WARNER'S U.K. CLASS OF 2019
Warner Music U.K. has a host of new names to look out for this year and beyond, including Mahalia, AJ Tracey, Yxng Bane, JC Stewart and Elderbrook. All you need to know is within.
Maisie Peters is a new signing at Atlantic. Aged 18, she’s a talented singer and songwriter who writes melodic acoustic folk-pop. She started building a following on YouTube, where she has over 43k subscribers, and her biggest singles are “Worst of You” and “Place We Were Made,” which have both reached over 21m streams on Spotify. Debut EP, Dressed Too Nice for a Jacket, is out now, and she has 2.2m monthly listeners on Spotify. After supporting Tom Walker on tour, Peters will start her debut U.K. headline tour in March, which includes a date at London’s 1.1k cap. Scala in May. Management is Bobby Havens at Stripped Bear.
British R&B and soul singer/songwriter Mahalia, also an Atlantic signing, was a contender for the BRITs Critics’ Choice 2019 and in the longlist for BBC’s Sound of 2019. She boasts over 1.6m monthly listeners on Spotify, and her most popular track, “Sober,” has over 45m streams across multiple platforms. She finished her second sold-out European tour at the end of last year and has also been on the road with Jorja Smith and Anne-Marie. Management is Bernadette Barrett at Big Bear Management.
Over at Parlophone, rapper Yxng Bane, who is signed via a partnership with Disturbing London, has gained notoriety thanks to Top 10 singles with Yungen, Banx & Ranx and Ella Eyre, as well as his remix of Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You.” His own track, “Vroom” peaked at #27 on the U.K.'s singles chart in March and was followed by debut mixtape HBK in November. Collaborators include Nige (AJ Tracey, Dave), Scribs Riley (Khalid, Cardi B) and Team Salute and Christian Rich (Jaiden Smith), and he’s graced campaigns for Diadora and Adidas. Monthly Spotify listeners stand at 3.5m and a U.K. tour this year includes a date at the 5k cap. O2 Academy in Brixton.
Also signed to Parlophone is Elderbrook, who has already had international success and a Grammy and Ivor nomination for club track “Cola,” which was written with RCA dance duo CamelPhat. His solo music spans electronica, hip-hop, gospel and pop, and he’s released two EPs to date with 3.4m monthly listeners on Spotify. He’s sold-out gigs across the globe, stretching from XOYO and the Oval Space in London through to Baby’s All Right in NYC and the Roxy in L.A. Management is Cyrus Alamouti at A-List Management. Also new and developing at Parlophone is R&B/soul singer, songwriter and producer Hamzaa, who released her debut EP late last year.
At Warner Bros., Northern Irish singer and songwriter JC Stewart has been introduced with a series of single releases to date. Last year, “Medicine”—a swelling ballad—was premiered by Clash, and he’s recently been supporting Snow Patrol on tour. Management is Luke Williams at Vector Management. Also look out for more on two very early Warner Bros. acts; producer J Rick and dance artist Griff.
Finally, grime artist AJ Tracey, who has a distribution deal with ADA, will further the success he’s built over the last few years. After reaching #13 on the U.K. album chart with his independently released EP, Secure the Bag, in 2017, he hit #19 on singles withNot3s collaboration, “Butterflies,” last June. Acts he’s worked with span Missy Elliot, A$AP Rocky, Craig David, Rick Ross and many more and he’s got over 1.5m monthly Spotify listeners. His debut self-titled album lands on 2/8 and an upcoming U.K. and European tour will include a sold out Brixton Academy date in March. Management is Andy Musgrave at Supernature.
