Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) has announced that The xx have renewed their worldwide publishing deal.
The group has been signed to UMPG for a decade and the renewal comes 10 years since The xx’s release of their Mercury Award-winning debut album ‘xx’.
Released in 2009, The Guardian wrote that The xx’s debut album “a distinctive musical statement of the like we may never get to hear again,” and the record was met with both critical acclaim and huge commercial success.
The following two albums, 2012’s Coexist and 2017’s I See You followed suit; I See You saw the band achieve their second No.1 album in the UK.
From the start, The xx’s music has been highly sought after for syncs; Crystalised soundtracked Gossip Girl; VCR was featured in 2010 film Chatroom; Chained, one of Coexist’s singles, was featured in House of Cards; and Dangerous from I See You appeared in FIFA 2018.
The band wrote Together for Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 adaptation of The Great Gatsby, and the soundtrack holds the record for the largest digital sales in a week for a soundtrack.
“They are constantly looking forward and challenging themselves creatively. It’s a huge privilege and compliment that after 10 years they continue to trust all of us at Universal Music Publishing with their songs.”
Mark Gale, UMPG
2010 saw the band headline festival stages including All Tomorrow’s Parties, Coachella, Glastonbury, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and many more.
In 2013, they took their live show one step further with a series of three festival-style concerts in Berlin, Lisbon and London.
The shows featured performances and DJ sets curated by the band, culminating in a concert by the band each night. When playing Bestival 2012, the group saw the largest ever crowd at the festival and a residency at O2 Academy Brixton in 2016 saw the longest run of sold-out shows in the venue’s history.
Jamie xx has also seen huge success with his solo venture, releasing his debut album In Colour in 2015. The album was nominated for the 2015 Mercury Prize, MasterCard British Album of the Year at the 2016 Brit Awards and Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 58th Grammy Awards.
He has also achieved notable sync placements in an O2 ad with Loud Places and a Playstation ad with GOSH. In 2018, Romy Madley Croft co-wrote Electricity by Silk City featuring Dua Lipa which won Best Dance Recording at the 61st Grammy Awards.
Mark Gale, VP International A&R and Director of A&R at UMPG, said: “We originally signed The xx purely on the basis of a set of songs we heard and loved.
“It’s been extraordinary to see the artist and individuals that they’ve evolved into.
“They are constantly looking forward and challenging themselves creatively. It’s a huge privilege and compliment that after 10 years they continue to trust all of us at Universal Music Publishing with their songs.”
Music Business Worldwide
