Warner Chappell Music UK's Shani Gonzales and Amber Davis have reflected on the five-year plan that has taken the publisher to the top.
The company is on the up and up after winning out in the hotly contested Publisher Of The Year category at May's Music Week Awards.
“I think we’re at a really good time with our roster right now,” said Gonzales, WCM UK's EVP, MD, and head of international A&R. “Amber and her team have been incredible at picking things early and then being really good partners to the people that we sign. Amber signed Raye when she was 17 years old, so to watch the moment and success that Raye is having now is outrageous.
"We’re seeing a lot of songwriters and artists come to fruition, and that sometimes takes years. We also have this new rise of talent coming up like Nectar Woode, Nia Smith and Nia Archives. So, I’m really proud and excited about that."
New Yorker Gonzales served stints at Epic Records, Def Jam and BMG before rejoining WCM in 2019 after 11 years away, moving to the UK the following year to become MD. She suggested the current prosperous era owes much to the appointments of CEO Guy Moot and COO Carianne Marshall half a decade ago.
"Guy Moot and Carianne Marshall had this vision that they set out five years ago and we’re watching things fall into place as they planned, and that doesn’t always happen in music," she said. "I feel really proud of the team, watching things be successful feels really good."
I think everyone’s relationship with their publisher is unique and bespoke, and we are just always here to help in any way that we can
Amber Davis
Shani Gonzales and Amber Davis, SVP, head of A&R, Warner Chappell Music UK, take the spotlight in the latest issue of Music Week, but are keen to ensure the wider team also receive their due credit.
“On the A&R side, we have a re-energised team," added Gonzales. "Andrew Howell has just taken the reins as the head of sync – they’re having an incredible run at the moment. And the way that digital and technology is affecting our admin teams, we can pay off faster and collect from more sources."
Davis, who joined Warner Chappell back in 2014 as a creative director, has been key in the signing of acts such as Celeste, Dave, Fraser T Smith, J Hus, Skepta, Stormzy and Willow Kayne, and believes the company is reaping the benefits of being ahead of the curve.
"We’re taking a gamble on things early, so somebody like a Nia Smith didn’t have any music out but she was someone we believed in taking a risk with, and she’s now completely on an upwards trajectory," she said. "Then there’s, say, Toby Daintree, who’s currently having a global hit with the Artemas single I Like The Way You Kiss Me, which has been in the charts for ages, and Nia Archives who’s at the forefront of - and a female in - the jungle scene, which is insane.
"Likewise, Mette is someone Emily Foreman [senior international A&R and catalogue manager, WCM UK] and Shani took a huge risk on a few years ago and now she’s Ivor Novello-nominated, performing Elton John’s biggest hits at the Ivors, and in the Barbie film.”
A standout success story is Raye, who signed to WCM back in 2016 and renewed with the publisher in 2023 ahead of winning a record six BRIT Awards, followed by the Songwriter Of The Year prize at The Ivors with Amazon Music. But Davis is reluctant to take any of the credit.
"She is a really driven, exceptional songwriter, so I think it would be untoward for me to sit here and say that was all to down to WCM," she said. "That was all her – she had her vision and she delivered on it. The results are there. We’re just delighted to be part of the journey. I think everyone’s relationship with their publisher is unique and bespoke, and we are just always here to help in any way that we can.”
The common thread with Raye and Dave is it’s good to see artists take their careers into their own hands and not wait for anyone
Shani Gonzales
Similarly, Davis hailed Dave as "a force of nature".
“He’s had such a fantastic 18 months, obviously with the success of Sprinter with Central Cee - even though he’s not in album mode - which is amazing,” she said.
“The common thread with Raye and Dave is it’s good to see artists take their careers into their own hands and not wait for anyone," added Gonzales. "We’re talking about two independent artists that are writing their own tickets. That’s not something that any of us could have predicted 10 years ago. And the fact that we’re bringing them up in conversation as two of some of our biggest acts is just crazy.”
Gonzales also discussed the company's moves in Africa after forging partnerships with the likes of Flight Club, Mavin and LVRN, singling out Ayra Starr for special praise.
"The way Ayra Starr is performing and being viewed as an artist in America, I can’t think of any other woman that is from Nigeria doing what she’s doing now," she said. "I think that the continent will continue to grow by leaps and bounds. I feel like our mantra overall is that at WCM we don’t sign a lot but, with what we have, I’m proud to say that we’ve taken the right bets, and Africa is no different.
"Also, producer, songwriter and singer Ari PenSmith won a Grammy this year for his writing on Tyla’s Water, and we have producer and songwriter P2J, who has executive produced the last two Wizkid albums, is working on new stuff and continues to do so much in and outside of that world."
"We just signed Ruger, and are currently developing an artist called ShineTTW out of Nigeria," added Gonzales. "And we are still investing in writing camps - we had one in Lagos last October where we took 30 songwriters and producers and artists globally to Nigeria from Germany, the UK and the US.”
Subscribers can read the full interview with Gonzales and Davis in the September issue of Music Week – it's available online now for subscribers here.
