Congratulations are in order for indie pop phenom Cuco (aka Omar Banos). His team just signed a contract for a smooth seven figures with Interscope. The decision concludes what Billboard calls a multi-year “bidding war with other labels that only intensified with each passing month.”
Just how did the label of Dr. Dre, Lady Gaga, and U2 land the bilingual artist behind tracks like “CR-V,” “Amor de Siempre,” and “Summertime Hightime?” At least partially, the company’s A&R executive Carlos Cancela was able to woo Cuco with the promise that he would maintain control over his work. As part of the deal, Cuco owns the rights to all of his own music. “Ownership was the important factor in moving forward with the deal,” commented the singer’s manager Doris Muñoz. “Omar didn’t have to feel like he was signing his life away with this deal. It feels beautiful.”
Sweetening the deal was the promise that the Chicano artist would expand his reach in Latin America through a collaboration with Universal Music Latin Entertainment.
Fans will also be happy to learn that Cuco’s long-awaited debut album is slated to drop in June, as Billboard reports. The commitment is the cap on a whirlwind three years for Cuco, which began with the release of debut mixtape Wannabewithu in 2016 (the guy has been creating music, however, since he was eight). Last year, Banos dropped off Chiquito EP, a six-track release where he evolved his teen dream anthems.