00:00Hello everyone, I hope you're well. I have the honor of being here as a musician and a slightly different
00:08perspective on what it means to be an independent label, what it means to be a record label, and I'm
00:15very, very honored to celebrate Partizan Records.
00:18And the reason for that celebration is because I feel the job of a record label is to make us
00:28as an artist be the best version of ourselves, to elevate it, to strengthen it, and to champion it.
00:35And every Zoom call, every argument, every text message, and everything in between, Partizan have really truly embodied what it
00:45means to make us the best version of ourselves.
00:47Whether that means agreeing or disagreeing, it always comes from a place of love, and it comes from a place
00:54of championing exactly who we are.
00:56And it's my honor to let you know that the executive of the year is a woman called Xena White.
01:04Yes. And no one could deserve this more because of the personal patience that she has shown me, and I
01:14even dragged her to Lagos, Nigeria, and we partied hard for seven days with no sleep, and that's when I
01:19realized she is a real G.
01:21So everyone, could you make some noise for the executive of the year, Xena White.
01:33Thanks, Femi.
01:35Well, I don't know if...
01:36Because Femi obviously is a very great orator, so maybe not everybody in this room knows that the UK government
01:46actually changed their policy on how they support youth clubs because of his one Brit Award speech.
01:52So having him come and present this award definitely takes the pressure off.
01:56So I'm just going to say a few thank yous.
02:00First of all, it's nine years since I moved to New York, and my A2IM family, who took me into
02:08their arms and took me onto their board and gave me the only executive experience that I had come into
02:16contact with as an independent music staff member at that point in time.
02:21But also to Billboard, Dan Rees, who put so much into this Indie Power Players.
02:30Every year, you shine a light on our sector.
02:34And Eric, who captured 19 years of passionate hard work at Partisan in two pages of this edition.
02:40To Virgin Music Group, your belief in support is allowing us to scale and genuinely compete with established players with
02:47much bigger pockets than us.
02:50To all of the staff at Partisan in New York and LA and London and Berlin, who care so deeply
02:56about what it is that they do and who we'd be nothing without.
03:00And I think Femi was speaking to that when he's talking about those conversations and that honesty that's coming throughout
03:07the entire team.
03:10You're all a class act, and you make me so proud every day.
03:15But honestly, we're here because of the artists, and it's going to be an absolute joy to see Ezra conquer
03:24America this year with their new album here, Because of Hope.
03:28And Daniel Kessler's in the room from Interpol.
03:31I think that this one's really personal for me.
03:33The 20-year-old me can't believe that we're working together now.
03:37Interpol were the highlight of my first ever Glastonbury, which anyone who knows me knows that that's like a massive
03:42deal.
03:44Cigarettes After Sex, the success we've had together has made it possible for us to do this on a much
03:49bigger scale.
03:51Geese and Cameron Winter, thank you for making truly uncompromising music that has given so many music fans hope that
04:00there's a life beyond the algorithm.
04:03And all of the artists, honestly, that we've had the privilege of working for now and in the past.
04:10You know, art's not a luxury.
04:12It's necessary for us to connect and understand with one another as well as ourselves.
04:16It can be a bomb, an escape, and in some cases, even a lifesaver.
04:21Working with Fontaine's DC for their first three albums is a huge part of our story.
04:26Sadly, they announced the passing of their long-time manager, Trevor Dietz, today.
04:31Trevor was with the band from day zero.
04:33He believed in them before they did in themselves.
04:36He was always sure of what they could and would be, from the back room of a Dublin pub to
04:40a headlining Reading Festival this summer.
04:43Trevor will be deeply missed, but in his memory, let us never forget that that unwavering belief that he lived
04:49for
04:49is the most important thing when we're supporting artists.
04:52Thank you, my boss.
04:54Thank you, everybody.
04:54Woooo!
04:59Thanks, you, Ashley.
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