The multi-year agreement will see Badshah partner exclusively with UMG across all elements of his career, including future recordings, music publishing rights for non-film compositions, brand licensing and partnerships.
Badshah previously released his recorded music in partnership with Sony Music.
Badshah, a Delhi-born rapper, singer and music producer is described by UMG as “India’s most successful musical artist of his generation”, having generated more than 15 billion streams worldwide, performed more than 700 live shows and become an ambassador for global brands.
Badshah is the only Indian artist in history to have achieved 15 different songs with more than 200 million video views each on YouTube, including: Paani Paani, Genda Phool, She Move It Like, Paagal Kala Chashma, Heartless, DJ Waley Babu, Garmi and Mercy, breaking numerous chart-records along the way.
The partnership will be led by the team at Universal Music India.
Global priority support and future music will be released by international partner labels including Capitol Records in the US and EMI in the UK, supported by UMG’s network of labels in 60+ territories, covering 180 markets.
According to UMG, Badshah will now collaborate “with some of the world’s most influential and popular artists from around the world”, with the first tracks to be released later this summer.
Based on combined annual video views on the platform, Badshah was recently acknowledged by music rights data platform Blokur, as the world’s No. 1 songwriter on YouTube in 2020. He was also caught up in an industry debate over paid-for plays on the platform in 2019.
“We are delighted to partner with Badshah, one of India’s most respected and popular artists, for the next phase of his career, as we put the weight of our global company behind him to introduce his music to new audiences worldwide.”
In making the announcement, Sir Lucian Grainge, Universal Music Group, Chairman & CEO said: “UMG has always been a company that has embraced musical pioneers and is deeply committed to supporting artist culture from around the world.
“We are delighted to partner with Badshah, one of India’s most respected and popular artists, for the next phase of his career, as we put the weight of our global company behind him to introduce his music to new audiences worldwide.”
“I am someone purely driven by the power of dreams and the game plan with the teams at Universal Music is to bring all of them to life.”
Badshah
Badshah said: “I am super excited for this new episode in my life. It’s time for Indian music to enter the global soundscape and we are standing at a revolutionary juncture for the entire music scene.
“Indian culture has music in its blood, from its melodies to its instruments. I want to make music for everybody and bring the vibrance of India to the world with my music and I am happy to partner with the UMI team that shares the same agenda of global representation.
“I am someone purely driven by the power of dreams and the game plan with the teams at Universal Music is to bring all of them to life.”
“I’m confident that India’s time has come and that Badshah will lead the way for Indian music to reach a highly exciting global streamscape.”
Devraj Sanyal, MD & CEO, Universal Music India & South Asia said: “There are defining moments in the course of music history for every region, when our cultural and social landscape changes forever and for me this is one of them.
“The greatest popstar that India has ever produced now moves his permanent house to join us at UMG, to help him navigate his next chapter and take him to his next level, and to take on the world and music listeners everywhere.
“I’m confident that India’s time has come and that Badshah will lead the way for Indian music to reach a highly exciting global streamscape.”
“Welcoming Badshah to UMG is the natural next step in our ambitious plan to help introduce Indian music to the world, which like reggaeton and K-pop in recent years, has the opportunity to inspire new generations of music fans everywhere.”
Adam Granite, EVP, Market Development, Universal Music Group, added: “Our focus in the last few years, has been to support the growth of non-film music in India, through launching labels and signing artists that reinforce the importance of original artist culture, and reach audiences beyond traditional Bollywood music.
“Welcoming Badshah to UMG is the natural next step in our ambitious plan to help introduce Indian music to the world, which like reggaeton and K-pop in recent years, has the opportunity to inspire new generations of music fans everywhere.”
“India has such a rich history and a vibrant culture of music and entertainment, and Badshah has been a trendsetter, who has enthralled Indian audiences with his music for many years.”
Vinit Thakkar, Universal Music India
Vinit Thakkar, COO, Universal Music India said: “We are extremely delighted to welcome Badshah to the Universal Music family.
“India has such a rich history and a vibrant culture of music and entertainment, and Badshah has been a trendsetter, who has enthralled Indian audiences with his music for many years.
“What really excites us is that we will now have an opportunity to work together to elevate his music and brand utilizing UMG’s truly global platform, and for him to entertain new generations of audiences around the world.
“We cannot wait to get started and to firmly put Indian music on the global map.”
On July 28, Universal Music Group parent company Vivendi announced UMG’s fiscal results for Q2 – the quarter ending June 2021 – revealing that the music company posted almost $1bn in EBITDA profit in the first half of 2021.Music Business Worldwide
