‘Strangers’ Singer-Songwriter-Producer, Kenya Grace, signs with PPL for international royalties collection
UK music licensing company PPL has announced the signing of BRITs nominated artist Kenya Grace for the collection of international neighbouring rights royalties. She joins a host of artists who signed with PPL recently for international collections including Central Cee, Lewis Capaldi and Ice Spice.
Grace has been writing and producing songs from a young age and went on to study music at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford. Her eclectic mix of electronic, drum and bass and R&B has seen her star rise quickly over the past nine months. Her self-produced track ‘Strangers’ seeped into the public consciousness in July 2023 when she began sharing it on social media. It was officially released in September and peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart. Already gold-certified, ‘Strangers’ was nominated for song of the year at the BRITs this year. Grace is the second British female to reach number one with a song performed, written and produced entirely on her own, second only to Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’.
Headquartered in London, PPL licenses the use of recorded music in the UK and collects neighbouring rights royalties on behalf of performers and recording rightsholders worldwide. On signing with PPL, Grace will benefit from the expertise of its 200+ team, cutting-edge data processing technology, and a network of over 110 agreements with collective management organisations (CMOs) internationally, as the company begins to collect royalties on her behalf for the use of her music on radio, TV and in public spaces around the world.
Welcoming Grace to PPL, Chief Membership and People Officer Kate Reilly said: “Kenya is a fantastic talent, who combines world-class production skills, great songwriting and superb performance. With a gold-certified number one single and a BRIT nomination under her belt, ‘Strangers’ is also proving to be a tremendous success globally. We are so happy she has chosen PPL as her partner to collect her neighbouring rights income.”
Kenya Grace said: “The music business can be complicated to navigate, especially as a new artist, but PPL is the real deal, and you know you are in good hands. PPL’s combination of global reach, expertise and member focus means it’s the best organisation to collect my neighbouring rights royalties around the world.”
Photo Credit: Kenya Grace by Michelle Hèlena Janssen
