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MBW’s Key Songs In The Life Of… is a sequence through which we ask influential music business figures concerning the tracks which have — thus far — outlined their journey and their existence. Choosing a musical path by means of her life thus far this time is Sony Music Publishing‘s President, Head of US A&R, Katie Welle. The Key Songs… sequence is supported by Sony Music Publishing.
Katie Welle doesn’t decide six new tracks as her Key Songs. However she does decide tracks that have been all new as soon as.
OK, that’s apparent. However the level is (the purpose of Welle’s total record and profession so far, the truth is) is that she’s gone with songs that she nonetheless remembers from the second they have been new to her, and, extra particularly, nonetheless remind her of the push and thrill of discovery.
It’s why she ends with a tune and artist she needs you (and expects the world) to listen to extra of. It’s why, in one in every of her expositions, she talks of taking management of the aux cable. She doesn’t (essentially) wish to take over the get together – she simply is aware of, on your personal rattling good, that you need to hear this explicit monitor proper rattling now.
Extra merely, it’s why she’s within the enterprise.
Welle’s profession started 20 years in the past as an A&R Assistant at Epic. From there she joined Sony Music Publishing (then often called Sony/ATV) for the primary time. She dipped again into label-land with a stint as Senior VP, A&R, at RCA earlier than returning to SMP as Senior VP, Artistic in 2020. Earlier this 12 months she was promoted to President, Head of US A&R.
Reviewing the method of sewing all that collectively utilizing songs because the thread, she says: “I took the route of simply being deeply private, going with songs that actually modified the course of my profession, and subsequently life.
“And It’s humorous as a result of once I was speaking about this to individuals who know me rather well and know my musical style, the one factor all of them mentioned was, ‘What about this? And why is that this artist lacking?
“So it was very laborious, and even up till two minutes in the past, I used to be like, ‘Yeah, what about that? And why is that artist lacking?!’
“However, that being mentioned, what’s attention-grabbing is that what I discovered once I put all of them collectively, was that there’s a theme, which is music discovery.
“And I believe that’s so cool, as a result of one of the crucial thrilling factor about being a music fan is discovering new songs and new artists. So then to be in music enterprise, and be fortunate sufficient to have my job be actually all about music discovery; what an absolute deal with.”
Welle’s journey of discoveries begins with a childhood in Indiana, studying each phrase (and dance transfer) to an En Vogue basic, earlier than shifting to LA and into A&R, the place she wouldn’t simply uncover however work with a sequence of ground-breaking artists, writers and producers who helped form not simply her life and profession however the trendy musical panorama…
1) En Vogue, Give Him One thing He Can Really feel (1992)
This takes me again to once I was 10 years previous. I simply bear in mind the video so distinctly, with all of them sporting these elegant lengthy gloves. I knew each advert lib and each second of that tune.
However the motive it’s a pivotal tune in addition to an awesome tune is as a result of by some means, across the similar time, I additionally heard the Aretha Franklin model. So it out of the blue clicked to me that this En Vogue tune was a canopy.
From there I realized that it was initially written by Curtis Mayfield… and it simply despatched me down a rabbit gap. I believe loads of the remainder of my life has been a musical rabbit gap.
At 10 years previous, in fact, didn’t even know one thing referred to as the music enterprise existed. However for no matter motive, it was my obsession to grasp how music was created and the way it was all linked. I noticed wished to see the entire tapestry of music tradition.
And this tune stands out a lot as a marker of that realization. I nonetheless take heed to it and it nonetheless makes me really feel the identical approach.
2) Amerie, 1 Factor (2005)
I grew up in Indiana, and like I mentioned, once I was there, I didn’t know the music enterprise existed. How I ended up in LA working for Sony Music is an entire different story. However by 2005, there I used to be.
I used to be an A&R assistant, and at the moment it meant your day was spent burning CDs in these big CD towers – 15 at a time. You’d must line up the sticker excellent within the printer to get the label’s emblem centered in the appropriate place. You’d be doing that each one day.
Not lengthy after I arrived, Sony was on the point of launch Amerie’s 1 Factor and I used to be simply floored by it. I assume I should have snuck a type of discs I burned into my automobile, and I listened to that tune for months, simply blasting it. It was the perfect factor I’d ever heard.
Then, when it was launched and have become an enormous file, getting that feeling and understanding what it’s like to listen to one thing that you simply love, then the world hears it and likewise loves it – that’s a sense I’ve been chasing ever since.
I really like the attitude that Amerie is singing from. The hits of the brass are so hooky and convey you in, and the vocal… to today, if I’ve the aux (which I like to have), that is at all times a go-to crowd pleaser.
That is additionally a tune that despatched me down one other rabbit gap with Wealthy Harrison as a songwriter, as a result of he made this file, and he additionally made Loopy In Love for Beyoncé and Get Proper for JLo – additionally songs which might be my absolute jams. He’s a genius.
Once I found the hyperlink in all these songs was Wealthy Harrison, I just about fell out of my chair.
3) Alicia Keys, Strive Sleeping With A Damaged Coronary heart (2009)
Now I’m working at Sony Music Publishing – Sony/ATV on the time. I had seen this man Jeff Bhasker on the [Kanye West] 808s & Heartbreak album, and so I went to attempt to monitor him down.
