Louis Bloom I haven’t been getting enough sleep lately, Mumford & Sons We have a responsibility.

“I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep at night.” Island EMI Label Group the president said music weektalked about his enthusiasm for the bands he signed with during his Island days. A&R The 2009 division was quickly cleared.

According to , we got in touch with Bloom to discuss the campaign for the band’s sixth studio album, Prizefighter. Monday’s Official Chart Corporate Midweek Sale News.

Produced by Aaron Dessner, it features collaborations with Chris Stapleton, Gigi Perez, Hozier and Gracie Abrams, as well as co-writing from Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and Finneas, and follows last year’s No. 1 Rushmir. Bloom spoke to Music Week about last April..

“The response to “The Prizefighter” has been amazing and well-deserved,” he said of what happened next. “Watching the streams, watching the reviews…everything was so positive, not just here but overseas. It felt like there was an overwhelming love for this band.”

Bloom is working on the campaign in his capacity as president of Island EMI Label Group. Current Music Week Cover Stars December 10th.

“It’s great that I get to run both labels because I have a vision of what both labels should be,” he said. “Both of those things are necessary for British music and for exporting British music around the world. We feel very lucky that this structure gives us great flexibility in delivering that and working with some of the best artists in the world.”

He highlighted his work with Island EMI. EMI North – The team also appears in our new issue.

Mumford & Sons

“We are working with great partners across the country and spreading our tentacles far and wide,” he said. “These are exciting times for us and we can’t let our guard down. We are relentless in our pursuit of working with the best executives, the best artists, the best producers, the best writers and the best visual artists. It’s an exciting time for British music and we want to be a part of it.”

But now it’s time to pick Bloom’s brain on all things Mumford & Sons, from the details of their latest blockbuster campaign to the executive’s storied history with his own band, including a headline date at BST Hyde Park this summer.

How has your release week been so far?

“They’re on fire. It’s a great honor to be a part of it and so is the whole team. There’s a group that’s been in this band since the beginning. We signed them in 2009, Sam Rann who runs marketing, Al Smith who runs Commerce, and James Li who runs Commerce. We’ve grown up with them as well. Max Rutkin is a little new, but he’s been around for a while now. So we have a team around us and we have a very deep love for Mumford & Sons. It’s been a great journey.”

You signed it when you were working in Island’s A&R department. How important were they to your career?

“Personally, those were huge for me. Beyond success, they taught me so much. You learn so much from the best artists, and I learned from Mumford. What I learned was the importance of being clear-headed sometimes, and the importance of community building. It’s not about being strategic. It’s natural for them to want to take people with them. It was always about community. It was a very spiritual thing to see them in those early shows. So to see it in full and to be a part of it is great. ”

In less than a year since Rushmere’s release, there has been a rapid turnaround. Was that always the strategy?

“Yeah, that was the plan. The last Dave Cobb-produced album was like a warm hug to the fans, as Ben Lovett put it. “It started to attract people. We did a lot of fan activations for this album. We always thought this album would be more of a sustainable streaming album, more of a crossover. So we’ve been doing this since 2023. We started collaborating on People and it went well.”

No one expected “Sigh No More.” No one was asking for an act with a banjo and Shakespearean lyrics – it was done because it was pure.

Lewis Bloom, Island EMI Label Group

D2C is obviously important because it has two releases back to back. How much did you rely on data from that to determine your appetite for the two albums?

“Aaron Dessner’s music was happening at the same time as the Dave Cobb sessions, so we made plans in the absence of data. We just went with our gut. But as Marcus kept telling me, they were very unique pieces. So it wasn’t a data decision, it was a human decision. But they have a dedicated fan base, and in some cases more fans. more. We’ve seen it a lot in hip-hop. It’s happening in every genre now. It’s almost like, “I’m going to put the music out there and then I’m going to make a record.” You also need a spirit of initiative. If you sit on something for too long, it can get stale. You can tell if the act is exciting, but it needs to be genuine. Learn from previous campaigns. It felt that way at first, but maybe by album three or four, we sat on things for too long and thought too much collectively. So we went back to the root of it all: being destructive. Don’t overanalyze, analyze with love. No one expected “Sigh No More.” No one was looking for an act with a banjo and Shakespearean lyrics. It was possible because it was pure. That’s what the band has come from and that’s the ethos of where they are again, so the pace of our releases has to match that. ”

Given that outlook, perhaps a featured guest on this album comes from the band rather than a strategy targeting a specific market?

