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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Business
Naomi Ackerman

Hipgnosis buys 105-song back catalogue from Camila Cabello and Justin Bieber’s Grammy-winning songwriter Watt

Watt co-wrote Camila Cabello’s hit Havana

(Picture: PA)

Grammy-winning producer Andrew Wotman, aka. Watt, has become the latest big name to sell his back catalogue to London-listed songs investment fund, Hipgnosis,

Watt has co-written five of the Top 100 most-streamed songs of all time, working with stars including Justin Bieber, Camila Cabello and Youngblood.

Hipgnosis, which has raised more than £1 billion from investors since floating in 2018, said it also has a matching right to Watt's future songs as part of the deal. 

The fund, launched by Merck Mercuriadis, former manager to Beyoncé, has been on a buying spree this year - snapping up rights ranging from Michael Bublé albums to music by Neil Young, and Shakira’s 145-song back catalogue.

Mercuriadis said Watt "is arguably the most important writer and producer in the world today" and that the producer will be an "incredibly important part of our future".

Watt, who also counts hits with Miley Cyrus, Due Lipa and Post Malone in his 105-song catalogue, said the move was a "no brainer" and praised Mercuriadis for being "in the process of changing the game for songwriters" by putting "creators first".

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