Epic Records president Ezekiel Lewis has been promoted to CEO and chairman of the record label, parent company Sony Music Entertainment announced on Monday. Lewis will report to Sony Music Group chairman Rob Stringer.
The move comes about six months after former Epic CEO Sylvia Rhone stepped down from her post, after first joining as president in 2014 and getting the CEO appointment herself in 2019. Given that she was one of the oldest major label CEOs, Rhone’s retirement was a frequent area of speculation among industry insiders, and many had seen Lewis as a natural successor at the label given how pivotal a role he’s played at the label for years. He’s ran Epic’s A&R department since 2018, and he was named president at the label in 2023. In his tenure at Epic, he’s worked with a wide range of acts including Meghan Trainor, Madison Beer, 21 Savage, Future, Zara Larsson and Tyla among others.
“I am truly humbled by the trust Rob has placed in me to lead this incredible label,” Lewis said in a statement. “Music has always been about the artist, their vision, their voice, their story. Everything we build here starts and ends with that belief. My focus, from day one, is to make this the best home for recording artists anywhere in the world. In a digital-first landscape full of noise and distraction, we have an opportunity to cut through and give creators something rare: a place where they are genuinely seen, supported, and set up to thrive. That is the mission, and I do not take it lightly.”
With his appointment, Lewis is now the second Black CEO in the major label system, joining Def Jam’s Tunji Balogun. Before joining Epic, Lewis was senior vice president of A&R at Motown Records, where he worked with acts including Ne-Yo, Erykah Badu and Migos among others.
“Through his experience and knowledge in a senior creative capacity at Epic over the last eight years, Zeke is eminently qualified to take the label forward as its leader,” Stringer said in a statement. “Not only I am very pleased to make an appointment like this based on the executive growth of an internal candidate, but also because Zeke is highly respected and trusted by the artists and staff at Sony Music. I look forward to working together with him and his team on magnifying the musical vision of Epic Records.”
