Island EMI president Louis Bloom has spoken about the plans to build on the label’s run of global success and his vision of long-term artist development.
It follows the victory at the Music Week Awards, where the Universal Music UK label group won both the A&R category and Record Company – the first time the double has been achieved in five years. It also marks back-to-back wins in the A&R category.
Celebrating the wins on the night, Bloom hailed Island EMI as an "unstoppable force".
The result was witnessed by Island founder Chris Blackwell, who joined the team for the celebrations on what was the 66th anniversary of the iconic label.
As well as international hits with Lola Young and UK-signed Hozier, Island achieved strong results with breakthrough UK talent including 2025 BRITs winners The Last Dinner Party, FLO, Mercury Prize winners English Teacher and Nia Archives.
Island has also made a formidable chart impact with international stars on the label including Chappell Roan, Noah Kahan, Ariana Grande and Post Malone, as well as the Wicked soundtrack.
Following the merger of Island and EMI last autumn, the label group is also home to superstars such as Taylor Swift and British talent like Chase & Status, whose chart assault in the past year included No.1 Stormzy collaboration Backbone.
Louis Bloom and Chris Blackwell at the Music Week Awards 2025
The recently launched EMI North initiative, home to artists including Nadine Shah, also continues under the combined operation.
Island EMI topped UK market share rankings in 2024 and continued to do so in Q1, with Lola Young’s Messy the most consumed single of the quarter.
Here, Louis Bloom – and Island EMI colleagues – reflect on the run of hits, the philosophy of the A&R team in developing talent and the plans to build on the huge success with the combined label operation – and what’s next for Lola Young…
Congratulations. How does it feel to do the double at the Music Week Awards?
Louis Bloom: “I'm pretty speechless. I'm really happy. We come all the time to these awards and it genuinely hurts when we don't win. We pretend it doesn't, but it really does. So I’m very, very pleased.”
You have won the A&R trophy two years in a row. How have you managed to stay on top when it comes to long-term development of artists?
Louis Bloom: “As I said in my speech, it really is the code and the DNA of what Chris Blackwell laid down – and it's enduring. That is an enduring philosophy about the importance of working with excellence and then nurturing that and being patient. And, thankfully, I've had the opportunity to do that. Not everyone as an executive gets to indulge in that, because it can take a long time. But I'm in an organisation that appreciates patience and appreciates quality, and it's the education that we've all learned over the years. We've all been here for a considerable amount of time. So it's in our blood to think that way.”
It must have been quite special to have achieved these wins with Chris Blackwell in attendance…
Louis Bloom: “Yeah, I was watching him when I was sat next to him, and he's wide-eyed and excited. He's a very curious guy. Whenever I'm with him, he's asking me loads of questions. Who’s this act, what's this type of music? What's going on with these record companies? He's engaged and he's excited by youth culture, it’s still in him. And he's a man of the most impeccable taste. I was fortunate last week to go to his hotel, Goldeneye, in Jamaica, and everything is just right. Everything is spot on, everything's perfect, from the music to the aesthetic. It’s how he ran Island for all those years, with pure love and attention to detail.”
The code that Chris Blackwell laid down is an enduring philosophy about the importance of working with excellence and then nurturing that and being patient
Louis Bloom
It’s under different ownership, but can you still trace the defining culture of Island from when it launched 66 years to the company today?
Louis Bloom: “Yeah, look, the platforms change, the styles of music evolve, but the principles remain the same.”
You have a long-term plan in terms of curating the roster. Where are you with that now?
Louis Bloom: “We’re in a good space. I've got Jack [Greengrass], head of A&R, by my side. We work incredibly well together. We share problems, we're just very close. I always use the analogy of being a Prime Minister and a great Chancellor – you’ve got to get on. You’ve got to troubleshoot together, because there's a lot of difficult moments and challenging times with artist development. It's never a smooth ride. I've also got Sam Flynn [head of marketing] here, I've got Sam Lunn [director of strategic marketing] here, and they’re from a marketing background but they are pure music people. And they're very much involved in the art as well as the commerce. Everyone in the company has music running through their veins. You know, it's the beating heart of our place. Even the person that does finance, legal, they have to be music people to work at Island Records.”
Music Week Awards 2025: (L-R) Universal Music UK CEO & chairman Dickon Stainer, Chris Blackwell, Louis Bloom and Steve Pitron, SVP, international, Island EMI
In terms of artist breakthroughs, you've had such a great hit rate. How do you go about that when you have to decide to keep faith with some artists, where it takes longer than for some other acts?
Louis Bloom: “Yeah. Lola [Young], you know, it's taken six years and we've stuck by her. But we always believed in the talent, everyone here, Jack, Sam, Sam and the team, we've all stuck with that because she's an exceptional artist. So there's no point in looking around when we know we've got an exceptional artist signed. Of course, we sign [new artists] as well, but we don't lose sight of what we've got. Because sometimes it's very easy just to look outside and go, ‘Oh, they've got something better’, or, you know, feeling jealous of other things. But you should sometimes look at what you do have in your life and celebrate that.”
