Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) has signed Grammy Award-winning songwriter, producer and musician Joel Little to an exclusive worldwide music publishing administration agreement.
Little is widely recognized for his collaborations with artists from Lorde to Taylor Swift, Noah Kahan, Khalid, Imagine Dragons, Gracie Abrams and James Bay.
UMPG noted that Little has played an “integral creative role in shaping their music with his sleek, minimalist art-pop sound”.
Little’s songs have amassed more than 25 billion global streams to date.
“I’m thrilled to begin the next chapter of my career with the incredible team at UMPG.”
Joel Little
Upon signing the agreement, Little said: “I’m thrilled to begin the next chapter of my career with the incredible team at UMPG.
“It’s especially meaningful to reunite with Jennifer Knoepfle, who has been such an integral part of my journey and success over the years. I’m excited to see where we can go from here.”
“I’m so excited to be back working with the talented writer/producer Joel Little.”
Jennifer Knoepfle, UMPG
UMPG Executive Vice President and Head of US A&R Jennifer Knoepfle, added: “I’m so excited to be back working with the talented writer/producer Joel Little.
“From 12 years ago when we first crossed paths, it’s been a wonderful and fruitful creative partnership that only continues to grow. Joel’s works have touched so many people’s lives, including mine, and I am beyond excited to explore this new chapter with our UMPG team.
“It’s also a sweet homecoming for Joel to reunite with UMPG Australia’s Head of A&R, Maree Hamblion, who was his first publisher.”
Little achieved his first major career milestone in 2014 when Royals, for which he produced the recording and co-wrote the song with Lorde, earned the Grammy Award for Song of the Year and a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year.
That same year, he received the Outstanding International Achievement Award at Australia’s APRA Awards and the Most Performed Song honor for Royals at the ASCAP Pop Awards.
The track spent nine weeks at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 2015, Little earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song for Lorde’s Yellow Flicker Beat, featured on The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 soundtrack. In 2019, he co-wrote and co-produced several standout tracks on Taylor Swift’s Billboard 200 No.1 album Lover, including:
- ME! (feat. Brendon Urie), which debuted at No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is now multi-platinum;
- You Need to Calm Down, a pop anthem supporting LGBTQ+ rights, which also reached No.2 and won Video of the Year at the MTV VMAs
- The Man, another charting single and “fan favorite;”
- Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince, described as “a metaphor-laden track praised for its political undertones”.
Little produced three tracks on Khalid’s 2017 debut album American Teen, including Young Dumb & Broke, which spent 11 weeks at No.1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B chart.
UMPG noted that, “propelled by its Gen Z cultural authenticity, the song became a global anthem and helped establish Khalid as a worldwide superstar”.
With Lorde’s Royals and Khalid’s Young Dumb & Broke, Little has earned two of only 172 RIAA Diamond Awards (certifying 10 million units) ever issued in the US.
In 2023, Little served as executive producer, co-writer and producer on Niall Horan’s album The Show, contributing to eight of the album’s ten tracks, which debuted at No.1 in eight countries.
According to UMPG, his “creative leadership helped shape its introspective tone and melodic cohesion, reinforcing Little’s reputation as one of today’s most versatile and thoughtful collaborators”.
Little’s recent work includes projects by Maren Morris, Vance Joy and Tove Lo.
He is managed by Ashley Page’s Page 1 Management.
Music Business Worldwide
