Ezekiel “Zeke” Lewis is an American record executive, songwriter, and producer. He is the current President of Epic Records and previously served as the Senior VP of A&R at Motown Records.[1][2][3] He is also the founder of the music publishing company Bar Music Group and the songwriting and producing collective The Clutch.[1]
Ezekiel Lewis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | |
| Education | Morehouse College |
| Occupation(s) | Record executive, songwriter, producer |
Early life and education
editLewis grew up in Montgomery, Alabama.[4] Lewis graduated from Morehouse College.[1]
Career
editLewis signed with David Foster’s 143 Records as a musician after graduating from college.[1][2] He served as a composer for Luther Vandross’s Grammy-winning album Dance with My Father, which was released in 2003.[1][5]
In 2004, Lewis co-founded songwriting and production collective The Clutch, crafting songs for artists such as Mary J. Blige, Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, Omarion, Fantasia, Jennifer Lopez, Ciara, and Timbaland.[3][6] Notable credits from this period include Mary J. Blige’s Grammy-winning 2005 classic The Breakthrough,.[1][5] "Freakshow" and “Radar” from Britney Spears' 2007 opus Blackout,[7] and Justin Bieber's 2009 triple-platinum hit “One Less Lonely Girl.”[8]
He worked closely with R&B singer Trey Songz, contributing to his first album I Gotta Make It in 2005.[3][5][9]
Lewis founded the music publishing company Bar Music Group in 2010.[1]
The company represents a number of artists, songwriters and producers including John “SK” McGee (Future, Trey Songz, Pusha T, Kevin Gates) and Najja McDowell (Trey Songz’ “2 Reasons” featuring T.I., “Simply Amazing” and “Dive In”). He started to climb the label ranks in 2011, when he was named Senior Vice President of A&R at Motown Records in 2011.[1][10] While at Motown Records, he worked on music by artists such as Ne-Yo, Lil Yachty, and T.I.[1][5]
With a knack for sniffing out hits and lifting great artists to new heights, in 2017, Lewis was appointed Executive Vice President of A&R at Epic Records.[11][12] In this capacity, he worked on music with artists such as 21 Savage, the Black Eyed Peas, Future, and Meghan Trainor.[1][11] He also contributed to Mariah Carey’s 2018 album Caution.[5][13] He did production work on Kevin Hart’s Grammy-nominated 2018 comedy album What Now?[2][14]
Lewis also spearheaded major comebacks for the Black Eyed Peas and Meghan Trainor. The exec helped guide Black Eyed Peas on their 2020 album Translation, which included the smash hits “Ritmo (Bad Boys for Life)” and “Mamacita.” which were included in Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart.[15]
Additionally, he shaped Meghan Trainor’s 2022 album Takin’ It Back, which produced the viral smash "Made You Look."[16] During this period, he also A&R'd Giveon’s 2022 album Give or Take.[16]
In 2023, Lewis was appointed President of Epic Records, shepherding the likes of rising pop stars Madison Beer and Zara Larsson to massive success.[1][3][17] He was also named to Billboard’s Power 100 List[11] and was honored at the Creative Community for Peace’s fifth annual Ambassadors for Peace event.[18] The accolades continued in 2024, Lewis being named Billboard Executive of the Week for his work on Tyla’s song “Water.”[19]
Select Discography
edit| Year | Artist | Work | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Luther Vandross | Dance With My Father | Composer |
| 2005 | Trey Songz | I Gotta Make It | Composer |
| 2005 | Mary J. Blige | Take Me As I Am | Composer |
| 2006 | Jagged Edge | Jagged Edge | Composer |
| 2006 | The Isley Brothers / Ronald Isley | Baby Makin' Music | Producer, Vocal (Background), Voice Arrangement, Vocal Producer, Composer |
| 2006 | Omarion | 21 | Composer |
| 2007 | Kevin Michael | Kevin Michael | Composer |
| 2007 | Mario | Go | Composer |
| 2007 | Omarion | Ice Box | Composer |
| 2007 | Britney Spears | Freakshow | Co-writer |
| 2007 | Britney Spears | Radar | Co-writer |
| 2007 | Keke Palmer | So Uncool | Composer |
| 2008 | Amerie | Because I love You | Composer |
| 2008 | Danity Kane | Anonymous Hit Pack | Composer |
| 2008 | Danity Kane | Welcome to the Dollhouse | Composer |
| 2008 | Donnie Klang | Just A Rolling Stone | Composer |
| 2008 | The Pussy Cat Dolls | Doll Domination | Composer |
| 2008 | Tiffany Evans | Tiffany Evans | Composer |
| 2008 | Britney Spears | Circus | Composer |
