Kobalt has promoted Sam Taylor to the position of Executive Vice President, Creative.
He joined the company as Senior Vice President, Creative in 2016.
The music industry veteran started out in the A&R department at Elektra Records, and has gone on to posts at Atlantic Records, Warner/Chappell, Sony/ATV and EMI Music Publishing, where he signed and worked with Pharrell Willams, Schoolboy Q, Sounwave (Kendrick Lamar), FKi (Post Malone, 2 Chainz), Dahi (Childish Gambino, Vampire Weekend), Kevin Cossom (Beyonce, DJ Khaled) and Sam Dew, among others.
Taylor was also the catalyst for putting together Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy-nominated Song of the Year, Alright (produced by Pharrell Willams and Sounwave).
“Kobalt’s creative team is nurturing and supporting many of the world’s greatest talent – our market share and the hits speak for themselves. Sam is an important part of that success and I couldn’t be prouder of him.”
Willard Ahdritz, Kobalt
Over the past year, Taylor has been integral in the key signings and development of songs – that have gone onto generate billions of streams – from Gunna, Roddy Ricch, Jay Rock, Raphael Saadiq, Teddy Walton (Chris Brown featuring Drake – No Guidance, Kendrick Lamar – Love and King’s Dead, ), J White (Cardi B – Bodak Yellow and I like it), Ben Billions, BlaqnMild (Drake – In my Feelings and Nice for What), Yung Exclusive (Drake – God’s Plan, Travis Scott – Goosebumps), Jahaan Sweet (A Boogie -Look Back At It), Al Shux (Kendrick Lamar & SZA – All the Stars, which was nominated for four Grammys, an Academy Award and a Golden Globe), and more.
Kobalt Founder and CEO, Willard Ahdritz, said:” “Kobalt’s creative team is nurturing and supporting many of the world’s greatest talent – our market share and the hits speak for themselves.
“Sam is an important part of that success and I couldn’t be prouder of him. His deep relationships and understanding of where music is going, across many genres, plays an important role in shaping many of today and tomorrow’s hits.”
“I am proud to have him on our global creative team and looking forward to his continued success.”
Sas Metcalfe, Kobalt
Chief Creative Officer Sas Metcalfe, added: “Sam is a true music lover. He continues to facilitate success through his trusted relationships with artist and songwriters, and his passion for their growth is reflected in his achievements.
“I am proud to have him on our global creative team and looking forward to his continued success.”
“Being part of an extraordinary team here has been a beautiful thing, giving me the opportunity to witness great examples of leadership from Willard, Laurent, Sas, and Sue.”
Sam Taylor
Taylor said: “Music is my true, constant passion in life and it has been that way since I was a child. I’ve dedicated my career to facilitating the inspirations of songwriters in any way I can and Kobalt is a company that hands me the tools to do that.
“Being part of an extraordinary team here has been a beautiful thing, giving me the opportunity to witness great examples of leadership from Willard, Laurent, Sas, and Sue.
“I’m honored to continue alongside them, guiding our existing songwriters towards exciting opportunities while also attracting new and diverse talent to Kobalt, as they all create music that touches people across cultures and genres.”
