Warner Chappell Music (WCM) has promoted industry professional and seasoned A&R executive Lázaro Hernández to Senior Vice President, A&R, U.S. Latin & Latin America. In his new role, he will continue reporting to Gustavo Menéndez, President, U.S. Latin & Latin America. Hernández will lead the U.S. Latin A&R team while expanding his responsibilities to shape the publisher’s overall A&R strategy in Latin America. Most recently, he helped sign some of Latin music’s most iconic artists and songwriters including Chencho Corleone, Gabito Ballesteros, and María Becerra, all of whom had several global hits in 2023.
Hernández shared: “I have so much gratitude for Warner Chappell. I get to work with a passionate team and help our songwriters get to the core of their creativity. There are more opportunities than ever before for Latino songwriters to share their music with the world, and I’m grateful for my role in that. I’m eternally thankful to Gustavo, Guy, and Carianne for believing in me and entrusting me with this opportunity.”
Menéndez added: “Láz is one of the most talented A&R leaders in the industry, and I’ve had the fortune of working with him for over 15 years, witnessing not only his growth as an executive but also his ongoing commitment to our songwriters. His drive is unstoppable, and he has such an intuitive approach to working with artists and songwriters, spotting hidden talent, and helping to develop their songwriting careers. I couldn’t be more excited for him as he takes on this next role.”
Hernández oversees a roster of top-tier artists, songwriters, and producers including Andres Torres & Mauricio Rengifo, CASTA, Chris Jedi, Gaby Music, GALE, Jhayco, Natanael Cano, Pedro Capó, Paulo Londra, Piso 21, Rauw Alejandro, Vibarco, and breakout artist Villano Antillano, to name a few. He first joined WCM in 2008 as an A&R Coordinator, and most recently held the role of VP since 2020.
In 2020 and 2023, he was named to Billboard’s annual Pride list, celebrating industry-shaping LGBTQ executives, and in 2017 was featured in their prestigious 40 Under 40 list.
