Glass Animals Singer Dave Bayley Signs to UMPG
The "Heat Waves" hitmaker will move his publishing to Universal going forward.
Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) has inked an exclusive publishing agreement with Dave Bayley, lead singer, songwriter and producer for the chart topping band Glass Animals. The deal will see Bayley, who is signed to Polydor/Republic Records already, uniting both his records and publishing under the Universal Music Group roof.
Though Glass Animals has been a long-standing favorite among alternative listeners, the group broke through to the top of the Hot 100 charts this year with their song “Heat Waves.” The track’s No. 1 climb was historic, taking a total of 59 weeks to hit the peak. Along the way, the smash hit, which was popular on both radio and TikTok, topped the Alternative Airplay, Pop Airplay, Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, and Hot Alternative Songs charts as well.
Bayley, who is the sole songwriter for “Heat Waves,” is one of just 14 other songwriters to single-handedly write a No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 since the beginning of the 21st century.
In a statement about the deal, which covers future works, he says that there is still “so much I want to learn and so much music I want to make in so many different areas from Glass Animals records, to pop songwriting, to experimental sound design, to scoring.”
The writer, who was previously signed to Beggars Group, said that “Universal Music Publishing and the incredible team of people there had drawn a long and clear path for me through those ideas… it just felt like a journey I wanted to take. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!”
The major music publisher has already helped Bayley achieve some of his ambitions as a pop hitmaker. The UMPG a&r department, for example, coordinated a collaboration between Bayley and Florence Welch which led to the release of her new single “My Love.”
Jody Gerson, chairman and CEO of UMPG, added that she is a “Glass Animals fan” herself. “I am especially delighted to work closely with UMPG’s global creative teams to amplify Dave Bayley’s talents as a writer and producer, not only for his band but also for other artists who inspire and excite him.”
Amy Morgan, manager of Glass Animals, explained that “after the success of “Heat Waves” and ‘Dreamland,’ the next chapter for Dave is going to be a really important one. There is so much to explore for him both as an artist and as a writer/producer and I’m really looking forward to working with Jody, Mike and the team at UMPG to help develop all these strands of his career.”
Mike McCormack, managing director of UMPG U.K., said that the “best part of this job is when you get the opportunity to work with a world-class original talent like Dave Bayley. I’d been a fan of his for many years, so personally and professionally, it’s an honor that he and Amy chose UMPG as their publishing partner going forward.”