Chris Anokute

Chris Anokute is an American Music Executive, specialized in Artist Development and Executive Music Production. He was born from Nigerian parents, grew up in New Jersey, and currently resides in Los Angeles, California. His first stint in artist development was when he was hired at Virgin/Capitol Records in 2006 as their Senior Director of A&R at the age of 23 years old. While at Virgin/Capitol Records, Chris signed Katy Perry and oversaw the A&R/Development for her first 2 album projects, along with overseeing A&R for the critically acclaimed singer Joss Stone. He later held senior vice-president of A&R roles at Universal Music Group and Epic Records between the years of 2011 and 2018, signing and/or developing projects for Iggy Azalea, Fifth Harmony and Zara Larsson. Chris managed R&B singer Muni Long to her first #1 record, a Grammy Award win for "Best R&B Performance", and a Grammy Award Nomination for "Best New Artist". Chris has signed and/or developed 4 artists from the start of their careers that have been nominated for the highly coveted "Best New Artist" award at the Grammys. Chris also served as an Executive Producer for American Idol from 2019-2021.