Warner Chappell Music, the global publishing arm of Warner Music Group, announced today the promotions of Katy Wolaver to Senior Vice President, A&R, and Wallace Joseph to Vice President, A&R. Over the past few years, they’ve helped to sign and develop high-profile talent like Ava Max, Summer Walker, Sasha Sloan and many more. In their new roles, they will continue to report to Ryan Press, President of A&R, U.S. and work closely with him to grow the company’s roster of legendary songwriters and producers.
Press shared: “Katy and Wallace both have an amazing ear for talent discovery and a natural ability to turn someone with potential into the next big hitmaker. They’ve already helped to build the careers of some of today’s hottest songwriters and are truly a great example of where hard work and dedication can get you in this business. I couldn’t be more proud to see them continue to grow with us as A&R executives.”
Wolaver said: “A&R is all about building connections and developing talent, and over this past year, I’ve had the chance to work between LA and Nashville to find new ways to pair our writers with different artists across a variety of genres. I’m very grateful to Ryan and the entire leadership team at Warner Chappell for believing in my approach and allowing me to expand these efforts even more.”
Joseph added: “I’d like to thank Guy, Carianne and Ryan for this incredible opportunity. We’ve already signed some of the best producers in the game as well as formed new deals with innovative labels like Lost + Found and LVRN, and I can’t wait to continue our momentum.”
Wolaver manages a mix of talent, including Ava Max, Tayla Parx, All Time Low, MAG (Bad Bunny), Michael Pollack (Maroon 5), Sean Douglas (Thomas Rhett), Fraser Churchill (Mickey Guyton), Jesse Frasure, Sasha Sloan, and many more. She joined Warner Chappell in 2016 as Senior Director before being promoted to Vice President in 2018. Last year, she broadened her role to work between Los Angeles and Nashville and has put together numerous high-profile sessions, including one with Dan + Shay that resulted in the duo’s newest single, “Glad You Exist.” She’s also spent the last few years developing Michael Pollack as a hit songwriter and was instrumental in setting up a session with Jon Bellion that resulted in multiple hits, including “Memories” by Maroon 5, “Holy” ft. Chance The Rapper and “Anyone” by Justin Bieber, and “Prisoner” by Miley Cyrus ft. Dua Lipa. Wolaver got her start in music in 2006 at Arthouse Entertainment and went on to serve as Director of A&R at SONGS Music Publishing.
Joseph works closely with some of today’s biggest artists, songwriters and producers, including Summer Walker, Tay Keith, Murda Beatz, Section 8, T-Minus, Wale, Dougie F, Turbo, Pluss, and Lazá, among others. He recently signed rising rapper BRS Kash through a new deal with the record label LVRN, whose “Throat Baby (Go Baby)” single hit the No. 1 spot on Urban Radio earlier this year. Through a new partnership with Lost + Found, he was also key in bringing on two of Doja Cat’s top collaborators – Yeti Beats, the executive producer behind Purrr, Amala and Hot Pink, as well as Lydia Asrat, who helped pen eight tracks from Hot Pink. Throughout his career, Joseph has helped develop the hitmakers behind top songs like “Leave Me Alone” by Flipp Dinero, “Juicy (ft. Tyga)” and “Say So” by Doja Cat, as well as the Grammy-award winning single “Where Are Ü Now” by Jack Ü ft. Justin Bieber and the viral sensation “Broccoli” by Shelley (FKA DRAM) ft. Lil Yachty, among many others. Prior to joining Warner Chappell in August 2017, Joseph ran a music management company, HMWRK.
