Imran Ahmed (music executive)

Born in Chelmsford, Essex, Ahmed attended Notley High School and the University of Liverpool. Following graduation he began working in music journalism and promotion, writing for The Guardian in 2002, covering the debut albums of The Streets and The Coral among others.[1][2] He continued his focus on new music as editor of the Radar section of the NME, a British music weekly.[3] He served as a critic for the BBC's Sound of... annual poll on new music in 2004,[4] and continued to provide input to the poll after joining BBC Radio 1 in 2005, before moving to BBC 6 Music.[5][6] He also wrote on music for Blender and The Face.[7] Beyond journalism, he became involved in music promotion, running the FROG and PUSH indie club nights at the Astoria 2 in central London.[8][7]

During his time in London, Ahmed became interested in doing A&R for new music acts, as several performers he had recommended as a journalist had gone on to success.[9] In 2006, he agreed a joint venture with Richard Russell, owner of XL Recordings, to develop new talent as head of Abeano Music (which took its name from Ahmed's music blog). The initial acts for the imprint were Blood Red Shoes, To My Boy and I Was a Cub Scout. The role allowed Ahmed to focus on A&R, with XL Recordings staff undertaking marketing and administration duties for the imprint.[10]

Ahmed's breakthrough with Abeano came with the signing of Vampire Weekend. He worked extensively in developing the band during 2007 and released their first single, "Mansard Roof" in late 2007. This led to the release of the band's eponymous debut album on parent label XL in 2008.[9] The album sold well, certified platinum in both the UK and the United States, and this success resulted in Ahmed being promoted to Director of A&R at XL in 2009.[11] He subsequently brought several other acts to the label, including Jai Paul and Jungle.[12] He continued running the Abeano imprint during this period, releasing the debut album of Iceage in 2011, as well as multiple singles by Eyedress in 2014.[13] He was promoted to XL's Head of A&R in 2014, with managing director Ben Beardsworth stating that Ahmed had "played a central role in shaping XL's output over the past few years".[14]

Reflecting upon the state of the music industry in 2011, Ahmed noted the rise in young individuals producing electronic music and garnering audiences onlines,[15] a change from the band-led, tour-based acts he had worked with in the previous decade.[9] In 2014 he outlined an increasingly international approach to new music, less centred on the New York and London scenes and drawing more from non-Western countries.[16]

After 12 and a half years with XL Recordings, he left the label in May 2018 to focus on his own venture in Los Angeles, where he had relocated several months earlier.[17] Ahmed started to broadcast a monthly show for new music on NTS Radio in December 2016 and continued this following his departure from XL.[18]

In May 2019 Ahmed agreed a deal with AWAL to handle distribution and marketing for his new label, In Real Life. The agreement included publishing for Peggy Gou and the first releases for the label were by ML Buch and Nathan Bajar.[19][20]

• In Real Life website
• Imran Ahmed on Twitter
• Abeano Discography