“Streaming has changed the industry in a great way, because anything is available anytime, and as a fan of music, that’s the most exciting thing to me,” says Hancock, photographed on Nov. 19, 2018 at Sire Records in New York. “But at its heart, the music
Annie TrittRani Hancock has been named executive vp/head of A&R at Columbia Records, according to an internal memo obtained by Billboard sent today (July 6). Hancock, based in New York, will begin her new role Aug. 1 and report to Columbia chairman/CEO Ron Perry.
Hancock has spent the past four years as president of Warner Music Group’s Sire Records. Prior to running Sire, she spent 15 years at Sony Music, eventually rising to executive vp A&R at RCA, before moving to Universal Music Group's Island Records as executive vp/head of A&R.
"Throughout her career, Rani has worked alongside numerous superstars and is an exceptional record maker," Perry said in the memo. "I’m thrilled that Rani will help lead our A&R department into the future."
Hancock takes over a department that had been led by Imran Majid and Justin Eshak, who earlier this year were tapped as the new co-heads of Island Records, after the resignation of Island chief Darcus Beese.
Hancock's career in A&R began at Arista Records, before she followed mentor Clive Davis to J Records, the imprint he founded in 2000. When J merged with RCA, Hancock began working with artists such as Kesha, Becky G and MAGIC!, signed Miley Cyrus (who herself just moved to Columbia in a new recording contract) and worked with Britney Spears, Pitbull and others.
After moving to Island, Hancock helped develop the careers of Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas, among others, and signed Bob Marley's grandson Skip Marley, before moving to take over Sire, the label founded by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, in August of 2017. At Sire, she signed artists such as Bryce Vine and Omah Lay.
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Lorde returned to Governor’s Ball for the first time in nine years and gave fans a unique take on her collaboration with Charli XCX, ‘Girl, So Confusing’.
The New Zealand singer made her long awaited comeback to the New York festival on Friday (June 5), where she headlined the opening night.
Speaking to the crowd about stepping back onto the Governor’s Ball stage after almost a decade away, Lorde admitted it was “the most nervous I’ve been for a show in a while”. She then treated fans to a string of beloved tracks including ‘Royals’, ‘What Was That’, and ‘Hammer’.
One of the standout highlights of the evening arrived near the end of her 21 song performance when she performed ‘Girl, So Confusing’, the track she later reworked alongside Charli XCX.
The song first appeared on Charli XCX’s hugely successful 2024 album ‘Brat’ without Lorde’s involvement, though it was inspired by her. In the lyrics, Charli reflected on the complicated feelings between the two artists and revealed she had once felt “super jealous” of the New Zealander’s achievements during her early career.
The pair later teamed up for a remix after Charli shared the song’s meaning with Lorde ahead of the release of ‘Brat’. Following that conversation, Lorde proposed creating a collaborative version together.
At Governor’s Ball, Lorde performed the remix adaptation during the closing section of her set and added her own personal touch to the track.
Charli was not present for the performance, leaving Lorde to deliver the song on her own. The moment stood out even more because the track had only appeared sparingly throughout Lorde’s recent ‘Ultrasound’ tour. More footage from the show can be seen below.
In addition to revisiting fan favourites and reimagining ‘Girl, So Confusing’, Lorde also surprised the audience with a preview of brand new material.
Early in the set, she introduced a portion of an unreleased song from the side of the stage. Standing behind a synthesizer setup, she sang: “Don’t look for me now that I’m gone/ Don’t look for me, I’m gone.”
Lorde’s festival appearances this summer follow her recent ‘Ultrasound’ tour, which was launched in support of her newest album, ‘Virgin’.
Released last June, the record earned a four star review from NME, which stated: “‘Virgin’ is a vibrant combination of Lorde’s best qualities, and then some.”
“With her newfound candour, the record combines the emotional whirlwind of ‘Melodrama’, the chilling minimalism of ‘Pure Heroine’ and the breezy freedom of ‘Solar Power’,” it added. “This might be called ‘Virgin’, but Lorde proves she’s not afraid to strip herself bare.”
While ‘Girl, So Confusing’ was not a regular feature during the ‘Ultrasound’ tour, Lorde did perform it at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles last October, where she surprised fans by bringing Charli XCX on stage.
Since releasing ‘Virgin’ and launching the accompanying tour, Lorde has contributed more than $200,000 from merchandise sales to Minnesota immigrant funds. She has also been announced as a headliner for All Points East 2026 in London, where PinkPantheress, Zara Larsson and additional artists are also set to appear.
