Nir Seroussi

Nir Seroussi' (born October 17, 1975) is a music executive, producer^[1] and award-winning songwriter. He is the current President of Sony Music Latin^[2] a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and home to many international Latin artists^[3] such as Marc Anthony, Chayanne, Gloria Estefan, Enrique Iglesias, Julio Iglesias, Nicky Jam, Ricky Martin, Prince Royce, Romeo Santos, Shakira, Carlos Vives, Wisin and Yandel, among others.^[4]

Early life and Education

Born in Ramat Gan, Israel to Uruguayan parents, Nir Seroussi relocated with his family to Caracas, Venezuela in his early years. He grew up immersed in diverse styles of music from all over the world. He started playing the piano at the age of 5 and the guitar at 12. His uncle Ruben Seroussi^[5] is a classical guitarist and composer and his first cousin once removed Edwin Seroussi is a contemporary Israeli musicologist. His mother, Aida Seroussi,^[6] is a pianist and a sculptor. In 1993, Nir Seroussi moved to the United States to attend to Berklee College of Music in Boston. He majored in Music Business/Management and graduated summa cum laude .

Career

Nir Seroussi began his career in music publishing in 1998 at Insignia Music (founded by K.C. Porter ).^[7] As General Manager, he headed the company’s joint ventures with Universal Music Publishing Group and Famous Music. Seroussi left Insignia Music in 2000 to pursue songwriting full-time. In 2002, he joined EMI Latin as Vice President of Marketing and A&R .

In 2004, on the heels of the Sony/BMG merger, he was named Vice President of Marketing and A&R at Sony BMG US Latin. In 2011, he was appointed Managing Director of Sony Music Latin and three years later was promoted to President. During his tenure at Sony, Seroussi signed a number of artists, including La Adictiva Banda San José De Mesillas, Bomba Estereo, Diego Boneta,^[8] Ileana Cabra, De La Tierra, Fanny Lu, Fonseca,^[9] Farruko,^[10] Gente De Zona, Leslie Grace,^[11] Nicky Jam,^[12] Mau & Ricky Montaner,^[13] Gerardo Ortiz,^[14] Intocable, Joan Sebastian,^[15] José Luis Rodriguez "El Puma", Prince Royce,^[16] Wisin,^[17] Yandel^[18] and Charlie Zaa. Nir Seroussi was included on the 2012 Best Bets list in Billboard. That same year he was also the recipient of the Chai Lifeline Legacy of Hope Award . Seroussi was profiled in Billboard’s annual 40 Under 40 Power Players^[19] list in 2013,^[20] 2014^[21] and 2015.^[22] In 2015, he was named a Latin Power Player by Billboard.^[23]

Contribution to Regional Mexican music

Shortly after arriving in Los Angeles in the late 90’s, Nir Seroussi was introduced to a music genre he never knew existed: Regional Mexican.

In the early 2000s, Seroussi’s worked as songwriter, A&R and marketing executive with Regional Mexican superstars Intocable and A.B. Quintanilla III , brother of the late singer Selena. During this period, A.B. Quintanilla’s group Los Kumbia Kings released multi-platinum selling albums "All Mixed Up: Los Remixes" (Platinum) , "IV" (2X Platinum) , "La Historia" (2X Platinum), "Fuego" (4X Platinum) and "Los Remixes Vol. 2.0" (Platinum), while Intocable released "Sueños" (2X Platinum), "La Historia" (2X Platinum), "Nuestro Destino Estaba Escrito" (2X Platinum), "Íntimamente" (Platinum) and "Diez" (2X Platinum).

In 2007, Seroussi spearheaded the unprecedented comeback campaign of Mexico’s living legend Vicente Fernandez . The album "Para Siempre" became the year’s best-selling Latin album (5x Platinum) and was followed by Vicente’s most successful U.S. tour in four decades.^[24]

In a trip to Sonora in 2008, Mexico he discovered a group called Los Pikadientes ("The Toothpicks") from the small town of Caborca. Seroussi signed Los Pikadientes on the spot and their first single "La Cumbia Del Rio" was a No. 1 hit in the U.S .^[25] The group’s Grammy -nominated debut album was certified Platinum + Gold.

In 2010, Seroussi signed 20-year-old Gerardo Ortiz,^[26] a young singer-songwriter from Pasadena, California who has become the most successful Regional Mexican artist of the decade. With six number-one albums, Ortiz is the sole record holder for most crowning albums from any artist since 2010.^[27]

Songwriting

Nir Seroussi is an award-winning songwriter^[28] who has composed for many Latin artists in different genres: Pop (Chelo, OV7, Ozomatli, Pee Wee, Reik, Ricardo Montaner, Yuridia), Regional Mexican (A.B. Quintanilla III & Los Kumbia Kings, Chicos De Barrio, Conjunto Primavera, German Lizárraga, Intocable, Pepe Aguilar, El Poder Del Norte) and Tropical (Melina León, Olga Tañon, Rey Ruiz).

In 2005, Seroussi received a BMI Latin Award for "Mi Gente" performed by A.B. Quintanilla y Los Kumbia Kings featuring Ozomatli. He also earned another BMI Latin Award in 2014 for "Prometiste" performed by Pepe Aguilar.^[29]

References