JOSH KELLETT
Josh is an A&R Manager at Island Records, Australia. He has a tattoo on the inside of each arm - one is the name of his beloved Everton football club, and the other is of the ghostbusters emblem.
Which artists do you work with?
The great thing about Island Records is the diversity of artists we sign. We obviously all have our own tastes in music but at the end of the day, our mission statement is to sign what we love. I’ve been busy this year working with Andy Bull, The Cairos, Boy & Bear, Broods and The Naked & Famous.
How did you come to work at Island?
I actually started out as the A&R intern, which meant I did everything from getting coffee for people to listening to demo submissions to the standard office admin stuff. I did that for a few months before getting into an A&R assistant/scout role which I did for almost two years before getting into the role I’m in now – A&R Manager.
What would you love to find yourself doing in a year?
I’d love to take a nice overseas holiday, get a shitload of hits under my belt, and as a bonus be still living in Australia with a different government in charge because the one we have now is rubbish.
What are the important areas for education our industry?
Honestly, I think the biggest asset to have in the music business is a personality. It sounds obvious, but the industry is built on relationships, creative ideas, networking and entrepreneurship. You don’t need a Science or Economics degree; have a good record collection and an infectious passion for music and you’re off to a good start.
What industry issues would you like to see more unity on?
You’d be amazed at the number of people in the music business that aren’t fans of The Beatles. That’s a huge issue. For the sake of Lennon and McCartney, I would like to see more appreciation of their music. After all, we probably wouldn’t be here today without them.
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R E C O M M E N D A T I O N
Name. Josh Kellett
City. Sydney
Wallet. Bellroy
Scent. D&G Light Blue
Shave. Never
Frame. Ray Ban
Shirt. No shirt. Beatles T-Shirts
Denim. Nudie Jeans
Jacket. Pretty Green
Socks. Always the $2 sock shop
Shoe. Nike
Bag. Smith Street
Book. Anything written by Bret Easton Ellis
Read. Q and The Manifesto.
Photography by Peter Plozza
Creative Direction by Michelle Sullivan