LONDON (CelebrityAccess) – Merck Mercuriadis’ Hipgnosis Songs Fund has acquired 100% of hit songwriter and producer Savan Kotecha’s worldwide copyrights on his catalog.
The catalog consists of 49 of his songs and includes nine new songs due for release in 2020 by Camila Cabello, Ellie Goulding, and Sam Smith.
A frequent collaborator of Max Martin, Kotecha’s songs have sold more than 375 million copies globally.
Best known for his work with Ariana Grande, Kotecha produced the pop star’s second album, My Everything, and co-wrote its 6x US platinum-certified lead single “Problem.” Additionally, he executive produced Grande’s third album, Dangerous Woman, collaborating on 13 US or UK No. 1 or platinum-certified singles. Kotecha’s catalog also includes a handful of songs written for Grande’s fourth album Sweetener (“No Tears Left to Cry,” “God Is A Woman,” and “Breathin”), as well as songs written for her fifth album Thank U, Next (“Break Up with Your Girlfriend” and “I’m Bored”).
Savan has also co-written songs with One Direction, Usher, The Weeknd (“Can’t Feel My Face”), Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, and Gwen Stefani, among others.
Mercuriadis said: “Savan is a special songwriter with a Midas touch. His magical songs have helped propel Ariana Grande into one of the most influential artists of her generation. This is a sensational set of songs and bear out why he’s just been voted Songwriter Of The Year for 2019. I’m delighted to welcome Savan into the Hipgnosis family and am very excited to be working with him and Doug Davis.”
Kotecha added: “I’m beyond excited for my songs to join the incredible Hipgnosis catalogue. I know my ‘babies’ will be well taken care of. Merck and his team have proven that they are true lovers of music and understand not just the monetary value of songs but the cultural value as well. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!”
Since its founding in 2017, Hipgnosis has acquired more than a dozen music catalogs including Giorgio Tuinfort (David Guetta), Teddy Geiger (Shawn Mendes), The-Dream (Justin Bieber, Rihanna), Poo Bear (Chris Brown, Justin Bieber), Tricky Stewart (Rihanna, Beyoncé), TMS (Jess Glynne, Little Mix), Itaal Shur (Santana), Bernard Edwards (Chic), Rico Love, Sean Garrett, Johnta Austin, Ari Levine, Sam Hollander, The Chainsmokers, Benny Blanco, Brittany Hazzard (aka Starrah), songwriter/producer Jeff Bhasker, British band Kaiser Chiefs, and Jack Antonoff, among others.
Hipgnosis has also bought up the rights to No.1 songs such as “Yeah” by Usher, “Check On It” by Beyoncé, “We Belong Together” by Mariah Carey and “Be Without You” by Mary J. Blige.
