Can you give a brief background? Where are you from? What’s your current role?
I am from Los Angeles- the San Fernando Valley. My parents are Iraqi immigrants, so I have literally no connection to the music industry. It [the music industry] was something so close yet so far away from me being from Los Angeles. Now, I am an A&R at Universal Music Publishing Group. We sign and scout new talent whether it is songwriters, producers, or artists who can write their own songs, and we pair them all together and they make “song babies” and then you hopefully hear them on the radio!
Describe your day-to-day. How much do you sleep? What time do you end?
A&R is a very creative job and a very social one, so my day to day ends up looking different all the time so there’s not much structure. My day consists of managing my time as well as my clients time to make sure that they’re plugged in with what’s going on creatively, in order to do that I must maintain relationships with labels, managers, attorneys etc... On top of managing my roster of clients I am also the international one stop shop in LA. Anyone signed to UMPG across the globe that requires a passport to enter the country funnels through me. So sometimes I am up super early doing intl calls and making sure writer trips happen. And then of course, always pitching songs, setting up sessions, and trying to stay as organized as possible. Emails stop rolling around 6-7pm, but that doesn’t mean the work stops. I could be visiting a studio or seeing a show of someone I want to sign, or for an artist we have signed.
What does music mean to you and how has your love for music shifted after working in the music industry?
Growing up I was so obsessed with music but my parents didn’t listen to a lot of American Music, so I would listen to a lot of Arabic music. My dad was a huge Frank Sinatra fan, we would listen to oldies. I had an uncle who introduced me to bands like The Beatles and pop music. I literally didn’t realize half of them [The Beatles] were dead. I thought I was in peak Beatlemania. Then, when I got to high school I would discover artists on Tumblr, like Frank Ocean. I would spend all of my free time listening to and discovering new music. Just being a fan of artists - following what they were doing rather than just listening to the music. I would go to as many concerts as possible. Instead of doing my homework, I would come home and download a bunch of music on LimeWire. I was one of the first people to get Spotify senior year of high school! Music was everything to me. Even, my college essay was very music oriented because I knew that that was what I wanted to do. I knew I always wanted to help artists move people the way my favorite artists moved me. Helping make people’s dreams come true. Basically, music was my #1 hobby. Then, I went to college and I was around like minded music obsessed people for the first time in my program [The Bandier Program for Recording and Entertainment Industries at Syracuse University]. Then, I started working, and I have to remind myself everyday that I literally listen to music as a job, but naturally when things turn into a job, it sometimes turns into a chore. Listening to beats all day, as fun as it can be, can get very exhausting. Sometimes it definitely feels like work. BEST JOB EVER, but still feels like you’re assigned an essay sometimes. However, I still try to give everything I work on 100% but I’m definitely still trying to find a balance between listening to music as a fan and listening to it critically for my job.
What songs or artists bring you comfort?
Definitely The Beatles- I know every single song by heart. I was so obsessed with them in elementary school, like my lunch box was Beatles merch. I have a very diverse music palette because of my background and I can find elements I like in all different genres. Growing up and going to high school in Los Feliz, I really liked this artist who was super popular in Los Feliz/Silver Lake, Elliot Smith. He has murals everywhere and my science teacher actually had a “justice for Elliot Smith” fan page, so she got me super into him. Lyrics are my favorite, it’s the poetry of it all. I love to break down lyrics, and I think Elliot is one of the most brilliant lyricists ever. I also love Kate Bush* and Aaliyah.
What is something you wish you knew before getting into the music industry?
I had a lot of time to prepare to be in the music industry because of Bandier. I think the one thing is: not everyone is as passionate as you might hope people in the music industry would be. Also, sometimes I would be intimidated by the CEO’s because I thought they knew everything, but no. No one knows everything and everyone is just figuring things out as they go, don’t be so intimidated by them. Also, the industry, especially on the creative side, is super dependent on relationships and going out, and sometimes going out to dinner with somebody or going to an event is way more effective than a Zoom meeting because the only way to do good business with someone is if you bond over something. If you go to an event, have a few drinks, and bond over something/have an inside joke then BOOM they will start answering all of your emails. You can cold email someone and they can be super cordial, but a lot of people would rather answer an email of someone they have more of a relationship with.
What specific mental health issues pop up in your line of work?
Definitely burn out. Burn out can manifest itself in so many different ways, like getting depressed. Anxiety is a huge one too. For example, if you’re betting your reputation on an artist and it doesn’t work out, your company could lose a lot of money, and it’s hard to dissociate from that being your fault, even though hundreds of people had to sign on to the deal.Burn out is the most common issue that I’ve noticed and have experienced myself with my old job. It was very 24/7 so finding my boundaries and balancing a personal life with work was extremely difficult and detrimental to my mental health. The pandemic was a great reset, but still very temporary.
