UMG U.K.'S CLASS OF 2020
Who are the new acts UMG U.K. is making a priority this year? We’re glad you asked. Read on for the lowdown on soulful singer/songwriter Celeste, Irish band Inhaler, candid pop artists Mae Muller and Lola Young, and alt group Easy Life.
Signed to Polydor, Celeste is the name on everyone’s lips after she won BRITs Rising Star and BBC Sound of 2020. She has a key moment coming up at the BRIT Awards, where she’ll be the first Rising Star nominee (previously named Breakthrough) to perform at the ceremony. Soul greats like Amy Winehouse, Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald and Otis Reading inspire this singer who grew up in the seaside British town of Brighton; she was born in L.A. She has released four EPs and her debut album is expected sometime later this year. In terms of stats, she reached the Top 40 on Apple Music two days after launch of her latest single, “Stop This Flame,” which is up to 2.4m streams globally, thanks in part to support on 28 New Music Friday playlists worldwide. Live wise, she plays the 2k capacity O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London at the end of April. Management is Duncan Ellis and Ben Smallwood at Atlas Artists and publishing is Warner/Chappell.
Polydor also have rock band Inhaler, who have strong lineage with Bono’s son, Elijah Hewson, as frontman. Influences span The Stone Roses, Joy Division and The Cure. They’ve released five singles so far, which have racked up 7m streams, and a debut album is in the works. Inhaler were voted #5 in the BBC Sound Of Poll and saw their streams shoot up over 200% as a result. They are carving out a strong live trajectory thanks in part to support slots with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Courteeners, Kasabian and DMAs. A forthcoming headline tour across Ireland, U.K. and Europe will visit London’s 1k capacity Heaven in February. Management is Simon Moran and Conrad Murray at SJM and publishing is BMG.
The Capitol U.K. team have high hopes for London artist Mae Muller, who is becoming known for confessional candid pop. Influences span H.E.R, Julia Michaels, Florence Welch and Dixie Chicks. She. has had radio, media and DSP support across the board and has racked up more than 24m streams and 5m YouTube views for a string of singles and a soft album release for Chapter 1, which arrived in April. Her new single, “Therapist,” is out now. She’s released a song with Ms Banks, and has been in writing sessions with Jimmy Napes (Sam Smith, Clean Bandit), Two Inch Punch (Rex Orange County, Rag’N’Bone Man, Sam Smith), Oak (Rihanna, Ariana Grande), Sir Nolan (Justin Bieber, Nick Jonas) and Illangelo (Drake, The Weeknd, Post Malone). Her upcoming February European tour dates include a show at Heaven in London, and she played to more than 350k fans supporting Little Mix on their sold out 32-date U.K. and Ireland tour last year. Management is Gabrielle Sky who has teamed up with Modest! and publishing is Downtown.
Island artist Lola Young is a 19-year-old singer-songwriter from South London. She’s backed by an expert management duo—Amy Winehouse’s first manager (and Lucian Grainge’s nephew) Nick Shymansky and Nick Huggett, who signed Adele, Dizzee Rascal and M.I.A. She released her debut song, “6 Feet Under,” in September, which received support from Apple, Spotify, BBC Radio, Capital Xtra and Beats 1. Champions include Annie Mac, Mistajam, Gilles Peterson and Jo Whiley. Her debut project, Intro, was released in November alongside a three night sold-out residency at The Scotch of St James in London. Stay tuned for further releases starting in February. Publisher is Sony/ATV.
Island band Easy Life are a five-piece from Leicester who recently landed at #7 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart with their third mixtape, Junk Food. They trade in chilled out hip-hop infused indie pop, and have been compared to Arctic Monkeys, Rex Orange County, and Glass Animals. They were named runners-up in the BBC’s Sound of 2020 poll, headlined BBC Introducing at Glastonbury, and have played Coachella, Governors Ball, SXSW, Boston Calling and Hangout Festival. They’ve also been tipped in all the “ones to watch” lists from Vevo, Deezer, Sunday Times, NME and DIY. Management is Ollie Slaney (freelance) and publisher is UMPG.
