Myles Smith’s expanded team target global push as countdown begins for debut album next month
Myles Smith’s expanded management team are targeting key international markets ahead of the release of his debut album and first arena tour.
The Music Week cover star has already racked up more than four billion global streams ahead of dropping his maiden LP, My Mess, My Heart, My Life, via RCA on June 19. His breakthrough Top 5 smash Stargazing has current UK sales of 2,033,287 according to the Official Charts Company, while fellow hit Nice To Meet You has sales of 1,104,245.
The Luton singer-songwriter has reinforced his backroom setup over the past year with the addition of Closer Artists’ Ryan Lofthouse and Paul McDonald, who join day-one managers Eric Parker and Paul Jeboda at Extended Play Music Group, alongside day-to-day manager Kirsty Richardson and head of marketing Selina Barnow.
Speaking in the June issue of Music Week, Parker explained the rationale behind the decision.
“When you have a global hit followed by another global hit, you tend to be in very high demand and the pressure on the artist becomes exponential,” said Parker. “I decided I wanted to build a team around Myles that was very much tailored to him. I think that having a team who has been here before, who also are a steady pair of hands and great people, especially when we are playing arenas for the first time, has been very helpful. The best teams are those where it’s not about one person who’s some genius or who knows everything.”
Closer Artists co-MD Lofthouse agreed the coalition made all the sense in the world.
“It was like, ‘We’ve got a ton of experience, you’re flying, so let’s see if by combining your enthusiasm and momentum with us in the background in an overarching, strategic, campaign-based role, we can add some value to it.’” said Lofthouse. “I think our reputation is for artists who maintain credibility and have careers beyond their supernova and viral moments.”
Smith has emerged as the standout success of Stacey Tang and Glyn Aikins’ tenure as RCA UK co-presidents since their appointment in February 2023.
“In terms of us taking over [at the label] to him being the first artist to break globally, it’s definitely been a flagship success,” said Aikins. “It keeps us all focused on building on that and taking learnings from it in how we develop artists.”
Parker noted that Music Week Awards Strat winner Jason Iley, Sony Music UK & Ireland chairman & CEO, was also heavily invested in Smith.
“Jason said, ‘I will be your champion, I will back you no matter what from the start’, and that has not changed,” said Parker. “It’s rare to see someone like Jason constantly so involved in a project. He wants to know everything, and he does know everything.”
RCA UK A&R director Joe Iddison said the key for Smith thus far has been “to release music consistently and build genuine fan connection”.
“To do that, you need a catalogue of songs that mean something to people,” he said. “We’ve released three EPs and several collaborations so far, and that’s helped build a global fanbase who are now ready for a debut.”
Whilst Stargazing changed everything, it doesn’t define him. It’s the thing that opened the door
Glyn Aikins, RCA UK
Despite Smith’s rapid progress to date, Aikins said that My Mess, My Heart, My Life is “the first time you really see Myles in full”.
“The world met him through Stargazing and Nice To Meet You, but this album shows the depth behind those moments,” he said. “There’s a level of intention which shows that he understands himself as an artist in a way maybe he didn’t 18 months ago.”
He continued: “Whilst Stargazing changed everything, it doesn’t define him. It’s the thing that opened the door, and all of the music we’ve released has been in service of helping him build a fanbase.”
Referencing the achievements of other UK acts such as Olivia Dean and Sam Fender, Aikins suggested that Smith was “firmly part of the renaissance of big, successful British artists”.
“I’d argue Myles came at the beginning of that wave, particularly with Stargazing, because everything seemed to come after that,” he said. “Of course, we’ll take the learnings from other success stories, as I’m sure they are taking from his.”
Aikins further highlighted the importance of developing Smith’s global fanbase by focusing on specific territories.
“Germany, for example, is a really big market for Myles, which he keeps revisiting,” he said. “Scandinavia and France are also examples of where his music has really resonated and he keeps going back. Of course, there’s America as well, which has seen a lot of success. You need to be committed to spending a lot of time there if you want to build on any success you achieve, which Myles is doing.”
Myles has all the right attributes to be a stadium or festival headline artist
Craig D’Souza, WME
Lofthouse added that Closer, whose roster includes acts such as George Ezra, James Bay, James Morrison, Calum Scott and Snow Patrol, is also helping guide Smith’s international plans.
“Stylistically, all of our artists had come from a similar place to Myles and we knew the lay of the land in all these territories and how much time was needed in each one,” he said. “We helped sift through it and make the diary more efficient.”
Smith will embark on his first arena tour in late 2026, with a landmark show at The O2 in London on November 20 already sold out. Craig D’Souza, partner at Smith’s booking agent WME, tipped the artist to go all the way to the top on the live scene.
“Myles has all the right attributes to be a stadium or festival headline artist,” he said. “He has talent, ability, understanding of the steps needed, attention to detail in his craft and work rate. No one can say they want it more for Myles than he wants it for himself, which is absolutely the right way round.”
Subscribers can read the full Myles Smith cover story here.
