Date Signed: December 2022
Publisher: Sony Music Publishing
Type of Music: Various
Management: Anthony D’Annunzio & Austin Rosen - Electric Feel Entertainment
Publicity: Kristin Somin - The Oriel / [email protected]
A&R: Katie Welle - Sony Music Publishing
Miami-based, GRAMMY-winning songwriter XPLICIT (born Alexander Izquierdo, one of five members of The Monsters & Strangerz songwriting-production team) has written professionally since 2009, with credits including “Anyone” (Justin Bieber), “Beware” (Big Sean) and “Work From Home” (Fifth Harmony), and many others.
Recognizing that he could write about other people’s experiences through his own lens, giving a different perspective to the situation, even adding a male perspective to a female story, XPLICIT says, “I could kind of become other people, and that was pretty dope.” Emphasizing that the best music comes through collaboration, he adds that, “I always do what's best for the soul and only do what's best for the song. You give and take; that's the beauty of this.”
Austin Rosen first wanted to sign XPLICIT while he worked at 300 Entertainment, and Anthony D’Annunzio worked on song deals with XPLICIT for years before making things official. When Katie Welle moved from recording over to publishing, she asked XPLICIT to join SONY once his existing deal expired.
In need of new management, XPLICIT says the choice was simple. Says D’Annunzio of XPLICIT, “There’s very few people I work with who truly have no ego. That’s why he’s had such a great career and will continue to do so.” XPLICIT selected Welle for publishing after seeing what she was doing for his peers, and how much she wanted him on the roster. Says Welle, “I’ve hoped to work with X my whole publishing career. [With] hits in country, pop, rap and R&B—he’s positioned to win across the genre spectrum.”
XPLICIT feels that he now has his team and says It’s a powerful thing to have D’Annunzio walk in a room and say your name, adding that, “Katie, in a very short amount of time, has done more as a publisher than the last company I was signed to for 10 years.”
Launching HIA Entertainment in 2012, XPLICIT also has a roster of Latin artists in development, including Totoy El Frio, Dekko, DEEIKEL, Fenix The Producer, Prospectt, and Joel Velazquez. Building momentum with Latin listeners, leveraging growth partnerships with Spotify and Apple, they will soon move into the English market. – Andrea Beenham
