Billboard – August 10, 2019

88 BILLBOARD | AUGUST 10 , 2 019

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Goldstein

photographed by

Michele Thomas on

J ul y 31 at Re p ub li c

Records in Santa

Monica, Calif.

QUEEN OF THE

COMEBACK

“Wendy is a true

visionary who brings

so much knowledge

and passion to

the table. We really

trust her perspective

and her track record.

She’s a force.”

—JONAS BROTHERS

Goldstein has watched Ariana Grande grow up. After

signing the now-26-year-old singer in 2011, the A&R

veteran steered her transition from Nickelodeon

star to pop-R&B provocateur. But it was Grande’s

Thank U, Next album — recorded during a cathartic,

five-week blitz in New York and released just six

months after 2018’s Sweetener — that took both

of their careers to the next level. The album scored

Grande her first two Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s, “Thank

U, Next” and “7 Rings.” And when follow-up “Break

Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored” hit No. 2 in

February, Grande became the first artist since The

Beatles in 1964 to occupy the chart’s top three spots

simultaneously. Now in her 10th year at Republic, the

recently promoted Goldstein — who has also had a

hand in the careers of The Weeknd, Hailee Steinfeld,

Julia Michaels and the Jonas Brothers — looks back

on the making of that record-shattering album.

After Mac [Miller] passed, Ari wanted to get into the

studio — not for the purpose of making an album,

because she had just put one out, but just to write

about her experiences. There was no pressure.

WENDY GOLDSTEIN

PRESIDENT, WEST COAST CREATIVE, REPUBLIC RECORDS

THE LEGACY

Y Three Hot 100 No. 1s for The Weeknd

with “Can’t Feel My Face,” “The Hills”

and “Starboy” (featuring Daft Punk).

Y Two 2018 Grammy nods for Julia

Michaels, including best new artist and

song of the year (“Issues”).

YJonas Brothers’ Happiness Begins

earned 414,000 equivalent album units

in its first week, according to Nielsen

Music, the biggest debut of 2019 so far.

It was real. Not that any of the Sweetener tracks

weren’t, but the world finally got to see who she is:

a beautiful, smart, funny, complicated person. This

record was her truth.

I always thought “7 Rings” was the bigger of

the two records, but “Thank U, Next” had to come

first. After the album hit No. 1, we celebrated at

Nobu in Malibu with Ari’s real people: friends,

family, management and her longtime vocal coach,

Eric Vetro. To go through what she had gone

through and put it all back into her work — I can’t

say how much I respect her.

The double-album strategy worked for Ari in

that moment in time because it was driven by a

significant event. Everything aligned. The industry

is moving so fast, but some of the care that I put into

Ariana, I put into the Jonas Brothers’ comeback with

“Sucker” — a group that had something different to

say about love, positivity, family and coming back. It

cut through differently. This has been one of those

times in my career where I’m getting it right more

than not — I’ve learned to let things unfold naturally.

—AS TOLD TO NICK WILLIAMS