Becky Hill has told Music Week that she is “unstoppable” as the campaign for her second full-length album ratchets up.
Hill, a force of nature in dance music and beyond, stars on our cover for the first time, as we meet up to discuss her at times rocky ascent to the big leagues and find out why, after years of perhaps not getting the respect she clearly deserves, her time is now.
Joined by Polydor president Ben Mortimer and long-time manager Alex Martin, Hill unveils her mission to make history and speaks candidly about what she has overcome, both in the industry and her personal life.
“I have worked my fucking arse off and I’m still here 12 years later to make a second record when a lot of people thought I was going to fall by the wayside," Hill tells us. "I’m completely unstoppable.”
Jon Ollier is another straight talker operating at the top of his game, and this month the One Fiinix Live CEO takes on The Music Week Interview, four years after leaving CAA to go it alone with his own agency. In a wide-ranging conversation he talks Ed Sheeran, diversity, international expansion and more, while tackling key live sector issues including festival line-ups, ticket prices and the talent pipeline.
With the Ivors taking place this month, we talk all things songwriting with YouTube’s global head of music Lyor Cohen, who is joined by head of songwriter relations Jenna Rubenstein and hitmaker Jin Jin, who was part of YouTube’s recent songwriting camp in partnership with the Ivors. Over six pages, all three outline YouTube’s mission to support songwriters and increase revenue for creators.
Joining them in another star-studded features line-up is Potter Payper who, not content with life as one of the UK’s favourite breakout MCs, is taking on the business with his 36 The Label operation. He tells us his story this month, letting rip on the ways in which the music industry needs to change and outlining what his growing organisation can do for artists.
We introduce Travis Beckford and his burgeoning business The Future Is, which is seeking to unearth a new generation of industry executives and creatives. The entrepreneur explains how he forged a path into the industry and speaks in no uncertain terms about his plans to make a mark.
This month’s Hitmakers sees producer Sammy SoSo reveal how sessions across the globe brought Tyla’s smash hit Water to life, and we sit down with Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott to look back on bad reviews, David Bowie and having a BBQ with Taylor Swift in The Aftershow.
In this month’s edition of Mentor Me – a collaboration between Music Week and Girls I Rate – Island Records’ Davina Merchant shares her top five career tips,
In Big Story, leading live execs discuss the impact of rising costs on festivals and the growing trend for artists’ own outdoor shows, while we also sit down with Secretly Distribution CEO Darius Van Arman to talk “responsible growth” and competition.
Also in the front section, independent alt-pop maverick Girli features in On The Radar and Goat Girl give the lowdown on their new record in Incoming. Aslo, Orfium’s CEO Rob Wells explores AI’s role in big data processing and talks expansion across the globe in our latest Spotlight Q&A.
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 May 21.
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PHOTO: Sam Neill