What are the plans for new music from Lola Young?
Jack Greengrass: “She’s the most prolific songwriter I've ever met, she always has been and she continues to be. As Messy was beginning to hit its peak earlier in the year, I think we had the best part of six days in the studio in New York at Electric Lady [Studios], and in those six days alone she made the best part of what will be the next album. I can't wait for people to hear it, it’s a truly wonderful body of work. It will come probably sooner than people expect.”
How can you build on this success now you have combined forces with EMI?
Louis Bloom: “We want to work with the best labels as well out there, the best entrepreneurs. We just like talented people with good values. We want to bring them into the culture, [people] that understand the culture. And the mission is to keep winning and producing artists that will stand the test of time. We're aggressive in that, and we're very competitive, but we try to do it with love and work with decent people, good people, who are in it for the right reasons. And as long as we keep that philosophy, I think it's done well for us. We've had moments as a label where we've had dips. You've got to ride that, and now we've got to keep this going. We've got to double down on the success. We're not complacent, I'm a nervous wreck! [Laughter] And I employ people like that, neurotic people who care.”
The mission is to keep winning and producing artists that will stand the test of time
Louis Bloom
As a Mancunian, how do you feel to now have EMI North as part of your stable at the label group, is that important for Island EMI to have that presence?
Louis Bloom: “Definitely. It’s an amazing set-up they've got there. We've signed quite a few things with them. I'm a huge champion of music outside of London, outside of the BRIT School bubble. And you know, Jack and I have been signing a lot of artists, whether it's Leeds’ English Teacher, another Leeds act Yard Act, two acts that Jack signed, or Nia Archives [from Leeds and based in Manchester]. So we've been doing that anyway. We like the underdog, and I think there is a certain underdog spirit about people outside of London. So I want to find those nuggets, those little gems that need a bit more nurturing – they do things in an interesting and different way.”
What can we expect from English Teacher in terms of new music?
Jack Greengrass: “They are just squirreling down in the studio. What I've heard sounds as exciting as you’d expect. But it's our job just to create space for people like that to have an environment where they can be as creative as possible. And we're trying to do that at the moment.”
Sam Lunn: “We’ve worked with them since 2020. It was an incredible year last year for them. They’re the most amazing musicians. They’re going to have a great second record at some point in the future.”
The Island EMI team collect the A&R Award at the Music Week Awards 2025
Island was very early on picking up bands a few years back ahead of a guitar revival, is there anything you’re looking at now in terms of genre?
Louis Bloom: “We like looking at things that don't exist at the moment. So the thing with bands was, we all had an affinity with bands, but we also saw it as an opportunity that no one was signing them. We do look at the market and think, what's missing? So whether that's leading in dance music – I’m very excited that I now represent Positiva within EMI. I've got Callum [Ross], who signed Nia Archives, there are progressive A&R people in the company. We've got Sam Adebayo, who's doing amazing things in hip-hop and R&B. So we’re across genres, trying to always find the next sonic.”
Sam Lunn: “We've signed some really exciting early doors stuff, it’s hard to single out…”
Sam Flynn: “Artist development is always at the heart of what we've done. It’s amazing that we're now Island and EMI. But it's the stuff that's been true to Louis and the team, we've all worked on for a long time. And it’s about keep doing what we do, signing amazing, great artists in any genre. We're bolstered by EMI now, which is incredible, incredible people have come to join us on our team – so we will keep going.”
The Island EMI team with Chris Blackwell – Louis Bloom holds the Record Company trophy
Sam Lunn: “A big thing about Louis, he’s very good at allowing people to do what they're best at doing. He is very supportive about that, and that's a difficult task when you’re under a lot of pressure, as he is. But that I really, really respect, and that for me is a big thing. Your voice is heard and everyone’s voice is heard across the label. I think that's a really important key to our success, to be honest.”
Sam Flynn: “And not just the employees, but the artists as well. They have time to develop. The artists that are doing well for us right now are a testament to that. I think it's very unique to us, Louis has cultivated that here and given them room to grow.”
So Island is definitely not relying on data for its A&R decisions?
Sam Lunn: “We’ve almost exclusively not relied on data [laughter].”
Sam Flynn: “The Last Dinner Party had never released a song before we signed them. Lola [was signed six years ago]… We stick by artists we believe in.”
Louis Bloom: “Data changes all the time. We do look at it because there's some evidence of what to sign, and it narrows down the choice sometimes. But you need to be suspicious of data as well, because it can be exaggerated for the wrong reasons as well as the pure reasons of artistry. We’ve just got to be aware of that. And it's scary sometimes when you’re making those decisions, and you're missing opportunities because of it. But we have to think, are we going to be in business with this act for five, 10, 15 years?”
Click here to read our interview with Lola Young's manager Nick Shymansky.
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