Writing Credits Include John Legend’s “Conversations in the Dark”
Recent Forbes Article Details How ONErpm Helps Artists like Peña Market Their Own Music
Twenty-three-year-old singer-songwriter Chance Peña recently found himself amid a flurry of offers from several record labels. His choice? ONErpm, the one “leading the charge on the frontier of the music industry,” Peña says.
“As an artist and business owner, I want complete control—from a creative, marketing and financial standpoint—over my music,” Peña explains. “Most major record labels just don’t offer that, particularly to newly signed acts. ONErpm is different, and that difference made my decision an easy one.”
Peña is part of a new brand of artists who see ONErpm’s model as the wave of the future. As company founder Emmanuel Zunz explains, “We continue to layer on professional services from marketing to intelligence tools, analytics and more. In the last 12 years, we have evolved from a distribution company into a modern-day record label.”
A Tyler, Texas, native, Peña first burst onto the music scene in 2015 by making coach Adam Levine’s team on season nine of The Voice as a 15-year-old prodigy. That appearance led to a publishing deal with Secret Road, ultimately culminating in the opportunity to co-write “Conversations in the Dark” with three high-profile writers, including Gregg Wattenberg, which led the song to be pitched to John Legend. It became the lead single on Legend’s 2020 Bigger Love album, which went on to win a Grammy for best R&B album and also earned Peña a gold record. The budding superstar also experienced early sync success with his song “Up Up and Away” landing a spot in the 2019 drama Five Feet Apart.
Peña, who counts American alternative folk band The Lumineers and rapper Kid Cudi among his influences, also produces and engineers his own music. He is currently working on a new EP as a follow-up to anxiety & mixed emotions (2019) and The Inevitable (2020). His current single, “In My Room,” released in May 2022, is approaching 80 million in total consumption, including 61 million streams on Spotify, 5 million on Apple, 1.4 million on Amazon and 70,000 on Pandora, with an additional 7 million video views on YouTube and 1 million on TikTok.
“Being at the forefront of the music industry is something I see myself doing as well,” Peña elaborates, “so when I met the ONErpm team and saw how our goals aligned in more ways than one, I knew it was a match made in heaven. They’re genuine, hard-working, music-loving people,” he enthuses, “and I’m honored to have the opportunity to work with them.”
Bread City’s Liz Baylog, one of Chance’s managers, agrees, noting that “ONErpm’s openness to cater to independent artists by sharing their expertise and adding value to what the artists are already succeeding with is why they are such compelling partners.” Founder of Secret Road, Lynn Grossman concurs, adding that “the folks at ONErpm have already shown their ability to move a project forward with total respect for the artist’s vision.”
Alex Ziabko and Brian Moroney, both members of the A&R team at ONErpm, are excited to help Peña take the next steps to stardom. “Chance’s meteoric rise has been absolutely incredible to watch,” Ziabko says. “We look forward to matching his ambitions and are committed to growing his global footprint. Chance’s talent and passion are infectious, we are thrilled to be a part of his journey.” Moroney adds that “Chance is showing his peers and the music industry that there are new and exciting ways to build your career and team independently. He’s worked hard to lead a generation of artists that choose sovereignty. We could not be more excited to work with this seminal artist.”
Chance Peña | Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez
About Chance Peña:
Born and raised in Tyler, Texas, Chance Peña is a 23-year-old singer-songwriter and producer. Making music from an early age, he has cultivated a unique style of traditional storytelling infused with modern musical influences. Peña continues to cultivate his artistry by writing, producing, engineering and performing his own songs, as well as writing for other artists such as John Legend. His press history includes write-ups from Backward Noise and Atwood Magazine.
About ONErpm:
ONErpm is a next-generation music company and leader in new revenue opportunities, operating one of the world’s largest music distribution platforms and YouTube Multi-Channel Networks. Offering a full suite of services that includes marketing support, supply chain tools, business intelligence, publishing, accounting and global payment solutions, ONErpm provides the infrastructure needed to help creators and content owners succeed. As a trusted partner, ONErpm emphasizes transparency in everything it does, from executing a marketing campaign to making payments. ONErpm currently operates in 30 territories across the globe with a staff of over 470, making it one of the fastest-growing independent music companies in the world.