“Mumford were always part of the scene. Not only did they emerge from the New Folk scene in London, but they also showed up at each other’s nights. Remember Marcus?” Laura Marlingdrummers – all were very supportive. Then they did a train revival tour, with artists flying off and going to India to make music. That continued. Last year, they took the train from Louisiana to Vermont and picked up the following. Noah Kahan, maggie rogers and Nathaniel Ratcliffe feature on each other’s songs. It is a beautiful utopian world of love and cooperation. That influenced the spirit of this record. Then there are the relationships Marcus has built. Hozier happens to be labelmates, but their friendship goes beyond that. Gracie Abrams I went to a Mumford show as a teenage fan. So these are not call-ins. They are people who deeply respect each other. It was direct from the artist. ”

How much did the lack of promotion last time help build anticipation for this record?

“It’s all about push and pull. It’s all about timing, so we were very careful. From the beginning, we wanted this record to be a story. They worked, they played shows, they pulled in over a million tickets last year, and they reconnected. So now it’s time to go to Graham Norton’s job and do the Tiny Desk Session. It’s a great time to do SNL again. But we don’t live in a top-down world. Those things are fine, but only if there’s a natural love for the music, and that’s what we’ve been doing, and it culminates in Mumford-ness. anywhere. People are talking about this band again. Their followers are increasing on every platform and every metric is definitely skyrocketing. They’ve enjoyed an incredible career, but with this album they rediscovered much of the magic from the beginning. ”

Why do you think Mumford & Sons have remained resilient in the mainstream pop arena?

“I think it’s a combination. They’re great songwriters and they know how to create hooks, but they’re also poets, so they’re very literate at the same time. So they have those two things: intelligence and a common touch. There’s a joy in what they do. I feel that coming through through the songs, through the music, through the live performances. I mean, all of those things intersect. We all need a certain amount of cynicism.”

How has this campaign been shaped by the new structure at UK Universal?

“The Central team is really great. AMS [Audience, Media & Strategy] The team, run by Becky Allen and Kate Wynne Jones, is new to working in a band, but they rallied around them in a way that made everyone feel special. They are very loved and everyone wants to work hard. AMS has been at the forefront of our digital strategy and Nicky Owen and her team’s international efforts have been fantastic. So it’s really cool to see all the New Music Fridays and see all the covers from all over the world. It always takes an army to tell the world about these artists. It doesn’t happen by chance. There’s so much positivity on WhatsApps and Zoom that it’s contagious. Bands make their own music and we celebrate it. ”

What are your expectations for this album? Big the first week, followed by a long tail?

“That’s definitely the ambition. These records are here to stay. And when you put great music out there, you can’t exactly say how viral it will be or when it’s going to be a hit. No one can say exactly how the campaign will play out, but my expectation and hope is that this album will be the best and biggest yet, not just on a physical level but on a streaming level. british And next year’s Grammy Awards. Like I said, they’re the best team there and they’re still working on it at the moment. Everyone has very good feelings about them, so I hope that’s acknowledged. ”

Our goal with this label has always been to sign unexpected artists. And Mumford was unexpected.

Lewis Bloom, Island EMI Label Group

Seventeen years after their debut, do you still enjoy the buzz about a band’s awards?

“Our goal with this label has always been to sign unexpected artists, and Mumford was unexpected. At the time, no one was trying to sign them. So it’s always about finding something really unique and bringing it to the mainstream. Usually that. It’s these artists who are changing the game and influencing the next generation. It’s perseverance that we have on our roster at the moment. We’re getting a lot of credit for nurturing them and not giving up. laura young For a very long time. So we’re looking forward to developing artists who have long-term careers that last 10 or 20 years. So is Mumford, and so is Hozier. Also Ben Howard and Dermot Kennedy. History teaches us that if you have something great, stick with it. If the quality is good, I won’t give up. These are our values ​​as a label, and I think a long-term approach will bring results. ”

Looks like 2026 is off to a good start for you. What does the rest of this year look like?

“It was very good. I’m really looking forward to it.” near archive The music we listen to. Laura Young’s new music is set to be released. I can’t say exactly when, but I’m sure it will be released. I’m looking forward to the last dinner party. Take a look as some exciting things are happening around them. Dermot Kennedy will also be back with new music, but we are developing Flo as a top priority for EMI. Their new music is outrageous and truly incredible. They’re really going to take it to a new level this year. Tickets for the boy band’s December 10 are currently selling out in seconds. There’s something very real about what’s going on there. We have a new mixtape from Led By Her. This will be a critically acclaimed record by the end of the year. U2 just released their Days of Ash EP, and we hope to see more music in the future. Sekou also has some very strong new music planned. Jacob Aron ” won Critics’ Choice at this year’s BRIT Awards. This is something we are all very proud of. So at Island and EMI, we are trying to demonstrate leadership across genres. ”

Interview: Paul Stokes
Photo: Kirsten Winhotz/Gerard Hines