KAREN KWAK TO LEAD
WARNER A&R

Longtime A&R exec Karen Kwak has joined Warner Records as Executive Vice President/Head of A&R. She’ll be in the L.A. office starting 11/1 and will report to CEO/Co-Chairman Aaron Bay-Schuck.

Kwak most recently headed her own company, KK Consulting, working with RCA (Britney Spears, Maluma), Epic and Three Six Zero (Tiesto). Prior to setting out on her own in 2016, she spent 12 years with UMG, wrapping up her stint at the company as EVP, A&R, U.S. Recorded Music, in which capacity she served all of Uni’s domestic labels.

“Throughout her stellar career, Karen has been the force behind countless hit records and chart-topping artists,” Bay-Schuck said. “Her great ears, deep knowledge of all facets of A&R and invaluable relationships across the industry make her a fantastic addition to our senior management team. With Steve Carless also joining us shortly, we have brilliant A&R leadership in place to take us into the future. Tom Corson and I are thrilled to welcome Karen to the family.”

Prior to her tenure at UMG, Kwak was EVP/Head of A&R at Island Def Jam Music Group, where she was instrumental in the success of Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez and Justin Bieber, among others. She was also responsible for matching Rihanna with the song "Umbrella," later signing its co-writer/co-producer, The-Dream, to IDJ.

“This is my first post at a WMG company, and I’m incredibly excited to become part of such a dynamic and forward-thinking label,” said Kwak, who also worked at Arista, LaFace and Motown early in her career. “Aaron has assembled a phenomenal A&R team who are signing and nurturing a fantastic array of amazing, leading-edge talent.”