Phonogenic Records is a record label currently under the RCA Label Group, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. The label was originally conceived under BMG UK & Ireland. Acts currently signed to the label include: Natasha Bedingfield, Ross Copperman and The Script. Josh Krajcik, who came in second place on "The X Factor" U.S. in 2011, also signed a deal with Phonogenic Records.
Phonogenic was set up in 2003 by Paul Lisberg, who worked in the A&R department of EMI Music Publishing, Tops Henderson, with a background in management; and two songwriters, Andrew Frampton and Steve Kipner. [1] [2] For their first artist, they signed the then-21 year old Natasha Bedingfield. [3] In 2005, The Script signed on to the label. [4] Ross Copperman also joined the label during the early 2000s. [5]
In 2011, they entered into a five-year joint venture agreement with Sony Music Entertainment. As part of the deal the Phonogenic management team assumed responsibility for Sony Music UK's Epic label. [1] Josh Krajcik, who came in second place on "The X Factor" U.S. in 2011, also signed a deal with Phonogenic Records, as they gave him creative freedom. [6] In 2017, Bedingfield left the label to join Linda Perry and Kerry Brown's We Are Hear label. [7]
Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was founded predominantly as a jazz and classical music label in 1953, but later expanded its scope to include a more diverse range of genres, including pop, R&B, rock, and hip hop.
Daniel John Bedingfield is a New Zealand-British singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. His debut studio album, Gotta Get thru This (2002), spawned three UK number ones, "Gotta Get thru This", "If You're Not the One" and "Never Gonna Leave Your Side", and sold 1.6 million copies in that country. His second album, Second First Impression, was released in 2004. Bedingfield was a judge on The X Factor New Zealand in 2013. He has written songs for other artists and has acted in the West End theatre in London, UK.
Natasha Anne Bedingfield is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. She released her debut album, Unwritten, in 2004, which contained primarily up-tempo pop songs and was influenced by R&B music. It enjoyed international success with more than 2.3 million copies sold worldwide. Bedingfield received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the title track "Unwritten", and at the 2005 and 2006 Brit Awards, she was nominated for Best British Female Artist. Unwritten also produced her only UK number one, "These Words".
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Sony Entertainment and managed by the American umbrella division of multinational conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of the Sony Music Group, with the other half being the publishing division, Sony Music Publishing.
Antonio Marquis "L.A." Reid is an American record executive, A&R representative, and record producer. He has served as the chairman and CEO of Epic Records and The Island Def Jam Music Group, as well as the president and CEO of Arista Records. He co-founded the record label Hitco Entertainment in 2017, which was sold to Concord in 2022.
"These Words" is a song by British singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield. It was written by Steve Kipner, Andrew Frampton, Wayne Wilkins and Bedingfield for her 2004 debut album, Unwritten. The song is the album's opening track, and was released as its second single. "These Words" details Bedingfield's lack of inspiration and her reaction to pressure from her record label to produce a hit song.
"Unwritten" is a song by English singer Natasha Bedingfield for her debut studio album of the same name. It was released on 29 November 2004 as the third single from the album. The song was written by Bedingfield, Danielle Brisebois, and Wayne Rodrigues and produced by Rodrigues and Brisebois. The single was released as the album's third UK single and second US single. In 2006, "Unwritten" became the theme song for the MTV reality television series The Hills. It reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first top-10 hit in the United States.
"Single" is the debut single by British singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield. Written by Steve Kipner, Andrew Frampton, Wayne Wilkins, and Bedingfield and produced by the former three, the song is lyrically about being single and not needing a partner. The song was released through Phonogenic on 3 May 2004 as the lead single from her debut studio album Unwritten (2004) and later on 24 April 2006 as the third single from the album in the US.
"I Wanna Have Your Babies" is a song by British recording artist Natasha Bedingfield. It was written by Steve Kipner, Andrew Frampton, Wayne Wilkins and Bedingfield for her second album, N.B. (2007). The song's musical-style and production was inspired by hip hop music, and its lyrics discuss a woman's battle to stop herself from rushing into relationships in an effort to find the right man to be the father of her children.
Ross Copperman is an American Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and record producer. After his experience as an artist in the UK, Copperman went to Nashville, Tennessee, where he pursued a career in country music. He has written 41 No. 1 songs including Billy Currington's "Don't It," Luke Bryan's "Strip It Down," Keith Urban's "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16" and Kenny Chesney’s “Get Along.” Copperman has also produced for artists including Brett Eldredge, Dierks Bentley, Eli Young Band, Darius Rucker, Jake Owen, Kelsea Ballerini, Kenny Chesney, Chayce Beckham, Warren Zeiders and Gabby Barrett.
