Jess Glynne says Roc Nation co-founder wanted her new ballad for Rihanna

[Teletubby 134,116]

In early 2022 Jess Glynne flew to LA alone, living out of a suitcase in a hotel and hooking herself up with some of the biggest backroom names in LA, including Greg Kurstin (a producer for Sia and Adele). She met Jay Brown, co-founder and vice chairman of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation empire: a world-renowned executive and force behind several multibillion-dollar brands. He was keen on a ballad she’d written with Greg Kurstin, ‘Promise Me’, but wanted it for Rihanna. 

‘I said, ‘“No, you’re not sending it to Rihanna.” I mean, it was the biggest compliment, but I was, “It’s my song, and I’m an artist, too.”’ The label boss conceded. He suggested they work together. They talked for hours. ‘I left that meeting and thought, “Who’s to say I can’t fire my team?”’

Glynne fired both her management and label. She was ‘reasonable’, she adds – ‘Many in this industry aren’t!’ – and ‘so, it was on to the next,’ she says, with a toothy smile, lifting an imaginary phone to her ear. ‘Jay, what’s going on?’ 

Glynne is now managed by Roc Nation; she’s met both Jay-Z and Beyoncé, ‘very humble human beings, sweet, charming’.
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[bionic 41,793]

Sza found fuming after learning she could've just said "no"

[Reject False Icons 4,631]

I didn’t know Jess Glynne was still popular? It’s cool to see these stories where the songwriters keep their song when the execs want it for someone else, they usually talk fondly of the artist who took it but I think it’s because they reached the writers price 

[Killa 15,503]

some of those notes were rough... the song is beautiful tho.