Rodney Jerkins, Grammy Award-winning songwriter/producer and chairman/CEO of Evolve Music Group, formally enters the gospel and Christian music arenas with the launch of Lifestyle Music Group (LMG). Industry veteran Demmette Guidry has been appointed general manager for Lifestyle, which will be distributed through Motown Gospel/Capitol Christian Music Group.
In a press release announcing Lifestyle’s launch, Bill Hearn, President/CEO of Capitol Christian Music Group, comments, “Rodney Jerkins’ entrance into the Christian and gospel music genres is long overdue. I have no doubt our industry will benefit greatly from the artists and music he develops.” Larry Blackwell, VP/GM at Motown Gospel, adds, “His consistent excellence in delivering hits over the past 20 years places him in a class by himself.”
Jerkins initially signaled his intent to launch LMG last July when he announced the formation of parent company Evolve Music Group: a multi-year, worldwide partnership with Capitol Music Group, headed by chairman/CEO Steve Barnett. Both Evolve, whose roster includes R&B/pop artist Evan Ross and pop/YouTube sensation SAARA, and Lifestyle are based at the Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood.
Jerkins, who earned his fourth Grammy in February when Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)” won as record of the year, states that Lifestyle “is not a label. It’s a destination where a community of artists can exist and just be themselves, authentically expressing their God-given gifts without judgment.”
Focusing on “music with a purpose,” Lifestyle is currently home to singer/songwriters Joy Enriquez and Tim Bowman Jr. Bowman’s first single, the Jerkins-produced “I’m Good,” is due this spring. A Mother’s Day release is slated for Enriquez’s first single, “Hallelujah.” Also produced by Jerkins, the single features violinist/instrumentalist Lindsey Stirling.
Notes Guidry, “We will consciously utilize a more lifestyle approach to the creation and marketing of our music versus being constrained by genre and demographics alone.” Guidry, whose resumé includes senior VP posts at Columbia and Warner Bros. Records, has worked with such artists as Beyoncé, Lauryn Hill, Mary Mary, Maxwell and Alicia Keys.
