History
Red Bull Records was founded founded by Dietrich Mateschitz in July 2007 with the help of Greg Hammer, as an independent label focused on artist development. [1] [2]
Red Bull Records expanded its suite of services in 2008 by establishing its Publishing division, representing songwriters and producers such as John Feldmann (5 Seconds of Summer), Charlie Shuffler (Lil Yachty, Trippie Redd), Eric Aukstikalnis (Dolly Parton, Galantis) and LordQuest (SiR, ScHoolboy Q). [3] [4]
The label's first major success was in 2011 when Awolnation released their debut album Megalithic Symphony . The album went on to become platinum certified and featured the song “Not Your Fault” which is gold certified and the band's most notable single "Sail", which is diamond certified in the U.S. and has been certified platinum and gold in multiple countries. [5] [6] The single spent 79 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, making it the third longest single ever to stay on the Hot 100, surpassed only by Glass Animals "Heat Waves", Imagine Dragons’ "Radioactive" [7] and The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights". [8] The band’s sophomore release, Run , came in 2015 and included No. 1 hit “Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)” as well as Top 5 tracks “I Am” and “Woman Woman.” [9]
Red Bull Records' first international signing was Scottish rock band Twin Atlantic. [10] The band has released four studio albums to date with the label; Vivarium, Free, Great Divide and GLA, and the band made their BBC national TV debut on Later… with Jools Holland on October 4, 2016. [11]
In 2013, the label signed its first metalcore band Beartooth. [12] The band was formed in 2012 by frontman Caleb Shomo in Columbus, OH, and has released five studio albums on Red Bull Records; Disgusting , Aggressive , Disease , Below, and The Surface . Beartooth won the Metal Hammer Award for Best Breakthrough Band of 2016 and the Loudwire Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year 2017, and the Heavy Music Awards for Best International Artist in 2022. [13] [14] In 2024, Beartooth's single "In Between" was certified Platinum in the United States. [15] In October 2023, Beartooth released their fifth studio album, The Surface, which debuted at #1 on Luminate and Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart, #5 on Billboard’s Album Sales chart and #42 on the Billboard 200 chart, before embarking on their most successful North American headline tour to date. [16] [17] [18] In November 2023, Beartooth earned their first #1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart for their song “Might Love Myself” off of their album The Surface. In May of the following year, they scored their second #1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart for The Surface single, “I Was Alive”. [19] [20] In September 2024, they released The Surface (Deluxe Edition) featuring new single “ATTN.” accompanied by an official music video. [21]
Spanish rapper Arkano rose to fame in 2015 when he claimed the champion title at Red Bull Batalla de Gallos Internacional [ es ], which became the second most-viewed Spanish rap battle on YouTube. In 2016, he set the Guinness World Record for the longest freestyle rap session, clocking over 24 hours. [22] Arkano signed with Red Bull Records in 2021 and released his sophomore album, MATCH in 2022. [23]
The Aces, indie-pop band out of Provo, Utah, first signed with Red Bull Records in 2016. [24] They released their first EP I Don’t Like Being Honest with Red Bull Records in June 2017. [25] Their debut full-length album, When My Heart Felt Volcanic , came the following year in April 2018. [26] Later that year, The Aces made their late-night TV debut, where they performed two tracks off of the album – “Last One” and “Waiting For You” – live on Late Night with Seth Meyers. [27] Since then, they’ve released two more albums – Under My Influence (2020) and I’ve Loved You For So Long (2023), which clocked Billboard debuts at #4 on Alternative New Artist Albums and #25 on Heatseekers charts. [28] [29]
Albert Hammond Jr, guitarist of the Grammy-winning band The Strokes, signed with Red Bull Records in 2018 for the release of his fourth solo album, Francis Trouble. [30] Ahead of the album’s release in March, Albert Hammond Jr performed new single “Muted Beatings” on the Conan show in February 2018. [31] In 2023, Albert Hammond Jr released his fifth solo album Melodies on Hiatus (2023) with Red Bull Records. [32]
In 2020, Red Bull Records added Grammy-nominated artist Blxst to the roster. [33] Blxst's billion-streaming debut EP "No Love Lost" peaked at #3 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. [34] Since the EP’s release, “Overrated” has been certified Gold, and “Chosen” went #1 at Urban & Rhythmic Radio and is Platinum certified . [35] [36] In 2021, Blxst made his debut TV performance, performing “Chosen” with Ty Dolla $ign on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. [37] Blxst received Billboard’s first ever Rising Star award at their 2021 R&B/Hip-Hop Summit, and was named Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Year in 2022. [38] [39] XXL welcomed Blxst as a member of their 2021 XXL Freshman Class, where he was listed amongst other breakout artists, and the following year he won XXL Best New Artist of the Year. [40] [41] In April 2022, Blxst released his second EP Before You Go , which included his track “About You” which has since been certified Gold. [42] [43] [44] In May of that same year, he appeared on Kendrick Lamar's album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers , on the song "Die Hard" with Amanda Reifer which earned him two Grammy nominations at the 2023 ceremony. [44] In April 2024, Blxst made his debut appearance at Coachella, performing on the festival’s Outdoor Theater where he brought out surprise guest Feid to premiere their new single, “Rewind” which is Latin gold certified. [45] On July 19th, 2024, Blxst released his debut album I’ll Always Come Find You , a 20-track concept album featuring artists like Ty Dolla $ign, Anderson .Paak, 2 Chainz, Feid, Becky G, Offset, and the late Fatman Scoop. [46] [47]
