‘A cultural phenomenon’: Warner Music China CEO on new hip-hop label

Jonathan Serbin, CEO of Warner Music Greater China, has spoken to Headliner about the launch of the company’s new hip-hop label Asiatic Records, the signing of rap icon RAMENGVRL as its flagship artist and the lack of female representation across the genre in the region.

The newly launched label will be dedicated to supporting the best hip-hop and rap talent from across the region. It will offer Asia’s most exciting hip-hop artists the support they need to develop their careers, raise the profile of the genre, and introduce its stars to a global audience.

While it will support the most promising emerging talent across the continent regardless of gender, Asiatic promises to make a concerted effort to support female artists in the region.

The first artist to join its roster is RAMENGVRL, one of Southeast Asia’s foremost hip-hop performers. Raised in Indonesia, her music career took off in 2017 when she became one of the first female rappers to break into the male-dominated local hip-hop scene.

She took home the prize for Hip-Hop Song of the Year at the Anugerah Musik Indonesia Awards in 2018 and 2019, and was also featured in Forbes Indonesia’s 2021 ‘30-under-30’ special edition. She recently released two singles, I’m Ugly and Ain’t No MF Like Me (feat. pH-1), as her first official releases with Asiatic Records.

“I’m very excited to join Asiatic Records and the Warner Music family. Making it in Indonesia with music that defies conservative views is one crazy accomplishment,” she said. “Now, with Warner Music’s support, I’m ready to make my mark across the rest of Asia, and beyond. I’m so glad that the team at Asiatic Records is fully in line with this vision and my unapologetic f-what you think style. They have built an amazing team to support me and I can’t wait for the world to hear more of the songs we’re working on!”

Here, Headliner speaks to Serbin about his plans for the label and the cultural impact the genre is making in the region…

What made you decide to launch this label?

The hip-hop, rap and R&B markets have been growing rapidly across Asia in recent years. From Japan to China to Southeast Asia, these genres have become a driving force in the music business, breaking superstars and setting trends. With the rise of digital platforms, hip-hop has proven to travel well across geographic boundaries. Artists can connect with fans not just in their home markets, but in countries throughout the wider region.

At Warner Music, we’ve witnessed outstanding talent emerging on the ground in various markets and saw the need for a highly-focused regional label that would amplify the voices of these great artists, not just in their own market, but across the vast region. Asia has a population of 4.5 billion – there is so much talent from all the different countries that deserves to be heard across the continent and beyond.

In addition, although Asiatic Records seeks to support all the most promising emerging talent across the continent regardless of gender, this label will lean heavily into supporting female artists in the region, as we believe there is an underrepresentation in recorded music of the incredible female talent from Asia working in the genre.

With Asiatic Records, we aim to create a home for the artists in the region that truly have the potential to be regional – and global – superstars. With the power of Warner Music Asia behind the new label, Asiatic Records boasts the best of both worlds: A dedicated team of genre-specific professionals, coupled with the reach and resources of a major label that has a strong, entrenched presence across the continent.

What does the launch of the label say about the buoyancy of the hip-hop scene in the region?

Hip-hop has become an important force in the music industry in Asia in the last few years. Clearly, it’s become a music and cultural phenomenon that is here to stay. Furthermore, we expect this already strong scene to continue to grow in the years ahead. The launch of Asiatic Records acknowledges this fact and reflects our dedication to supporting the genre as it continues to grow.

What is the international scope for the label?

Asiatic Records will utilise the combined experiences and resources of Warner Music throughout the continent to help our artists reach their full potential. Our mission is to help our talent reach the widest international audience – anchored in Asia and growing from there. Asiatic Records is structured to enable the singers to reach new markets beyond their home territory. Beyond that, we also aim to break them on a worldwide basis.

Again, we believe the best artists in the genre create music that can freely flow across regions and can touch and inspire fans wherever they live.

How much of a focus will there be on breaking new talent?

Asiatic Records will focus heavily on breaking new talent. We see so much amazing talent bubbling in the local scenes, and that’s why we strive to build bridges between and among these emerging stars. We aim to be true partners to these innovative artists, helping them reach an international audience.

At the same time, we have the infrastructure in place to help established artists – those that are already big in their home markets – to connect with new fans from around the world.

What can you tell us about the signing of and your plans for RAMENGVRL?

We were thrilled to announce the signing of RAMENGVRL as the first artist on Asiatic Records. She represents exactly what we are talking about – the promise of Asian artists in the genre to become true regional and international superstars.

RAMENGVRL is a unique talent who had dominated her home market of Indonesia, and was ready to expand her audience throughout Asia and beyond. While her songs excited and inspired a huge base in Indonesia, it was so clear to us that her music and message could resonate far beyond.

Her first release on Asiatic Records, I’m Ugly, demonstrates this potential perfectly. Her message of loving oneself despite imperfections and shaking off haters connected with an audience across the region and into the West. She’s really an inspiration and represents the type of artists we will continue to announce on our roster in the months ahead.

What kind of opportunities does this open for Warner Music?

This label opens new chapters – it gives us the opportunity to work with top-tier talent in the region in a deeper and more strategic way, utilising our incredibly wide range of resources to support the artists.

We serve as a partner to not just break the artists ‘in country’, but across a much wider region. From the start, we will plan and execute a multi-country international strategy with our singers, helping them to accelerate their careers in a way that other labels cannot.

Again, we believe a key advantage is having a knowledgeable, dedicated team of genre-specific professionals, coupled with the vast regional and international expertise of Warner Music.

What are the biggest challenges that come with launching a new label?

Of course, any new label needs to prove itself. We would expect to be judged by the quality of our artists and the music we release. Asiatic Records, like any new label, needs to prove that it stands for excellence, in whatever genre it competes in.

Also, it must prove itself to be a great partner to its artists; one that can help elevate their music and careers.

We are confident that Asiatic Records can step up to these challenges, and be the premiere record label for hip-hop, rap and R&B stars in Asia, shining a light on the best talent in these genres across the region, and bringing their music to the world.