BMG's Hugo Turquet has praised George Ezra's evolution as a songwriter as his second album Staying At Tamara's continues to ride high.
The company publishes Ezra, whose LP was the best-selling by an artist in the UK last year and remains at No.2 in the albums chart 10 months after its release with current sales of 713,822, according to the Official Charts Company.
"We signed George at the beginning of his career and he's come into his own as a songwriter on this album," said Turquet, BMG's SVP, publishing A&R. "He was always a great songwriter but he's written two 100% singles on the album – Paradise and [upcoming single] Pretty Shiny People, so that's a rarity in this day and age."
Ezra, who was recently named Music Week's Artist Of The Year for 2018 in recognition of his stellar 12 months, achieved his first No.1 single last summer with Shotgun, penned with his regular co-writer, Athlete frontman Joel Pott.
"They've formed a really great songwriting partnership," said Turquet. "They were put together, demoed a couple of songs and it just clicked. Second albums are hard, but they've been able to carry on with humour, energy, wit and just classic great songs."
He's come into his own as a songwriter on this album
Hugo Turquet, BMG
Ezra's 2014 debut LP Wanted On Voyage has moved 1,348,818 units and spawned the hit singles Budapest and Blame It On Me, sales of which both topped a million sales.
"There's always a danger on the second album that you go to America and write with hundreds of people, but he stuck with Joel and Cam Blackwood, the producer, and they delivered the songs," said Turquet.
"We're still only technically on the third single [Hold My Girl] so there is definitely more legs in it – there's a whole run of festivals to come and sync is still popping off around the world. When I first played the record to our sync partners, especially internationally, they were like, 'Oh thank God!' Half of them didn't know where Budapest was last time. [This time] it had the very common themes of love and togetherness in these hard times that we live in, and just the energy from the songs tempo-wise with that lovely double-bass voice of his."
After headlining SSE Arena, Wembley late last year, the singer heads out on his first full-scale UK arena tour in March.
"Wembley felt like an undersell, so it's The O2 next," added Turquet. "His band are incredible now."
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