During this year’s Women In Music Awards, we inducted a host of trailblazing industry executives into the Roll Of Honour, in association with TikTok.
They join a huge list of previous honourees, including some of the leading names from across the business like Kanya King, Sarah Stennett, Emma Banks, Charisse Beaumont, Rebecca Allen, Stacey Tang, Shani Gonzales and Mary Anne Hobbs, who have been selected since the awards began in 2014. The Roll Of Honour aims to shine a spotlight on the variety of individuals who are leading the charge in the music industry and consistently using their platforms to support women, or focus on empowerment and gender disparity.
Following the Women In Music Awards ceremony, Music Week is running Q&A interviews with all of this year’s Roll Of Honour inductees.
Kate Head is the founder of Stoked PR, an award-winning London-based independent agency specialising in music and entertainment publicity. She established Stoked in 2008 after serving as head of press at BMG Records and then Sony Music UK, where she oversaw campaigns for artists including Alicia Keys, Busta Rhymes, Faithless, Justin Timberlake, Kasabian, Natasha Bedingfield, Pink and Shakira.
Throughout her career, Head has built a reputation for strategic, creative and artist-first campaigns, earning industry recognition including Music Week PR Campaign of the Year awards and inclusion in PR Week’s Powerbook.
Since founding her own agency, Stoked PR in 2008, Head has represented a roster spanning global icons, cultural innovators, and breakthrough artists, including Annie Lennox, Chronixx, George The Poet, Giggs, James Blake, Krept & Konan, Madison Beer, Maluma, Rita Ora and Taylor Swift. Her approach balances rigorous strategy with bold creativity, ensuring each campaign is carefully tailored to the artist’s vision and legacy. Her relationships run deep: over 90% of her current roster have worked with her for more than a decade.
Her expertise extends far beyond “getting press”. Head has overseen high-profile crisis management, developed brand–artist partnerships, and advised on creative direction, digital marketing, and content strategy. She has navigated campaigns during profound industry shifts while maintaining coherent, artist-focused messaging throughout.
Advocacy is also central to her work. Head has taken artists such as Krept & Konan, Professor Green, Shakira and Damian Marley into Parliament to campaign on critical issues, including mental health, racial justice, UK foreign aid and medical cannabis reform. Inside Stoked, she spearheaded the award-winning Krept & Konan PR campaign – honoured at the 2020 Music Week Awards – for its effectiveness and cultural resonance.
Her influence extends beyond client work. Head has mentored rising publicists, many of whom now lead prominent UK agencies.
Kate Head’s career reflects resilience, adaptability, and unwavering commitment to artists, building an agency grounded in loyalty, passion, and integrity. At its core is her guiding principle: to serve the artist first.
How do you feel about joining the Music Week Women In Music Roll Of Honour?
“I’ve admired so many of the women who have been recognised before me, so to be included alongside them on the Roll of Honour really does feel like an honour in every sense. PR is usually something that happens quietly in the background, so for the work to be seen and celebrated in this way means a lot – not just for me, but for the profession as a whole.”
How do you look back on your early years getting into the industry?
“My early years were full of excitement and pinch-me moments. As a student I spent all my Saturday and holiday job money at record shops like Black Market and clubs like Lazerdrome, Blue Note and Subterania, and on magazines like Mixmag, Hip Hop Connection and The Face. Then fresh out of University, I was being paid to go to the clubs and read the mags, while getting white labels and test pressings for free and dubplates cut at Music House for tracks no one had heard yet. I honestly couldn’t believe my luck.”
Did you have a mentor at that stage?
“Yes – Laurence Verfaillie, who ran a PR company called Electric PR, which she founded after leaving her in-house role at Creation Records. She taught me how to deliver campaigns with both strategy and passion, and that’s something I still carry with me today.”
The WIM Awards shines a light on inequality and deep-seated issues around this area in the music industry. Can you share any personal experiences or points of view on this topic?
“As a female founder of a music company that has mostly employed women and worked with a female-heavy roster, I’m well aware of the inequality in our industry. Major labels, management firms and live companies are still largely run by men – which is ironic, given how many female artists, and their audiences, keep the lights on in those buildings. Add to that the shockingly small percentage of credited female songwriters and producers, and it’s clear we still have a very long way to go.”
If an artist is brave enough to highlight or stand up for something bigger than themselves, I’ll always be there to support them all the way
Kate Head
How would you define the role of PR in the record industry in 2025?
“The media landscape has evolved so much, and PR has evolved alongside it – the biggest shift being the always-on spread of misinformation and the velocity and scale of untruths propagated by AI, deepfakes, social media and clickbait culture. Monitoring the narrative and correcting falsehoods and factual inaccuracies has become a whack-a-mole exercise at scale.
“But at its core, the role of PR is still the same: to tell a story. A good campaign in 2025 has to be strategic, creative and delivered with passion — but above all, rooted in the truth of the artist and their art. Human beings have always engaged in storytelling – from cave walls to smartphones – and that hasn’t changed. Our job is to find the story, agree it with the artist, and tell it in a way that inspires media and audiences to pass it on – while protecting that story from distortion at speed. That’s as relevant now as it’s ever been.”
Having worked with artists on various advocacy campaigns, can you talk about the power of PR outside the ‘traditional’ music press stories? What drives you to support the things that artists such as Krept & Konan, Professor Green and more have campaigned for with you running press?
“For me, PR is about enabling artists to deliver their message and amplifying their voice. When I work with artists who want to go beyond the music – to use their platform to shine a light on issues that matter – my role is to help shape and share their story, so it connects with the widest possible audience. That’s often where PR has real power – in creating conversations and driving change. If an artist is brave enough to highlight or stand up for something bigger than themselves, I’ll always be there to support them all the way.”
What’s your biggest achievement so far?
“Honestly, the fact I’m still here. Thirty years in the industry and 18 years running my own company – through seismic shifts in both music and media, global recessions, and even a pandemic. Building something that has lasted, adapted, and continues to thrive – and still loving what I do - is what I’m most proud of.”
What advice would you offer young women about enjoying a successful career in music?
“Always put the artist first – if you keep their vision at the centre, you won’t go far wrong. Trust your gut, follow your heart and don’t be afraid of hard work – this industry really does reward rolling up your sleeves. And be prepared to wear many different hats along the way. Music is constantly evolving, so the more adaptable and open you are, the more opportunities will come your way.”
What’s the best advice you’ve ever had?
“Focus on solutions, not problems – it’s the quickest way to move forward.”
Is there a young woman you'd like to shout out who you think is a rising star in the industry?
“Yes – Rebecca Rose, at GRM Daily. There is literally nothing that woman can’t do.”
PHOTOS: Louise Haywood-Schiefer / Panni Renner
