GRAMMY-nominated songwriter Justin Tranter, co-writer of Halsey's "Bad At Love" and Justin Bieber's "Sorry," is teaming up with A&R executive Katie Vinten and Warner Bros. Records to form Facet Records, which aims to house the "next generation of superstars,” Warner Bros. has announced.
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“Justin is a true visionary and one of the greatest songwriters in the game, with a remarkable ability to bring the best out of people," Warner Bros. Records Co-Chairman & CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck said in a statement. "Katie is a brilliant A&R person who has been the guiding force behind an incredible roster of chart-topping songwriters, Justin among them.”
Tranter is a highly regarded songwriter and has been widely recognized by the Recording Academy. In 2017, at the 60th GRAMMY Awards, Tranter earned a Song Of The Year GRAMMY nomination for Julia Michael's "Issues."
“I am beyond honored and excited to begin this next chapter with Warner Bros. Records,” Tranter said in statement. “It makes perfect sense to partner with my queen Katie Vinten on this label venture, since we built my songwriting career from the ground up."
Vinten and Tranter have worked with Warner Bros. on artists’ projects, including Selena Gomez, Gwen Stefani and Imagine Dragons. With the continuing collaboration Tranter hopes to "change other people’s lives as well."
Tranter told the GRAMMY Museum's "Required Listening" podcast that as a teen he was inspired by many female songwriters of the ‘90s era, including Courtney Love and Tori Amos.
He also spoke about his close relationship Julia Michaels. "Obviously, me and Julia have written an insane amount of songs together. At that point, when we wrote 'Issues,' we were already really close. To write something as raw and honest and bare your soul as 'Issues,' you kind of really need to know somebody."
READ: Songwriter Justin Tranter: Women Tell Awesome Stories | "Required Listening"
Tranter, an advocate for songwriters and the LGBT community, said he named the label ‘Facet’ "because the most precious stones deserve thought-out, passionate facets to make them really shine."
"Justin is a fierce champion for artists and their songwriting peers, takes risks, dares to be different and fights daily for the causes they believe in, both within and outside the scope of the music business," Bay-Schuck said.
With the new label, Tranter hopes to continue elevating voices.
"Once I got into pop songwriting, I was kind of just ready to help other people tell their stories. … I'm here to facilitate, and structure, and grow, and make things a little more fabulous and a little more urgent," he said.
