BRISBANE, Australia — Sam Hales is the latest signing to Warner Chappell Music, striking a global deal with the music publishing giant.
With the new arrangement, the celebrated Australian songwriter’s entire catalogue and future works will be represented by Warner Chappell, Billboard.com can exclusively reveal.
“I am thrilled to welcome Sam Hales to our international roster of songwriters and producers at Warner Chappell,” comments Dan Rosen, president of Warner Music Australasia, in a statement. “Sam is an exceptional talent with a global vision. His songwriting has not only shaped the Australian music landscape but continues to make an impact on a global scale. At Warner Chappell Music, we’re excited to support the next chapter of Sam’s creative journey.”
Hales is a busy man. He’s the vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of Brisbane indie band The Jungle Giants, whose fourth and most recent album, Love Signs, opened at No. 1 on the ARIA Chart following its release in July 2021.
His co-writing credits include tracks with Australian Music Prize winners Hermitude and Mexican breakout star RENEE, and remix collaborations with the likes of Odd Mob, Joe Goddard from Hot Chip, Chromeo and Tom Trago. Also, Hales recently produced the lead single for Love Fame Tragedy, the solo project of The Wombats’ Matthew Murphy.
Hales was a regular contributor to Confidence Man, leaving the electro-pop act some two-and-a-half years ago. The new deal is understood to cover his works with ConMan for Australia and New Zealand only.
“Sam is a phenomenal songwriter. His ability to craft songs that feel both deeply personal and universally anthemic is rare,” adds John Halstead, senior A&R manager at Warner Chappell Music Australia. “We’re proud to welcome him to Warner Chappell and excited to help take his music to even greater global heights.”
L-R: Melissa McAleer, head of music licensing, Warner Chappell Music Australia, Stu McCullough, manager, Amplifire Music, Sam Hales, John Halstead, senior A&R manager, Warner Chappell Music Australia, and Dan Rosen, president, Warner Music Australasia
On signing with the music publisher, Hales says the timing couldn’t be better to “delve into more global co-writing. This has been a dream of mine for years, and the team couldn’t be more perfect.”
The publishing pact has a strong focus on the future, explains Stu McCullough, manager, Amplifire Music, and leans into more co-writing and producing opportunities for the talented creative. “We have waited for well over a decade to do a publishing deal for Sam and it feels like the right time and right team to take this next step in Sam’s career,” he tells Billboard. “We are all excited at the possibilities ahead of us.”
The Warner Chappell deal caps an eventful year for Hales, who was hospitalized in March following a motor accident. That didn’t prevent him from hitting the road with The Jungle Giants for the national Hold My Hand tour, in support of the January release “Hold My Hand,” their first in more than a year.
