Tyler Brown, former Managing Director of Syco Music, and Harold Serero, who previously served as senior A&R executive at Ultra Music Publishing and Payday Record label, have launched Heatwave Records.
The new London-based label aims to sign artists from emerging markets.
Brown and Serero’s idea for Heatwave Records was born from a shared “excitement about artists they were encountering from West Africa, South America, India and beyond.”
The company describes itself as “a borderless label focused on connecting the dots for music worldwide, nurturing a global audience for our artists and having global hits.”
To support their vision, the pair hired Andrew Birchall in an A&R role and plan to establish a creative presence in several key territories worldwide by the end of the year.
“I wanted to work with Harold from the first time I met him, in my opinion he’s one of the best young A&R executives in the game, I’m sure he wouldn’t disagree with that,” said Tyler Brown, co-founder of Heatwave Records.
“The artists we are talking to each day are so ambitious and are pushing the boundaries of creativity in new ways. Heatwave is a celebration of the simple fact that any artist from any country can rise to the top.”
Harold Serero, Heatwave Records
Since its launch earlier this month, Heatwave Records has already achieved notable success with its signings. Nigerian artist Fido‘s track Awolowo has become the country’s breakout hit of the summer, reaching #1 on multiple charts including Spotify viral, Apple Nigeria, Shazam Nigeria, and Spotify Nigeria. The song has also entered the top 20 on global viral and Shazam charts.
“After one listen, we knew Fido’s track ‘Awolowo’, which celebrates the former leader of the Nigerian independence movement, was a special one. It has since been taken up as an anthem for young people all across Africa as a call for freedom and a celebration of the good life. We’re thrilled that our first signing is such an incredible artist and an iconic song, which continues to gather global momentum,” said Harold Serero, Co-founder of Heatwave Records.
Another Heatwave-signed artist, Ivory Coast’s døpelym has seen his track Guala reach No.40 on Shazam in France and enter the top 10 on the viral chart, while Nigerian artist Firstklaz‘s Gen-Z Area reached the top 20 on the viral chart in Nigeria and No.1 on Deezer Nigeria.
Serero said: “Countries like Nigeria, South Africa & India have some of the most vibrant and ambitious music communities in the world. At any given moment there are hundreds, if not thousands of artists competing for a place at the top. The songs, the melodies, the engagement of the music community – it’s unmatched.”
“The artists we are talking to each day are so ambitious and are pushing the boundaries of creativity in new ways. Heatwave is a celebration of the simple fact that any artist from any country can rise to the top.”
To support its distribution efforts, Heatwave Records has partnered with Too Lost.
Gregory Hirschhorn, CEO of Too Lost, said: “Too Lost is proud to work with Heatwave as their exclusive distribution partner. Their proven track record as hitmakers give us full faith and confidence in their ability to continue to identify and highlight impactful global music and we look forward to our continued success together.”
“Heatwave was an idea generated from our love of this music and it’s a luxury and an honor to have the ability to discover the next global superstars through this new venture.”
Tyler Brown, Heatwave Records
Brown said: “I’ve only ever been interested in working within the global music industry and music from around the world has never been so exciting! Heatwave was an idea generated from our love of this music and it’s a luxury and an honor to have the ability to discover the next global superstars through this new venture.”
“We’ve got off to a fantastic start but it’s just the beginning and the partnership with Too Lost feels like a powerful one already.”
Heatwave Records marks Brown’s latest venture after launching management, record label and publishing company Funfair Records.
Last year, Funfair formed a marketing and distribution deal with artist services company AWAL.
Music Business Worldwide
