Sony Music has appointed Ezekiel Lewis as the new Chairman and CEO of Epic Records, the company announced Monday. Lewis, who has been with the label since 2018, steps into the role following the departure of Sylvia Rhone last September — and does so as an internal promotion rather than an outside hire, which is worth noting given how rarely that happens at this level.
Lewis will report directly to Rob Stringer, Chairman of Sony Music Group, and will be responsible for the full scope of Epic’s creative vision and business operations.
Who Ezekiel Lewis Is
Lewis isn’t a new face at Epic. He’s been building toward this role for nearly a decade. He joined in 2018 as Executive Vice President of A&R, was elevated to President in 2023, and has been running day-to-day operations alongside the A&R division ever since. Before Epic, he served as Senior Vice President of A&R at Motown Records, where his roster included Ne-Yo, Erykah Badu, Migos, Lil Yachty, T.I., and Rich Homie Quan.
He’s also a Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer in his own right. Earlier in his career he co-wrote and co-produced records for Justin Bieber, Mary J. Blige, and Usher, among others. He founded Bar Music Group, a music publishing company, and co-founded The Clutch, a songwriter-producer collective behind chart-topping work for Omarion, Ciara, and Britney Spears. He’s appeared on Billboard’s Power 100 list and holds multiple BMI and ASCAP honors.
During his time at Epic, Lewis has helped shape the careers of artists including 21 Savage, Travis Scott, Future, Tyla, GIVĒON, Zara Larsson, Mariah the Scientist, Madison Beer, and Meghan Trainor. That’s a roster that spans rap, R&B, pop, and Afrobeats — which reflects both the breadth of his A&R instincts and the scope of what Epic has become under his influence.
What Stringer and Lewis Said
Stringer was direct about why the promotion went to Lewis rather than an outside candidate. “Through his experience and knowledge in a senior creative capacity at Epic over the last eight years, Zeke is eminently qualified to take the label forward as its leader,” he said. “Not only am I very pleased to make an appointment like this based on the executive growth of an internal candidate, but also because Zeke is highly respected and trusted by the artists and staff at Sony Music.”
Lewis framed his priorities in terms that put artists at the center. “Music has always been about the artist, their vision, their voice, their story,” he said. “My focus, from day one, is to make this the best home for recording artists anywhere in the world. In a digital-first landscape full of noise and distraction, we have an opportunity to cut through and give creators something rare: a place where they are genuinely seen, supported, and set up to thrive.”
The Context Behind the Appointment
Sylvia Rhone led Epic for over a decade — first as President starting in 2014, then as Chairwoman and CEO from April 2019. Her tenure coincided with some of the label’s biggest commercial runs. Her departure in September left a significant leadership gap, and the fact that Sony filled it from within rather than looking externally signals confidence in the direction Lewis has already been taking the label creatively.
The broader context matters here too. Major labels are navigating a complicated moment — AI is reshaping how music is made and distributed, streaming economics continue to evolve, and artist leverage is higher than it’s been in decades. The industry is moving on multiple fronts simultaneously: Warner Music recently partnered with Netflix to expand how label content reaches audiences, while Spotify has introduced new artist vetting measures that are changing how music gets distributed at scale. Putting a Grammy-winning songwriter with deep A&R roots in the top seat at Epic, rather than a more finance-driven executive, says something about where Sony Music believes the label needs to go.
Lewis has the creative credibility to earn trust from artists. Whether that translates into the kind of leadership that sustains a major label through a genuinely uncertain period for the industry is the real question — but the foundation is hard to argue with.
