U.K. SPECIAL: AGENCY
ACTS TO WATCH

British singer/songwriter Mimi Webb hit #8 on the U.K. singles chart earlier this year with “Good Without,” thanks in part to early success on TikTok, which she followed up with a #12 slot for “Dumb Love.”

Webb had first caught the attention of CAA agent Bilge Morden at a show back in November 2019. “We were all hanging out backstage, and she mentioned she was an artist,” he remembers. “She has such a fun and confident energy, I came away from the show thinking I really hope the music is good, because she’s a star.” Morden listened to a few demos, was blown away and signed on as her agent just before the U.K. went into lockdown.

Although the pandemic halted Webb’s live development, she sold out a London show in September ahead of a sold-out U.K. and Ireland tour in October and November. She also played the Reading and Leeds Festivals in the summer, and Morden promises more to come in 2022 as travel restrictions ease between borders. “Considering the success she’s had so far, not many people have had a chance to see her live yet, so there’s a lot of pent-up demand,” he notes. Webb’s debut EP, Seven Shades of Heartbreak, landed via Epic/RCA in October and hit #9 on the U.K. albums chart.

What makes this artist special? “She has a certain relatability to her music where people really latch on to her lyrics and also her as a person, because she has a very authentic voice in her songwriting, online and onstage,” Morden explains. “There’s already a very strong bond between her and her fans. I think Mimi spoke and took selfies with every single audience member at her first live show in June this year. Plus, her voice is outstanding.”

STATS

• “Good Without” certified gold in the U.K.
• Two singles reached Top 15 in U.K. and debut EP reached Top 10
• 1.1m followers on TikTok
• 134k followers on Instagram

TEAM

• Management: Rob Ronaldson, Brandon Goodman and Sean Sheahan of Best Friends Music
• Label: Epic Records (U.S.) and RCA (U.K.)
• Publishing: Sony Music Publishing
• Live: Bilge Morden, Emma Banks (U.K.), Carole Kinzel and Ben Buchanan (U.S.) at CAA

Rapper ArrDee, who hails from Brighton on the U.K.’s South Coast, has had four Top 10 singles so far this year as both a lead and featured artist, including collaborations with fellow British talents Russ Millions, Tion Wayne and Digga D. His live agent, Craig D’Souza, who recently joined WME as Partner in the U.K., found ArrDee via word of mouth, started following him on Instagram and found himself “fully engaged by his energy and personality.” D’Souza continues: “He has a cheeky, genuine and loveable character. It was early days musically, but I reached out to his manager in January 2021, he sent me some unreleased music to listen to and that was that—I was hooked.” The trio had a successful Zoom call, and the working relationship began.

D’Souza reckons it’s ArrDee’s authenticity that will help him reach greater heights. “There are no airs or graces with this guy—what you see, is what you get. He is as real as they come and, in my opinion, that is a very important quality for an artist to possess. If you spend a moment in his presence, you’ll love him and want to see him win.” Playlist support has come from BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra, ArrDee was nominated for best newcomer at this year’s GRM Rated Awards, and he’s had features in The Face, Notion and Noisey.

ArrDee is busy making his debut project, which he plans to tour behind. “The immediate ambitions are sold-out shows in the U.K. once the project is ready, and as we grow the sizes of rooms and markets here, we’ll aim to do the same internationally,” says D’Souza. “I genuinely think this guy can achieve anything he wants to, and I’m not the only one. The British rap scene has fully embraced him as one of their own.”

STATS

• Four Top 10 singles as lead and featured artist
• 106m worldwide streams
• ArrDee’s verse on “Body (Remix)” by Tion Wayne & Russ Millions exploded on TikTok, helping the track hit #1 in the U.K. and Australia
• 715k followers on Instagram, 3.8b views on TikTok, 93k YouTube subs

TEAM

• Management: Carl Samuel
• Label: Island Records A&Rs Alex Sparks and Sam Adebayo, Republic in the U.S.
• Publishing: Sony Music Publishing
• Live: Craig D’Souza, WME

Willow Kayne’s attention-getting fusion of hip-hop and emo punk earned the London-based newcomer a nomination for the Ivor Novello Rising Star Award this year. She was introduced to UTA agent Jack Clarke by her manager, Maria Lane, and he instantly fell in love with the music. “We arranged a meeting that was meant to last an hour, but we ended up staying for the whole evening eating and drinking everything on the menu,” Clarke recalls. “The rest is history!”