What is something you wish you could change about your job and what is something you wish you could change about the music industry as a whole?
It’s super important to give people time to rest. Especially in management. I used to say management was like professional babysitting, but I stopped because babysitters at least get to go home at night and not think about work. In management, you are like this person's brain for however long you guys work together. You are expected to make the impossible possible all the time. Even on vacation. People deserve a real break and boundaries. I don’t know the solution other than artists becoming more understanding! Another thing that is slowly changing these days is that the major executives of the industry are 70 year old white dudes, which isn’t the case at UMPG, we are the first major music publisher run by a woman, which is crazy. It gets a little frustrating when out-dated decisions are made. Luckily, I don’t have to deal with that, but have noticed it at other companies.
Have you worked with anyone that needed to go treatment but didn’t or did? What held them back or allowed them to go?
I’ve come across several people who have struggled in many different ways whether that was addiction, major depression, or general anxiety. I noticed that especially when I worked in management. People feel like in management they can’t take time off to get help because their artist would be stranded, which is horrible because you end up putting your health last. That’s the worst case scenario, but even people having to request an hour to see their doctor are met with pushback from some companies, so I can’t imagine someone taking 45 minutes to talk about their mental health weekly. Now I have set boundaries in my life but even back then I used to have to work out at 5am because that was the only time someone wouldn’t bother me. But I knew I had to do it because working out was so helpful for my mental health when I was in a very toxic environment and I wouldn’t have survived without it.
How has the industry’s response changed on mental health?
I think after the pandemic people have realized that work takes a toll on people, whether that’s burn out or lack of community. I can’t speak for other companies, but for my company it has definitely been a hot topic. What’s great about our leadership is they ask us “how are you really?” I have noticed that the conversation is actually happening more than before. Before, the conversation was more spotlit on artists' mental health. I think in the music industry there’s actual people behind the scenes who aren’t necessarily having a breakdown publicly are going through very similar things, but not getting applauded everyday. My job specifically, it is rejection 24/7 which is not nice. Like, there’s a 1% chance I will get a yes when I am pitching songs. I get rejected just as much as someone trying to get signed does. It’s great that these types of conversations are starting to happen, we’re all more similar than we think.
What are the best practices for destigmatizing and providing work-life balance?
If you are a higher up, encourage uncomfortable conversations and be vulnerable and open because people can assume you don’t care or you can’t relate. We had a huge town hall with a mental health app, and they encouraged us to be super vulnerable. Like, “what do you think about when you’re distracted?” It was crazy because once one person shared something they were struggling with at work, others felt comfortable to share what they’re going through too, which was really powerful. If you are going through something it can feel super isolating like, “oh my god everyone has their shit together but me” when that’s really not the case at all. Everybody’s going through something, we just need to be patient and understanding with people.
What resources does your company provide?
UMPG has a great environment surrounding mental health. During the pandemic, our CEO would send periodic emails to the company and say things like, “this weekend I want you to listen to music for fun not just for work.” She talks about how she feels in these emails, which helps make other people feel less alone, especially coming from our leader. It’s nice to know we were all sharing the same worries during that time. On top of that, we have this thing called Thrive Global, which was founded by Arianna Huffington from the Huffington Post. We basically had a huge town hall where Thrive would go over symptoms of burn out and why you feel the way you feel sometimes, and how you can combat that feeling. He went through a ton of steps like box breathing, journaling, meditating, and exercise. We also have mental health days. We have an allocated budget for a “Wellbeing Allowance”. It is a healthy amount of money that you can spend on anything that makes you feel good like massages, fees for health centers, fitness trackers, gym memberships, classes, personal services, facials, meal services, physical therapy etc. They also offer “Wellbeing Wednesdays” where you can do yoga and meditation classes.
Is there anything else you want to share?
If you are able to take care of yourself, it is a form of self love. If you can show up for yourself, you can show up for others. I think the only way to operate at 100% is if you are truly treating yourself kindly. If you treat yourself like shit, and you treat everyone else well- it’s going to catch up to you eventually. I think I see mental health awareness going in a good direction, but there’s still so much work to do. I think this project is super great. We need more leaders that care about mental health because there are so many that just don’t. They see figures when they should be seeing humans. I went through three losses this year within 8 months. My Grandfather in September and my uncle in February, and my Grandmother in May- my team was so incredible, telling me to take all the time I need and relating to me. I don’t think I would have experienced that at other places, so I am very very lucky.
This interview took place prior to Stranger Things (therefore, she’s a great A&R)*
Комментарии