Brandon Arreaga is ready to in-sire…
The 20-year-old Latino singer and his fellow PRETTYMUCH pop group mates, which Simon Cowell launched under his label Syco Entertainment in 2017, have signed to Warner Records imprint Sire Records, marking the start of a “new era,” according to the group’s members.
The five members — Arreaga, Edwin Honoret, Zion Kuwonu, Nick Mara and Austin Porter — were originally pursuing solo careers until Syco founder Cowell approached them about creating a group in 2016.
PRETTYMUCH debuted in 2017 with the single “Would You Mind,” and have since released three EPs with Syco, sold out two headlining tours (also opening for Khalid) and worked with the likes of Ed Sheeran and French Montana.
The new signing follows an announcement in July that Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment would be ending the 11-year joint venture, which created Syco, with Sony Music to retain the JV’s back catalog and roster of artists.
The group has quickly been scooped up by Sire. Label president Rani Hancock tells Billboard that she has always been drawn to PRETTYMUCH because the members are “quadruple threats”: Singers, songwriters, producers and performers. A meeting with the band and their management team at KYN Entertainment, former Syco president Sonny Takhar and Mitch Eisner, sealed the deal.
“I have always admired PRETTYMUCH, so when Sonny reached out I was excited to meet them, and meeting them impressed me even more,” Hancock says. “I knew they were great singers and performers but quickly found out they are also impressive songwriters, producers, photographers, choreographers, and more. They are truly the architects of their own sound and vision and an unstoppable force.”
Arreaga says that the feeling was mutual, since he had “always wanted to be respected as a producer/songwriter.” “At Sire, they’ve shown so much interest in my work and even helped shape small ideas into full songs that I hadn’t seen the potential in,” he adds. “For us, it’s important that we remember to always keep evolving and always keep pushing the boundaries of what we’re capable of.”
With a fresh record deal under their belt, PRETTYMUCH is set to release their first new music since 2019’s INTL:EP in the coming year.