"Pocketful of Sunshine" is a song recorded by English singer Natasha Bedingfield for her second studio album of the same title (2008). Bedingfield co-wrote the song together with American songwriter Danielle Brisebois and American musician and songwriter John Shanks; Shanks also produced the track as well as performing on most of the instruments present. Epic Records serviced the song to the US contemporary hit radio as the second single from Pocketful of Sunshine on 11 February 2008.
Syco Music, originally and formerly S Records, was a division of Syco Entertainment which operated from 2002 until 2020. The label was founded by British entrepreneur, record executive and media personality Simon Cowell, who was formerly employed at Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG).
The Script are an Irish rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin, Ireland. The band currently consists of Danny O'Donoghue, Glen Power, Benjamin Sargent and Ben Weaver (guitar). Mark Sheehan was a member of the band up until his death in 2023. The band moved to London after signing to Sony Label Group imprint Phonogenic and released their first album The Script in August 2008, preceded by the debut single "We Cry" as well as other singles such as "The Man Who Can't Be Moved", "Breakeven" and "Before the Worst". The album peaked at number one in both Ireland and the UK. Their next three albums, Science & Faith (2010), #3 (2012) and No Sound Without Silence (2014), all topped the album charts in Ireland and the UK, while Science & Faith reached number two in Australia and number three in the United States. Some of the hit singles from the albums include "For the First Time", "Nothing", "Hall of Fame" and "Superheroes". The band's fifth studio album, Freedom Child, was released on 1 September 2017, and features the UK Top 20 single "Rain". Their sixth studio album, Sunsets & Full Moons, was released on 8 November 2019, and features the single "The Last Time". A Greatest Hits album was released on 1 October 2021.
Strip Me is the third studio album by the English singer and songwriter Natasha Bedingfield. It was released on 7 December 2010 by Phonogenic Records. "Touch" was released as the first single from the album on 18 May 2010 and "Strip Me" was released as the second single on 31 August 2010. Neither of the singles was successful on the US Billboard charts. The album's title song peaked at number twenty-three on the adult contemporary chart. The album debuted at number 103 on US Billboard 200 with 10,000 copies sold, a significant drop from her previous album, N.B., which debuted at number three selling 50,000 units.
Christopher Rene is an American singer-songwriter, musician and producer. He was in a band called Diversion and also had a solo career, releasing the album Soul'd Out. Chris auditioned for the first season of The X Factor USA with one of his original compositions "Young Homie" and was one of the finalists during season one, with L.A. Reid as his mentor. He was the last contestant eliminated in the competition, behind winner Melanie Amaro and runner-up Josh Krajcik. He is most popular in New Zealand, with his single "Young Homie" reaching number one in the New Zealand charts.
Melanie Ann Amaro is an American singer who won the first season of The X Factor USA in 2011, securing a $5 million recording contract with Syco Music and Epic Records. Amaro was also the youngest contestant to win the competition during the show's run (2011–2013).
The Reason 4 was a British boyband based in Southampton who rose to fame after reaching the judges houses stage during the UK talent show The X Factor in 2010 in the program's seventh series. The group consists of Glenn Vine, Marc Higgins, Nathan Rawlings, Scott White. Their debut single was "Take It All" and a 2012 album was underway, when they announced that they were calling it quits because of "lack of finance".
Union J are an English boy band, consisting of members JJ Hamblett, Jaymi Hensley, George Shelley and Josh Cuthbert. Shelley left the group in 2016 and was replaced by Casey Johnson, who left several months later, Cuthbert left the group in 2018 leaving the band as duo until they disbanded in 2019. The band formed in 2011, originally as a trio known as Triple J, consisting of Cuthbert, Hamblett and Hensley. They auditioned for the ninth series of the British television music competition The X Factor where they met Shelley who joined the band at the judges' request. They were the tenth contestant eliminated and were subsequently signed to Sony Music subsidiary RCA Records. Their debut single "Carry You" was released in June 2013. Their self-titled debut studio album followed in October 2013 and peaked at number 6 on the UK Albums Chart.
Gabriella Michelle Henderson is an English singer and songwriter. She competed in the ninth series of The X Factor UK in 2012, being the eighth contestant eliminated despite being a strong favourite to win. She signed with Syco Music shortly after, and released her debut studio album, Chapter One (2014), which reached number one in the UK. The album spawned the chart-topping single "Ghost", as well as the top 20 singles "Glow" and "Yours". She went on a four-year hiatus in 2015, and released her second studio album, Everything I Didn't Say, in 2022.