NEAR TRUTHS: LUCKY LOUSADA AND WMG’S ROLL

Warner Records’ serious hot streak and early success from WMG’s partnership with 10K Projects are adding up to what looks like a stellar year for the group—underscoring that Max Lousada is a formidable poker player. 10K's Artemas now has the biggest streaming song in the world.

Indeed, after his successful bets on Elliot Grainge and the Aaron Bay-Schuck-Tom Corson tandem—and with Atlantic finally starting to warm up—we’re wondering if Lousada will let us accompany him on his next trip to Vegas. Robert Kyncl says he’s all in.

And now we see Grainge’s shop generating fresh heat. U.K. artist/producer Artemas—whom 10k has been developing for the last year or so—has zoomed into Spotify’s global #1 and U.S. #3 with “I like the way you kiss me.” Artemas’ previous single, “if you think I’m pretty,” stirred TikTok action while amassing 100m+ streams globally. Artemas, like all 10K projects via WMG, is distribbed by ADA.

The global appeal of “kiss” is clear in Germany, where it sits at #1 on Spotify with nearly 1m daily streams—double those of the #2 cut—and in the U.K., where it hit a new high of #6 last week.

We’ve discussed Warner’s extraordinary run with Zach Bryan, Benson Boone and Teddy Swims, new breakout Michael Marcagi and hot viral inking Dasha. Add a new album from Dua Lipa and you’re off to the races.

Another 10K comer, 20-year-old rapper Rich Amiri, is generating strong activity. The SoundCloud sensation’s “ONE CALL” is currently in Spotify’s U.S. Top 25, having peaked at #13 previously, and is making noise at TikTok.