UMG OPENS THE WORLD TO BADSHAH

UMG’s Adam Granite, EVP, Market Development, and Sir Lucian Grainge welcome Badshah, second from right, to UMG. Devraj Sanyal, MD & CEO, Universal Music India & South Asia, is on the left; Vinit Thakkar, COO, Universal Music India, is on the right.

Sir Lucian Grainge has welcomed Indian superstar Badshah to Universal Music Group with a global multiyear deal.

The Delhi-born rapper, singer and producer has amassed more than 15b streams and is the only artist in India’s history to have 15 videos with more than 200m views each on YouTube.

The agreement will see Badshah partner exclusively with UMG in all elements of his career, including recordings, music publishing for non-film compositions, brand licensing and partnerships. Major collaborations are in store.

“UMG has always embraced musical pioneers and is deeply committed to supporting artist culture from around the world,” said Grainge, Universal Music Group Chairman & CEO. “We are delighted to partner with Badshah, one of India’s most respected and popular artists, for the next phase of his career as we put the weight of our global company behind him to introduce his music to new audiences worldwide.”

The partnership will be led by the team at Universal Music India, with global support from, and music to be released by, international partner labels including Capitol Records in the U.S. and EMI in the U.K.