Digital superstar, actor and singer Lele Pons has signed an exclusive global recording agreement with Universal Music Group’s 10:22 pm.
In announcing the deal, the music company said UMG and 10:22 pm will work with Shots Studios, which also represents Pons as a production and management company, to develop her music recording career.
On Friday, Aug. 17, UMG will release Pons’ first single under the new partnership, “Celoso” (“Jealousy”), with what the company said will be “extensive planned support” from all major streaming platforms. The release of “Celoso” follows on the success of Pons’ first-ever music release “Dicen,” a duet released earlier this summer with Transcend.ent/Universal Music Latino artist Matt Hunter.
“Music has always meant so much to me and this opportunity can help me push myself to take the next step as an artist,” Pons said in a statement. “I feel great about joining the Universal Music family because they understand what I want to do musically and creatively.”
In just three months, “Dicen” surpassed 100 million views on YouTube, achieved platinum certification through the RIAA’s Latin Program, and also hit Spotify’s Top 3 Latin music playlists. She also has collaborated in videos with such artists as Justin Bieber, Marshmello, Camila Cabello, J Balvin, Anitta and Zedd.
“Lele is the modern definition of a triple threat,” Celine Joshua, who founded and oversees 10:22 pm, said in a statement. “She is a global entertainer who attracts tens of millions of viewers through digital screens. For anyone who has followed Lele’s career, music and dance are at the core of her storytelling and I’m honored to work alongside [Shots Studios co-founders] John and Sam Shahidi to expand her already passionate fanbase through music, premium content and consumer products.”
Joshua joined UMG this past February after executive posts at Sony’s Epic Records and Disney.
The 22-year-old Pons, a Latin-Italian native of Venezuela who moved to Miami as a young child, is one of the world’s biggest Latina digital entertainers across multiple platforms. She has over 26 million followers on Instagram — and she ranked as the most-viewed Instagram Stories producer in 2017 — and has more than 10 million subscribers on YouTube, with videos on her channel garnering over 110 million monthly views.
“Lele is a Swiss Army knife of entertainment,” said Sam Shahidi. “She is an amazing actor, director, writer, dancer, singer. All of us at Shots Studios are excited about the partnership with Celine Joshua, 10:22 pm, and the entire UMG family on making music the next chapter of Lele’s career.”
Added John Shahidi, “The teams at UMG and 10:22 pm have been great to work with. They understand Lele’s vision of music and content, so it’s become a great fit and another great way to take her career to another level.”
Pons is repped by WME and managed by John Shahidi.
In May, Pons was announced as the new host of Televisa’s “La Voz México,” the Mexican version of “The Voice” singing competition. Most recently, Pons appeared on Fox’s 2018 Teen Choice Awards on Sunday (Aug. 12), where she and co-host Nick Cannon joined “Dance Moms” star JoJo Siwa for a dance routine on the giant bed frame that Bebe Rexha used to perform “I’m a Mess.
