Hitmaker for Ariana Grande, The Weeknd Launches Company to Support Songwriters in India (Exclusive)
Grammy- and Oscar-nominated songwriter Savan Kotecha, who has crafted hits for Ariana Grande, The Weeknd and Britney Spears, is launching a platform to help songwriters in India reach global audiences.
Kotecha, who is Indian, is partnering with A&R executive and songwriter Murtuza Gadiwala and talent management company REPRESENT to launch Outwrite. Kotecha’s mission with the newly established music publishing and management company is to create a global community that fosters diversity and innovation, while also delivering fresh and groundbreaking music.
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“Helping bring India’s incredible pool of songwriting talent to the world’s stage has become a lifelong passion of mine. For the majority of my over 20-year career, I was the only ‘Indian guy’ in the room. I’m eager to help change that,” Kotecha, 46, tells The Hollywood Reporter. “The songwriting and producing talent in India is unparalleled. Everything starts with a song, and Outwrite will provide these gifted creatives with the resources, guidance and platform they need to succeed globally, while also raising the bar for music publishing standards in India. We aim to address persistent issues such as unfair payouts and splits, lack of proper credits and limited knowledge of rights in India, ensuring that Indian songwriters and producers receive the recognition and compensation they deserve.”
Kotecha is best known for his work with Grande and has co-written a number of her Top 10 hits, including “Problem,” “Break Free,” “Love Me Harder,” “Bang Bang,” “Side to Side,” “God Is a Woman,” “No Tears Left to Cry” and “Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored.” His credits also include The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face,” One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful,” Justin Bieber’s “Beauty and a Beat” and Spears’ “I Wanna Go” and “If U Seek Amy.” He’s earned four Grammy nominations and scored best original song nods at the Academy Awards (for “Husavik” from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga) and the Golden Globes (for Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me Like You Do” from Fifty Shades of Grey). He also served as executive music producer for The Idea of You, starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine.
“Outwrite is born out of the necessity to empower the unseen heroes of the music world — those who craft the songs and sounds that define our lives. Our goal is to incubate talent, bridge gaps, and drive both financial and collaborative growth for the next generation of artists,” Aayushman Sinha, REPRESENT’s founder and CEO, tells THR.
Adds Gadiwala, who has written for songs for Indian acts like Zaeden and KASYAP: “We’ve noticed a significant gap in the Indian music industry where many professionals, whether songwriters, producers or managers, aren’t fully aware of how music publishing works or what they rightfully deserve. As a songwriter myself, I’ve seen firsthand how outdated this system can be. Outwrite was born from a desire to change this narrative. When I shared the idea with Aayushman, he immediately saw the potential, and with Savan’s expertise on board, we’re incredibly excited to take our writers to the global stage. Our mission is to ensure they receive everything they rightfully deserve and more.”
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