Summer Walker has been busy with the rollout for her new album Still Over It but now that the project is out and reportedly doing very well, the Atlanta singer has time to address a recent report that accused Love Renaissance (LVRN), her record label and management company, of signing her to a bad deal.
Last week, Rolling Stone published a feature declaring Summer a “star” but remarking that she signed a “brutal” record deal. Citing a copy of the deal the publication had obtained, the feature described Walker as “effectively an indentured servant for a series of albums,” criticizing LVRN and Interscope Records for a deal that was “lopsided.”
(For what it’s worth, the terms that were described in the feature are pretty standard for a brand-new, unknown artist with little following and no negotiation leverage, and have been in the recording industry for a very long time. It’s probably fair to say that record deals, in general, are pretty bad, but it’s also probably unfair to single out LVRN for an industry-wide practice without holding all labels to the same standard).
However, according to Walker, who posted a text response to her Instagram Stories, not only were the terms cited out-of-date but that she’s sticking by LVRN, who she says gives her “full support.”
“I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter online,” she wrote. “I didn’t say anything because I wanted to stay focused on releasing my album. Yow let me clear the air. What that article said is not my current record deal. Over the years my deal has changed many times. I’ve always had my own representation and full support from LVRN. Thank you to my fans for always having my back and for all of the love ya’ll keep showing my new album. Appreciate y’all!!”
