This month, Music Week is telling the story of an unstoppable pop empire, as we welcome Jessie Ware to the cover ahead of the release of her brilliant fifth album That! Feels Good!
Before her last album What’s Your Pleasure? came out in 2020, Jessie Ware wanted to quit music altogether, but a new team and a pivot towards disco bangers changed everything for the singer, resulting in her most successful album yet. This month, she follows it up with That! Feels Good!, which is set to take her reinvention to another level.
Joined by EMI co-president Rebecca Allen, head of marketing David Balls and Fascination Management’s Peter Loraine, the star opens up about her industry journey and talks pop, empowerment, podcasts and freedom in an unmissable interview.
Meanwhile, the latest edition of The Music Week Interview sees Safiya Lambie-Knight join us for her first in-depth conversation as head of music for the UK & Ireland at Spotify. Now a year into the role, the executive is already making her mark and Music Week meets her during a busy time for the streaming giant to uncover her vision, hear what Spotify can do to boost emerging domestic talent and find out why she’ll never stop fighting for a fairer playing field for artists and executives alike.
Elsewhere in the features section, Ivors Academy CEO Graham Davies joins us ahead of its latest awards bash to talk equality and how the industry needs to look after its songwriters.
We also meet Fred Gillham, UK & Europe MD at Concord Label Group for a look at life at the indie, building global rosters and breaking talent.
Turning the focus to radio and UK rap, we profile Kenny Allstar, the new host of BBC Radio 1’s Rap Show, to celebrate his career so far and reveal how he intends to support artists and break barriers in the industry.
Our final feature is a Digital Agencies special, as we gather experts from CYOA, Blackstar Agency, Deviate Digital and Cleo to shine a light on what their agencies offer artists and labels and weigh up whether they get enough credit for their work across the business.
This month’s edition of Hitmakers sees James Arthur talk A&R and songwriting as he reveals the story behind Say You Won’t Let Go, the global hit that changed not only the trajectory of his career, but his whole life.
Meanwhile, the new edition of Mentor Me – a collaboration between Music Week and Girls I Rate – sees producer, songwriter and musician Hannah V shares her Top 5 Tips on forging a career in the recording industry.
Ahead of releasing Resound NYC – a new album reimagining some of his old classics – dance legend Moby is the subject of this month’s Aftershow, in which he reflects on his incredible career so far, from selling millions of copies of Play, to periods of self-destruction, plus encounters with David Bowie and Eminem.
In this month’s Big Story, UMG’s Dickon Stainer talks acquisitions, classical streaming growth and superstar composers, while our news section also sees AMF Records co-founders Mike Ajayi and Connie Meade unveil their new era, including a refreshed roster. Worldwide Independent Network’s CEO Noemí Planas discusses the indie label sector, the vinyl revival and AI in our Spotlight Q&A.
In May’s edition of On The Radar, Viral sensation Lizzy McAlpine opens up about her candid songwriting and navigating the world of touring, while we meet emerging UK R&B talent Jaz Karis in Making Waves. Incoming sees Enter Shikari’s Rou Reynolds holding court on rebirths, touring and self-preservation ahead of their seventh album A Kiss For The Whole World.
We meet VinylBox’s marketing head Jack Edwards in Rising Star, as he talks swapping life in a band for business and the vinyl boom. Sync Story focuses on Rye Lane and jazz-fusion production duo Blue Lab Beats.
Our Start-Up in focus is Song Sleuth, while our podcast is Jack Siggs’ Odd Numbers, which demystifies the music industry for the next generation.
In her latest digital column, Sammy Andrews offers tips for artists building live careers on and off TikTok, while Mark Davyd’s monthly missive finds the Music Venue Trust CEO looking North, as he talks venue closures in Middlesbrough and the effects on emerging artists.
And as ever, the expanded Archive section sees us flick through the pages of Music Week of yesteryear.
There’s all of this and our expanded monthly charts section, in which 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 April 18.
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Cover photo: Jack Grange
