Epic Records' Ezekiel Lewis Gives First Interview as Chief Executive

Ezekiel "Zeke" Lewis has given his first interview since becoming chairman and chief executive of Epic Records, the Sony Music label. The conversation was published by Billboard on 28 October 2026, as part of its On the Record series.

Sony Music announced his appointment on 30 March 2026, and Sony Music's own release describes him as chairman and CEO. He took over from Sylvia Rhone, who stepped away from the role in 2025. Rhone had moved from Motown Records to Epic, and she was the one who brought Lewis to the label.

Lewis's path to the top job started in the studio. He began in Atlanta as a songwriter and producer, and he co-wrote Justin Bieber's "One Less Lonely Girl" and Timbaland's "The Way I Are" with the collective The Clutch. Both tracks carry his name in their credits, and he has won a Grammy as a writer and producer.

He then built a publishing company, Bar Music Group. Publishing companies look after the songs themselves, collecting royalties when they are played, sung or licensed. He later joined Motown Records in A&R, the department that scouts and develops artists. He rose to senior vice president there before leaving in 2018.

At Epic, Lewis's roster work is the part of his career most people will recognise. Billboard credits him with a central role in the careers of 21 Savage, Madison Beer, BIA, Black Eyed Peas, DDG, Future, GIVĒON, Zara Larsson, Mariah the Scientist, Travis Scott, Southside, Meghan Trainor and Tyla. Epic announced his promotion to president on 1 June 2023. In 2020, he was executive vice president and head of A&R at the label.

Running a major label means a lot more than signing artists. The chief executive oversees the company's artists and staff, its budgets and its deals with outside partners. Each of those choices affects the people who make and sell the music, from the musicians themselves to the marketing teams who help a release reach listeners.

Lewis's first interview in the top role is worth reading for anyone who wants to know how a major label is run from the top. It also marks a clear change of hands at one of the best-known labels in the business, after more than a year of Epic being led by someone new.