dedication to his artists has led him to become a force and a leader in the music world,” RCA Chairman & CEO Peter Edge said. “Tunji has an innate ability to identify an artist’s musical genius and understands the potential of their cultural impact.”

Legal on the deal was handled by Aaron Rosenberg at Myman Greenspan.

At RCA since 2015, Balogun has been instrumental in the signings and/or development of Brockhampton, Khalid, Bryson Tiller, GoldLink, H.E.R. and Wizkid. He also was part of the team that helped forge the partnership with TDE that brought SZA into the RCA fold.

“RCA is a company that prioritizes artistry, creativity and long-term vision,” Balogun said. “Keep Cool will be a safe-haven for artists and creatives who want to do things differently.”

Prior to RCA Records, Balogun held A&R positions at Interscope, where he worked with Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, The Game, Keyshia Cole, OneRepublic and others.

The label’s first signing, Normani, is working on her debut album and in February released a duet with Khalid, “Love Lies.”

“Normani’s talent and charisma really sets her apart as a leading lady in the industry and I know she will bring that same energy and more to her solo career,” Edge said.