Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), a leading, global music publisher, today announced that hit producer and songwriter Cirkut has been signed to an exclusive, global publishing agreement. 

Henry Walter, professionally known as Cirkut, has written and produced numerous Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles including "Part of Me,” "Roar" and "Dark Horse" by Katy Perry, "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus, “Sugar” and “Girls Like U” by Maroon 5, “Sweet but Psycho” and “Kings & Queens” by his own discovery Ava Max (who he developed and executive produced) and more. He produced seven songs on The Weeknd’s album ‘Starboy’ which won the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album. Most recently, the Canadian producer/writer collaborated on Kanye West’s 10th studio album ‘Donda’ for the standout track “Hurricane” featuring The Weeknd and Lil Baby.

Said Cirkut, “I’m thrilled to be working with such an awesome group of people at UMPG. This marks an exciting next chapter for me and I couldn’t ask for a better team to help me achieve my goals.” 

Lillia Parsa, Senior Vice President of A&R at UMPG, said: “We are so thrilled to welcome the talented Cirkut to our UMPG family! He is such a force and the mastermind behind some of music’s biggest sounds. We are very much looking forward to what we will build together and happy to be supporting him in the next chapters of his career.”

Luke McGrellis, Vice President of A&R at UMPG, added: “It is a dream getting to work with a writer/producer like Cirkut. His track record is second to none, and his drive and dedication to his art are continually inspiring. We’re honored that he chose us to be his new publishing partner and look forward to amplifying his success.”

Throughout his career, Cirkut has co-produced and co-written for superstars including Rihanna, Kanye West, Maroon 5, Pitbull, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, The Weeknd, Britney Spears, Jessie J, Kesha, Shakira, Nicki Minaj, B.o.B and more. Cirkut won the Juno Awards’ Producer of the Year, earned a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year for Katy Perry’s “Roar” and produced seven songs on The Weeknd’s ‘Starboy’ album which won the Grammy award for Best Urban Contemporary Album in 2017.

Photo credit: Julia Lowe
L-R: Mike Caren, APG; Luke Mitzman, 100 Management; Cirkut; Lillia Parsa, SVP of A&R, UMPG; Luke McGrellis, VP of A&R, UMPG; Jayson Boyarski, Boyarski Fritz LLP