The Oriel Company has upped Nina Lee to VP of communications. The promotion was announced by Oriel co-founders Carleen Donovan, Chloë Walsh and Jen Appel.
In her new role, N.Y.-based Lee—who joined the company in June 2021—will continue to strategize and execute media campaigns for clients across music, comedy, film and TV.
With a roster that includes Maxwell, Daniel Caesar, UMI, Hannibal Buress, No ID, d4vd, James Fauntleroy, Sickamore and Betty Who, Lee also leads The Oriel’s team representing corporate clients like Amazon Music, Live Nation Urban and 88rising, and has overseen PR initiatives for 88rising’s Head in the Clouds, Roots Picnic, H.E.R.’s Lights on Festival and more.
Additionally, Lee is a mentor to junior members of the staff and will now expand her leadership opportunities.
“Nina Lee has been an integral part of The Oriel Company's team, consistently demonstrating outstanding professionalism, tenacity and creativity,” said Donovan, Walsh, and Appel in a shared statement. “It’s an honor to announce her much-deserved promotion.”
Lee adds, “The deep, deep care and strategic vision The Oriel team put into their campaigns are unparalleled. I’m grateful for the unwavering support from Carleen, Jen, and Chloë and I am excited to continue learning, collaborating, and growing with them.”
Prior to joining The Oriel, the NYU alum held roles at Shore Fire Media and Press Here. Outside of work, she’s an active member of the Asian American Collective and Live Nation’s Next Gem Femme program, serving in the 2023 class of mentors.
WHAT IT IS: 2023 was a breakout year for Kenya Grace. Her single “Strangers” catapulted to the top of the charts globally, landing the rising star her first #1 at U.S. Dance radio and the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, becoming the only female artist ever to top the latter chart as a sole writer, producer and performer. Grace shares that title with Kate Bush for the U.K. #1, which the rising star has held for three consecutive weeks. “Strangers” is now gold in the U.S. and has surpassed 1b global streams.
ALBUM: Debut project TBA
RELEASE DATE: Spring 2024
SINGLE: “Strangers”
LIVE: Coachella 2024
INTERNET: 1b+ streams on “Strangers,” 7.8m+ U.S. streams per week; official sound used across 5m+ videos with 100b+ plays; socials grew by an average of 44% in three months; 29m+ monthly Spotify listeners
RADIO: “Strangers” #12 at Top 40 at presstime; 14 consecutive weeks and counting on the Dance/Mix Show chart between the #1 and #2 position
PRESS: Vogue, Rolling Stone, more
BOOKING: Sam Kirby Yoh & Scott Schreiber/UTA
PUBLISHING: Warner Chappell
MANAGEMENT: Nick Shymansky, Nick Huggett & Sara Charbonnel/Day One
WHAT IT IS: 19-year-old newcomer Xavi blends R&B, pop and urban with elements of música Mexicana in his songs. While self-releasing music, the Arizona-based singer-songwriter was discovered by Interscope and has since become the first Mexican American artist to reach #1 on Spotify’s Global chart as a solo artist with “La Diabla.” He’s also the only Mexican American artist to simultaneously have two collab-free songs chart on Spotify’s Global Top 10 with “La Diabla” and “La Victima.”
SINGLE: “La Diabla”
TV: Vision Latina LA
LIVE: Sueños Music Festival; announced headlining tour with 27 dates in the U.S. and three in Mexico
INTERNET: 27.9m+ monthly Spotify listeners, “La Diabla” Global #1 for three weeks; 3m+ Instagram followers (+1.7m in the last month); “La Diabla” #1 on IG audio library and Reels in Mexico, Top 20 U.S.; 5.2m+ TikTok followers (+2.5m in the last month), 2m+ TikTok creations, #10 Global sound; 655m+ YouTube views
RADIO: #25 Latin Airplay Debut and “gains in performance”; #11 debut Regional Mexican Airplay and “gains in performance” (week of 1/27)
PRESS: Rolling Stone (“19 Latin Artists We’re Rooting for in 2024”), NPR, Rolling Stone Espanyol, more
BOOKING: Richard Lom/WME
PUBLISHING: UMPG
MANAGEMENT: Raczon & Natalia Lopez
