Taking music acts straight to the top
“Started from the bottom, now we’re here,” as the Drake song goes.
Maidstone mogul Daniel Stephenson is bringing those lyrics to life as his success in the music business following council estate beginnings has seen him work with the Canadian rapper.
As president of Straight Forward Music the 32-year-old oversees such things as the signing, nurturing and marketing of talent, as well as guiding their creative and artistic direction and helping them define a sound.
His work has taken him to Stockholm, Amsterdam, Berlin, Los Angeles, New York and Nashville. He often works from 9am to 6pm covering the UK and European markets and then from 6pm until 2am on the US.
One of the acts signed to Straight Forward Music, which is under licence to Capitol Records UK, is Swedish DJ, Nevada, who collaborated with R&B singer Mark Morrison on a remix of his 90s classic Return of the Mack last year.
The single, which is called The Mack, and also features American rapper Fetty Wap, has been streamed more than 180 million times on Spotify.
Mr Stephenson said he was always hesitant of re-working Return of The Mack as it repre- sented a huge “turning point” for UK R&B with Mark Morrison the first artist from that genre to break America. As the song reached its 20th anniversary, however, he was determined to do it justice.
He said: “When releasing records I often get a gut feeling. That’s when I know I have a smash on my hands. Nevada did such a great job of producing a record worthy of such a classic, he made the magic happen.
“Personally, I think it will be hard to top The Mack as it’s a song I care about. It played a big part in my musical journey throughout my youth.”
Other acts signed to Straight Forward Music include Aleisha Lee, of Girls Like fame, Esty, Pyramids In Paris and Medway’s David Zowie, known for House Every Weekend.
Nana Rouges, an artist Mr Stephenson manages through another company, produced two records on Drake’s new album, More Life, including the song Passionfruit, and is helping him on his new album for 2018.