How Concord’s Roster of Progressive Pop Producers Is Evolving Mainstream Music
Categoria: Musica
Years after making bets on a slew of producers on the cutting edge of internet culture, the publisher is reaping the benefits as pop follows suit.
Por Billboard | 02/10/2026
This year, a host of electronic producers has pushed the boundaries of pop music towards the far-flung margins of internet culture. After a standout Coachella 2026 performance, French producer Oklou co-produced the dreamy “Final Feliz” for Karol G ’s August album No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto . Missouri-born sibling duo Frost Children released their own record Tweaker and produced on Kim Petras ’ 2026 album Detour and on the most streamed track from its recent deluxe edition, “Need For Speed.” Meanwhile, Norwegian artist Aksel Arvid executive-produced PinkPantheress ’ Fancy That? and its remix project Fancy Some More? including the massive “Stateside” remix with Zara Larsson , which reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 . Related PinkPantheress & Zara Larsson’s ‘Stateside’ Skates to No. 1 on Billboard Global Charts Hilary Duff to Receive Outstanding Pop Tour of the Year Award at 2026 Billboard Live Music Summit Judge Rules Woman Accused of Shooting at Rihanna & A$AP Rocky's Home Mentally Fit to Stand Trial At the same time, Jane Remover played their biggest show to date at New York’s Terminal 5 in late September, Kyle Shearer co-wrote Slayyyter ’s 2026 smash “DANCE…” and Underscores had a breakout year opening for Charli xcx , an artist whose own albums Brat and Music, Fashion, Film had major contributions from longtime collaborator A.G. Cook and his P.C. Music crew. Together, these producers make music at the intersection of internet culture and pop, forming a scene and sound widely referred to as hyperpop. But well before hyperpop was topping the charts, Concord Music Publishing was making moves in the space, signing and developing all the aforementioned artists and other adjacent writers, producers and acts now pushing mainstream pop forward. (As of Sept. 1, Concord has formally merged with BMG.) “We didn’t necessarily look at it as a scene,” BMG’S senior vp of A&R publishing Jeremy Yohai says of building this of-the-moment roster. “We looked at it as individual artists who were pushing things forward sonically and aesthetically and doing something different. That’s what’s attractive to us.” The Concord/BMG A&R team, which includes Yohai, senior director of A&R publishing Bradly Palmer and senior director of A&R research & publishing Matt Megan , began signing these artists around 2021, as producers rose from the froth of the internet in the post-pandemic era and the long-gestating hyperpop genre — pioneered in the early and mid-2010s by artists like SOPHIE and A.G. Cook — came to the fore via acts like Charli xcx and 100 gecs. Concord’s long-term investment in the sound is now paying off, as its artists influence the broader direction of dance-pop and mainstream pop by collaborating with global superstars while continuing to push the genre’s boundaries with their own work. “The wins these artists are having show that they’re making progressive pop