Due to COVID, Kayne’s touring trajectory has naturally stalled, but she made her festival debut at London’s Alt+ in August. She’s had a legion of press support, has been praised by BBC Radio 1 and 6 Music DJs and enjoyed playlist slots from Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal. As part of her Ivor nomination, she’s being mentored by Nile Rodgers.

Clarke says it’s her unique style and musical ability that will secure Kayne a bright future. “She’s so unique, but in a genuine and humble way, and that translates to her music and style,” he raves. “When I first met her, she arrived in baggy jeans and a fitted bomber jacket like she’d literally transported from the ’90s and totally rocked it. She also has an amazing singing voice, and on top of that, I would back her bar for bar with most U.K. rappers.”

An EP will be released in January, with another single set to come this year. Live-wise, Clarke is planning a slow and steady build with some soft ticket/support shows, which will eventually lead to headline dates in 2022. “We’re super-excited for her future,” Clarke enthuses, “and we’re being thoughtful and strategic about her next steps.”

STATS

• 300.6k YouTube views
• 10k Instagram followers
• 406k likes on TikTok
• BBC Radio 1 playlist slot for “2 Seater”

TEAM

• Management: Maria Lane, TaP
• Label: Julian Palmer and the team at Sony U.K. imprint Columbia
• Publishing: Amber Davis at Warner Chappell Music U.K.
• Live: Jack Clarke and Obi Asika, UTA

Eight-piece jazz and afrobeat collective Kokoroko have amassed over 54m streams on Spotify for the five singles they’ve released so far and performed at the prestigious BBC Proms last year. The band’s live agent, Clementine Bunel at Paradigm, came across them in 2017 thank to their inclusion on the We Out Here compilation album, curated by BBC DJ Gilles Peterson. She started working with them in 2018 ahead of an early-2019 EP released via Brownswood Recordings.

“Our strategy was about creating moments. Moments of music that people talked about,” says Bunel. “As they come from a very prolific scene, it was really about thinking outside the box. Not necessarily about playing all the festivals but about building strong, healthy ticket sales in order to get them to being able to sell 1,500 tickets comfortably across the main European capitals and London, so that when the album came out, we were starting from a healthy base, which would also reflect on festival billings and fees.”

Kokoroko’s first show at London’s Moth Club, which sold out in one day, was followed by a slot on Nile Rodgers’ Meltdown festival. But when COVID hit, the album recording was pushed back and shows were canceled or postponed. They’ve since finished the album, which is set for release in 2022, and secured a few festival slots over the summer. An Electric Brixton show in April 2022 is on the verge of selling out, and Bunel’s ambition is to take them to Brixton Academy once the album is out.

While Kokoroko might typically fit into the “London jazz scene” box, “There’s so much more about them that makes them a band people can relate to,” Bunel asserts. “They blur the lines. An article once described them as ‘the Afrobeat conscience of London jazz,’ and this may not be the perfect description, but it touches on how they pay tribute to their African heritage, but with a modern twist. Whatever your musical references are, you’ll connect with their music, as it is truly empowering. Their live performance is magnificent.”

STATS

• 54m streams on Spotify
• Single “Abusey Junction” has amassed 41m streams alone
• 11-date U.K. tour booked for March/April 2022

TEAM

• Management: Merck Mercuriadis at Hipgnosis Songs
• Label: Emily Moxon and Alanna Henry at Brownswood
• Publishing: Self-published
• Live: Clementine Bunel at Paradigm for worldwide representation ex-N.A., Tom Windish at Wasserman Music for N.A.