For Ellie Rowsell and her Wolf Alice bandmates, the buzz of their return has been resounding for months now.
August 22 will bring their biggest career landmark yet, as the BRIT and Mercury Prize-winning band release The Clearing, their first album for Columbia. Produced by Greg Kurstin, it stands to propel Wolf Alice to new heights. We celebrate their comeback as the quartet, completed by guitarist Joff Oddie, bass player Theo Ellis and drummer Joel Amey, star on the cover of Music Week for the first time.
Joined by Sony Music UK & Ireland chairman & CEO Jason Iley, Columbia MD Amy Wheatley, RCA US SVP, A&R Dan Chertoff and their longtime manager Stephen Taverner, Wolf Alice take us inside their world, as we discuss the making of The Clearing, their move from Dirty Hit to Columbia and their grand ambitions.
The group also have their say on the importance of artists using their platform, the need for equal representation in the music industry, the grassroots venues situation and why they will never forget their early days, when A&Rs would tell them they needed “a thing” in order to succeed, advice they have long since proven wrong.
Plus, because this is Wolf Alice and few bands can combine serious discussion with humour and self-deprecation like they can, there’s plenty of hummus chat and the admission that they are “the most boring band in the world”.
Not long before Music Week went to press, the news broke that Ozzy Osbourne had passed away, shortly after playing for the final time with Black Sabbath at Villa Park. We pay special tribute to the Prince Of Darkness, looking back at the all-conquering, colourful and chaotic career of an inimitable character who impacted the music industry like no other.
Also part of a stellar September line-up is Guy Moot, co-chair and CEO of Warner Chappell Music, who talks exclusively to Music Week about his vision for the future of the publishing powerhouse. In a blockbuster edition of The Music Week Interview, the executive also talks big changes at Warner Music Group, AI, A&R and what he learned from his days driving a Ford Fiesta 900 around the UK.
Alex Hannaby is another executive at the top of her game, and we meet the UK head of Big Machine Label Group to celebrate 10 years of the country stable’s UK incarnation, not to mention two decades of the main US operation. Leading an all-female team, Hannaby charts her industry story so far, analyses the strides country has taken in recent years and sets out her vision for where it goes next.
Also this month, we meet Dari Samuels, head of BBC Radio 1Xtra, as he prepares to celebrate his first year in the hot seat at a station where he’s been a fixture since its very early days. He shares his thoughts on the state of Black music in the UK, the talent pipeline and the ingredients you need for a perfect radio show.
Finally in September’s features section, we welcome the return of an icon, as Sophie Ellis-Bextor makes her grand return to pop. With new album Perimenopop due on Decca, co-presidents Tom Lewis and Laura Monks, plus the singer’s manager Derek MacKillop, join Ellis-Bextor as she lays down the law on the genre she loves and talks Saltburn, success and more.
This month’s Big Story examines the bombastic return of Ed Sheeran, as we sit down with Atlantic co-president Ed Howard to look ahead to his upcoming album Play. Also in the news section, we analyse the state of play in vinyl consumption, with key executives backing the format despite a drop in sales figures.
Sombr stars in Hitmakers as the LA-based musician tells the story of how his smash record Undressed morphed from its initial incarnation as a drum groove into a streaming monster.
The latest edition of The Aftershow finds Craig David reflecting on the 25th anniversary of his landmark debut Born To Do It, which he is celebrating by releasing Commitment, his ninth album. The Southampton singer also remembers presenting The Strat to Kanya King at the Music Week Awards and explains why he’d be nowhere were it not for chocolate.
Rhea Pasricha stars in Mentor Me, as the head of A&R at Prescription Songs delves into her wealth of experience to serve up her top career tips. Rounding off a packed issue are G Flip, this month’s On The Radar act, DIMA CEO & president Graham Davies, who takes on Spotlight, Alison Goldfrapp, who introduces her new solo album in Incoming and rising R&B talent Nippa, who is our Making Waves act.
Lastly, in our expanded monthly charts section, we present the Top 75 Singles and Albums of the previous month, accompanied by revamped analysis pages, plus a host of new listings. These include specialist genre Top 20s for Americana, Classical, Hip-Hop & R&B, Jazz, Country, Dance, Folk and Rock & Metal. The issue is also home to streaming, compilations and vinyl charts.
The new issue of Music Week is available from August 12.
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