Keith Nafatly

Keith Naftaly has been named President, A&R, RCA Records, it was announced today.  Naftaly previously held the title of Executive Vice President/Head of A&R, RCA Records.  He will remain in the company’s New York headquarters.

Over the past couple of years, Naftaly has overseen the pop and pop/urban A&R staff and his creative vision and perspective have most recently helped fuel the platinum and beyond successes of P!NK’s Beautiful Trauma, Kesha’s highly anticipated comeback album Rainbow and G-Eazy’s The Beautiful & Damned.

In addition, Naftaly is largely responsible for the A&R of the multi-platinum selling a cappella group Pentatonix.  Since joining the label in 2014, the group has gone on to sell over 10 million albums worldwide, received three Grammy Awards and had two albums reach #1 on the Billboard 200 Chart.  He also worked on both Sia’s Grammy nominated, #1 charting album 1000 Forms of Fear and follow-up album This Is Acting. Both albums catapulted Sia into pop stardom and featured multi-platinum selling singles, “Chandelier,” “Elastic Heart,” “The Greatest” ft. Kendrick Lamar and “Cheap Thrills” ft. Sean Paul.

Most recently, Naftaly has been focusing on the follow-up albums for both ZAYN and Elle King.

Naftaly has held various A&R positions under the Sony and Sony BMG umbrella where he has worked on iconic projects from Whitney Houston, Rod Stewart, Kelly Clarkson, Santana, Britney Spears, Shakira, Luther Vandross, Christina Aguilera and many more.

Prior to working on the label side, Keith rose to prominence as the young, innovative Program Director of San Francisco radio station KMEL, where he fought against the long-standing practice of genre segregation to bring rap and hip-hop to a mainstream audience.  His contributions to the music industry during this era, specifically for being one of the original architects of the Rhythm/Crossover format, resulted in the highest ratings in the station’s history and several prestigious awards honoring his leadership and ability to identify hit records.

Peter Edge comments: “I have worked with Keith for many years and continue to be impressed by his musical instincts and understanding of pop culture.  These talents, alongside his demonstrated ability to develop the next generation of A&R stars, make him an invaluable asset to RCA.  His integrity and generous spirit as one of our key creative executives have also helped make RCA the number one destination for great music and true artistry.”

Keith Naftaly comments: “RCA is officially lit right now!  To be on the creative front lines of hit making during such a vibrant time for music is still an honor, privilege and stimulating challenge.  While old school behavior and barriers continue to crash and burn, I’m especially proud of our diverse, trailblazing roster and our innovative, passionate, intensely focused executive squad.  I must thank Peter Edge for always inspiring me with his impeccable taste and indestructible sense of wonder, and for the continued opportunity to be a leader inside the game changing new RCA collective that he’s so expertly spearheaded.”