These have been MySpace days, and in his prime eight [friends] was Bruno Mars. I knew Bruno and Phil Lawrence [longtime Bruno Mars collaborator]. I used to go to all types of Bruno reveals when he was simply doing small gigs in Los Angeles.
So Phil bought me related to Jeff. He was actually new to the music enterprise, despite the fact that he had written loads of that unimaginable album [808s & Heartbreak].
I met up with him, and he performed me this tune, amongst many others. He had this undertaking referred to as Billy Kraven – that’s his artist undertaking, and that’s been his muse for writing some unimaginable songs, together with Strive Sleeping With A Damaged Coronary heart.
We began working collectively, with me as his writer at Sony. He finally labored with Alicia Keys, and she or he made this tune her personal; she made it into magic. They did such unimaginable work collectively.
This tune modified my profession, my life, as a result of working with Jeff was a second the place individuals within the business have been calling me, versus most frequently the opposite approach round. It was a brand new stage and a brand new path that led to so many different issues. It was super-empowering.
4) Tyler, The Creator, Yonkers (2011)
A few years later, nonetheless at Sony/ATV Publishing, by means of extra rabbit gap exploration and web digging, simply in search of new music, I found this video for the tune Earl by Earl Sweatshirt, who was a part of this group, Odd Future.
I used to be displaying this video to simply about everyone I knew. While you’re within the studio, you’re usually sharing issues, and I used to be actually displaying this video like, ‘You bought to see this, it’s wonderful’. After which I noticed I wanted to search out these individuals!
I had a previous relationship with [managers] the Clancys [Christian and Kelly] – good, visionary managers. So, by means of them we related very early in Odd Future’s profession.
I introduced them into Sony Publishing, and fairly shortly after that, they carried out on Jimmy Fallon, and that set off this insane response. They have been on the duvet of Billboard for SXSW.
After which down at SXSW, Yonkers was blasting from each automobile window. I used to be at this Thrasher present the place Odd Future carried out, and there was a nine-foot fence that followers tore right down to get in.
The entire Odd Future mindset was simply so inspiring and energetic – it has been one of the crucial enjoyable and provoking elements of my profession. They have been 100% unabashedly following their very own imaginative and prescient. And so they have been additionally extremely supportive of each other.
Syd, for example, was the engineer, mixer and producer for the group on the time, and she or he grew into being an incredible artist together with her personal band [The Internet].
As a collective, they embodied this fearlessness of simply being unstoppable, and that has been so contagious for generations.
5
) Rihanna ft Mikky Ekko, Keep (2012)
Mikky’s supervisor, Mike Mayer, had reached out to me to attach him with a producer that I labored with, and his songs and vocal simply stopped me in my tracks.
We just about instantly began working collectively, and we’ve got had so many adventures ever since – Keep being one in every of them.
Once I met Mikky, he hadn’t written this tune but. On a visit to the UK, our London workplace arrange a session for him and Justin Parker, which is the place they wrote Keep, which finally turned the model with Rihanna.
That was such an thrilling time, issues occurred actually quick – Mikky’s first TV efficiency ever was on the Grammys.
I launched him to the neighborhood that I labored with – he labored with Clams On line casino, he labored with Jeff Bhasker. It was wonderful to observe these connections occur inside the roster that I used to be fostering.
Quick ahead to now and Mikky has one of many greatest songs of the 12 months with Teddy Swims’ Lose Management, that he did with Julian Bunetta, one other distinctive author that I’ve the privilege of working with.
I’m simply so grateful that our relationship has been so long-lasting, and I believe it’s proof that nice expertise continues to search out its approach into the ears of the world.
6) Saya Grey, Lie Down (2025)
This was the toughest half, as a result of it was actually essential to me – once I’m speaking concerning the theme of music discovery – to convey us to at this time. As a result of what would this record be with out me displaying one thing that I’m listening to that possibly the world doesn’t know but?
We not too long ago signed this artist, Saya Grey, and her tune, Lie Down, has been dominating my private listening for 2025. She goes to be a pivotal expertise for the music business.
We began working together with her this 12 months, due to our staff right here within the US – Thomas Krottinger and Clark Adler – and all through different territories. As an organization, throughout the globe, we simply fell in love together with her songwriting.
This tune, like a lot of her music, has such depth – it’s haunting, but in addition form of effervescent and actually hooky.
It’s telling a narrative that could possibly be interpreted in numerous methods. I really like the lyric, ‘I can flip your mud into sparkle’. And that’s how the tune trails out with this kind of bubbly texture in the direction of the top. It’s important to hear it to grasp!
She marries actually attention-grabbing manufacturing and tone decisions with simply unimaginable hooks. You’re undoubtedly going to listen to much more about her this 12 months and past.
At Sony Music Publishing (SMP), we consider each voice issues. We’re the #1 world music writer, advancing the artistry of the world’s biggest songwriters and composers for over 25 years. We hold songwriters on the forefront of every thing we do, and design our suite of companies to amplify alternatives, construct connections, and defend their rights. Our roster advantages from a global staff dedicated to offering help at each profession stage. From basic catalogues to modern hitmakers, historical past is at all times being written. We’re part of the Sony household of worldwide corporations. Study extra about SMP right here.Music Enterprise Worldwide
