ILEY'S DREAM TEAM

Jason Iley awaits a pint of bitters after the champagne is popped for, from left, Dan Owusu, Shane Derozario and Lunick Bourgess.

Jason Iley has added another imprint to his growing stable of labels at Sony Music U.K.— Dream Life Records. The label is dedicated to finding urban and pop talent, and will be run by Dan Owusu, Lunick Bourgess and Shane Derozario.

The trio will focus on developing artists and management teams, bridging the gap between youth and the mainstream. Between them, Owusu, Bourgess and Derozario combine expertise across management, publishing and A&R.

“I want to continue building a company that is led by entrepreneurs and innovators,” Iley said. “Dan, Lunick and Shane are extremely ambitious, hugely energetic and will be an excellent addition to the Sony team.”

Owusu started his music career at the Notting Hill Academy of Music, followed by BMG Publishing. There, he worked as A&R Manager, signing artists including Chip, AJ Tracey, MoStack, Lotto Boyzz and Hardy Caprio. He said of the new venture: “Jason has a tremendous track record when it comes to identifying talent and staff. His intentions when it comes to diversity are clear and this is notable when you look at each label and the label heads.”

After launching his own independent label while at university, Bourgess joined Virgin EMI as an A&R scout. He was quickly promoted to A&R manager and signed a host of young talent including MoStack, Hardy Caprio, Tion Wayne and the platinum-selling drill artist, Russ. Bourgess said, "I truly think it’s a forward-thinking company in tune with today’s generation.”

Derozario, who started his own management company nine years ago and has worked with British talent including K-Trap and MoStack, added: “We decided to join Sony as we are all admirers of Jason because he gives young executives brilliant opportunities and mentors them through. We are hungry and ready to start.”