New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Universal
Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, today announced the appointment of Cindy Gu as Head of Astralwerks Asia, the company's label division dedicated to electronic music within Asia, effective immediately.
The label has also announced details of their first artist signing from the region, with popular Indonesian EDM group, Weird Genius joining the global Astralwerks roster. Since founding in 2016, Weird Genius has quickly gained recognition from fans and accumulated hundreds of millions of streams across all platforms. Their current release "LATHI" has already been streamed in excess of 100 million times, having found popularity across social and streaming platforms. The track reached #1 on Spotify's main chart in Indonesia and #2 on their Global Viral 50 Chart, as it continues to grow in popularity across Southeast Asia. Click Here to watch the video.
The band has built a loyal following through their relentless touring schedule that has seen them participate in local and international events including; Bangkok's Viral Fest; Jakarta's SHVR festival; YouTube's FanFest Indonesia; Bali's Soundrenaline and performed alongside the likes of Yellow Claw and The
Chainsmokers live in Concert. In the coming months Astralwerks Asia will continue to build the success of 'Lathi' and will look to further introduce Weird Genius to new audiences around the world.
Speaking on joining Astralwerks, Weird Genius' said, "It is an honor to become the first act from Asia to sign with Astralwerks and join their great roster of global dance artists. We are excited to partner together with Cindy, Toby and the team to release new music, and to help our music reach new fans around the world."
In making the announcement, Adam Granite, EVP, Market Development at UMG said, "Since we announced the launch of Astralwerks Asia at
Music Matters in September, we have been looking for the right person to lead and execute our vision for further developing dance music across the region. Cindy is a true dance music enthusiast and this great passion for electronic music, combined with her proven history of executing successful artist campaigns will be vital to establishing Astralwerks Asia as the trusted home for the genre in Asia. What better way to start than with the biggest viral dance record to come out of the region in years! We are very excited to have Weird Genius join the Astralwerks family and look forward to hearing much more from them in years to come."
Toby Andrews, GM, Astralwerks said, "We're very excited to have Cindy join the Astralwerks team, as we continue to expand our presence within Asia. Cindy's experience across the electronic music space is a perfect match for us and we're looking forward to watching her bring projects like ZHU, Surf Mesa and others to life, across South East Asia, Korea and China. I look forward to building our ongoing and now heightened collaboration with Calvin, Adam and the teams across the region and welcome Weird Genius to our roster. Lathi is the hottest record to come out of Southeast Asia in recent months and we are excited to help them reach new audiences around the world, both now and across future releases".
Cindy Gu said, "I am delighted to have joined the global Astralwerks family and am committed to bringing the best electronic music to fans across Asia, starting with the signing of Weird Genius. I look forward to working alongside Toby, Calvin, Adam, Evan and the teams throughout the region to create innovative and groundbreaking campaigns that will help establish Astralwerks and our artists throughout Asia and beyond."
Gu will head up the label's operations across Southeast Asia, Korea and China and will be based within UMG's regional headquarters in Singapore, working closely alongside Astralwerks GM, Toby Andrews to generate opportunities and success for Astralwerks artists throughout the continent.
An experienced marketeer and specialist in electronic music, she joins UMG from Warner
Music Asia, where she served as Regional Marketing Manager & Dance
Music Product Manager, spearheading all priority music campaigns across the genre.
Over the past two years, Gu was responsible for the launch and expansion of Spinnin' Records into Greater China, Korea and across Southeast Asia. In this role, her creativity and strategic expertise helped deliver success and build new audiences for international talent including; KSHMR,
Galantis and Cash Cash, whilst also creating new opportunities for domestic dance artists in the region. Most notably for K-pop producer SHAUN, whose "
Way Back Home" single featuring
Sam Feldt &
Conor Maynard reached #1 across Asia and has generated more than 1 billion streams to date.
Gu joins Evan Baker,
Director Astralwerks Asia, who over the past six months has spearheaded label activity within Asia, successfully building campaigns to break international tracks including; Surf Mesa's "ily (I love you baby)" and
Marshmello & Halsey's "
Be Kind" in the region. Baker will continue to be based in the U.S. and will work alongside Cindy to build the future of the label worldwide. Prior to joining Astralwerks, Baker worked for ATM Artists, working across management clients including;
DJ Snake and
Axwell / Ingrosso amongst others.
Astralwerks Asia was launched in
September 2019 at All That Matters, Singapore. The news coincided with the launch of Def Jam SEA, Ingrooves and Spinnup, as well as the opening of the new UMG SEA Singapore based regional headquarters. The slate announcement reaffirmed UMG's commitment and investment into the long-term development and transformation of its regional operations.
