Wise Music Group signs pop publishing deal with Josepehine Stephenson

13 September 2024 - Press release

Campbell Connelly, part of Wise Music Group, has signed an exclusive songwriter agreement with Josephine Stephenson. The deal further cements Stephenson’s relationship with WMG as her concert repertoire is published by Leduc through our offices in Paris.

Josephine is a French-British composer, arranger and performer working across contemporary classical and indie music. A sought-after collaborator, she has worked as arranger and/or performer with prominent artists including Damon Albarn, Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys and Daughter. Her concert music, described by The Times as ‘music to arrest the ears and stop the heart’, has been commissioned by institutions such as the BBC, Radio France, Wigmore Hall and Kings Place, performed by the likes of London Sinfonietta, Aurora Orchestra and Ensemble Intercontemporain, and broadcast on France Musique and BBC Radio 3. She won an Ivor Novello award in 2023.

The first track released under her alias Juneson was a collaboration with French singer-songwriter Laura Cahen, produced by Mike Lindsay, entitled Si Rien Ne Bouge. More timely is Cahen's recent single ‘Quitter la ville', which Josephine co-composed, a nod to the urban exodus of the pre-Olympic summer but also a call for freedom, revolt & love! You can see it here. With the release of the album expected in 2025 there’s a great deal to look forward to.

A word from Josephine on the signing: “I’m really happy to enter this further relationship with Wise Music around my pop repertoire — the songs I’ve contributed to over the years as collaborator but also the output of my own solo project Juneson. Wise is home to so many composers I admire who regularly cross borders and I’m delighted to be part of a family that embraces the whole spectrum of my work. I see this as the start of a fresh chapter in which I’ll allow myself to delve into new avenues of creativity in my music.” 

We are equally happy and very much look forward to developing Josephine’s pop career. Wiebke Busch, Managing Director, UK Rights Companies, comments: “We are honoured to join Josephine Stephenson on her creative journey with all her work. We strongly believe in her unique artistry which manifests itself in many different ways: first and foremost, in her own music but also via far-reaching collaborations. Her originality is a great inspiration.”