Producer duo Whyjay & Litek burst onto the scene over the last few years, thanks in large part to their work with rapper Aitch and his #2-charting debut album, 2019’s AitcH2O, which included multiple Top 10 singles. This year, the duo co-produced Central Cee’s #2 hit “Doja” and Aitch and Ed Sheeran’s #6 hit “My G.” In total, their records have surpassed 500m streams and also include significant releases with Tion Wayne, Benzz and Pa Salieu.

Whyjay & Litek signed to UMPG via its JV with growing Manchester-based music company NQ. Pete Simmons, A&R director at UMPG U.K., calls their production “fearless.” He continues: “They take risks and have ideas that may not make sense on paper but sound incredible on record. Their execution is dynamic, confident and, most importantly, fun. It’s infectious.”

Simmons also points to the business savvy of the NQ team, particularly company founder Michael Adex and Laurence Heywood, who runs the publishing arm. “Adex and Laurence have been nothing short of brilliant in our time working with them, both in spotting and developing talent and building a cultural destination in the north of England,” he says.

Simmons predicts this is just the start for Whyjay & Litek, who were nominated for GRM Daily’s producer of the year in September. “They have been the soundtrack to youth culture for the past two or three years, and their influence is starting to travel all around the world,” he says. “The scary part is they’re just warming up.”

STATS

Over 200m streams for Central Cee’s “Doja”
Over 500m streams across production catalog
#2 album with Aitch and five Top 10 singles

TEAM

Management: Hamish Harris, September Management
Label: Columbia U.K., MD Manish Arora
Live: Earth Agency
Publishing: Copyright Control