| 2008 | Jesse McCartney | Departure | Drum Programming, Vocals (Background), Songwriter, Composer |
| 2009 | Ginuwine | A Man'sThoughts | Vocal Producer |
| 2009 | Keril Hilson | In a Perfect World | Composer |
| 2009 | Justin Bieber | My World | Composer, Producer |
| 2009 | Chris Cornell | Part of Me | Composer |
| 2009 | Various Artists | Punk Goes Pop, Vol. 2 | Composer |
| 2009 | Chris Cornell | Scream | Vocals (Background), Composer |
| 2009 | Noel Gourdin | After My Time | Composer |
| 2009 | Britney Spears | Circus | Composer |
| 2009 | Justin Bieber | One Less Lonely Girl | Composer |
| 2010 | Justin Bieber | My Worlds Acoustic | Composer |
| 2010 | Justin Bieber | My Worlds | Composer |
| 2010 | Trey Songz | Passion, Pain & Pleasure | Composer |
| 2010 | Piano Tribute Players | Piano Tribute to Justin Bieber | Composer |
| 2010 | Jaheim | Another Round | Composer |
| 2010 | Ronald Isley | Mr. I | Composer |
| 2011 | Britney Spears | B in the Mix: The Remixes, Vol. 2 | Composer |
| 2011 | Justin Bieber | Chartbuster Karaoke Gold : Justin Bieber | Composer |
| 2011 | Various Artists | Clubbers Guide 2011 | Vocal Producer |
| 2011 | Various Artists | Ibiza Annual 2011 | Vocal Producer |
| 2012 | Trey Songz | Chapter V | Composer |
| 2012 | The OMG Girlz | Where the boys At | Composer |
| 2012 | Britney Spears | Femme Fatale/Circus | Composer |
| 2013 | Britney Spears | In the Zone/Circus | Composer |
| 2013 | Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas Album | The Florida Files | A & R composer, Producer |
| 2013 | B. Smith | The Florida Files | Composer |
| 2014 | Trey Songz | Trigga | Composer |
| 2015 | Kevin Ross | Dream | Composer |
| 2016 | Kevin Ross | Push It On Me | Composer |
| 2017 | Kevin Ross | Look Up | Composer |
| 2018 | Chris Cornell | Chris Cornell | Composer, Backing Vocals |
| 2020 | Black Eyed Peas | Translations | Composer |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Mitchell, Gail (2023-06-01). "Ezekiel Lewis Promoted to President of Epic Records". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ a b c "Ezekiel 'Zeke' Lewis named EVP of A&R at Epic Records in Los Angeles". Music Business Worldwide. 2018-01-23. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ a b c d Aswad, Jem (2023-06-01). "Ezekiel Lewis Named President of Epic Records". Variety. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ Lewis, Simon Glickman and Miles Marshall. "A TASTE OF RAINMAKERS: EZEKIEL LEWIS". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
- ^ a b c d e "Ezekiel Lewis Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ "The Clutch Talks Songwriting at Emory University". BMI.com. 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ Jackson, Mitchell (2023-06-18). "The history of a Britney Spears masterpiece". The Spectator World. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ Benitez-Eves, Tina (2024-02-11). "3 Songs You Didn't Know Usher Wrote For, and With, Justin Bieber". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ Lewis, Simon Glickman and Miles Marshall. "A TASTE OF RAINMAKERS: EZEKIEL LEWIS". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ "Ezekiel Lewis Named President of Epic Records". 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ a b c bigced (2023-06-02). "Ezekiel Lewis Promoted to President of Epic Records". The Industry Cosign. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ Staff, Variety (2018-01-23). "Epic Records Names Ezekiel Lewis EVP of A&R". Variety. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ Leight, Elias (2018-11-21). "Mariah Carey Made Her Best Album of the Decade by Taking Back Control". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ "IT'S OFFICIAL: ZEKE IS NEW EPIC EVP, A&R". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ Flores, Griselda (2020-12-17). "Why Latin Music Couldn't Get Enough of Sampling In 2020". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ a b "Ezekiel Lewis Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
- ^ Legrand, Emmanuel (2023-06-02). "Ezekiel Lewis promoted to President of Epic Records with a focus on A&R". Creative Industries News. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ "PEACE MAKERS". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ Rys, Dan (2024-01-19). "How Tyla's 'Water' Flooded the Airwaves & Catapulted Its Star to the Global Stage". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-03-31.