Friday afternoon was an atypical weather experience in Los Angeles– rain and lots of it. Rain so bad that traffic didn’t move because the drivers here freak out when they see a drop.
Still, up we went on the winding roads of Bel Air, the very exclusive and posh neighborhood where the elite really meet. And high up in the hills we were lucky enough to join Epic Records’ soaring chief L.A. Reid and beautiful wife Erica–recent transplants from New York– as they welcomed a few guests for brunch at their modern art-filled aerie.
Among those guests: the luminous Jennifer Hudson, who has signed with Epic (staying in the Sony-RCA family) and her husband David Otunga. Jennifer has already begun recording her new album, which will take her into a turn looking for real chart success and airplay. She’s already recorded a song called “Remember Me” that has the label very excited.
I also met the ladies from Fifth Harmony, whose music is so upbeat and catchy, as well as their ex member Camilla Cabella, who is striking out on her own with a solo career. They were all very chill, and eager to take pictures with Hudson.
Other guests included Sean Combs, who is recovering from knee replacement surgery. He’s using a cane now and wearing Givenchy sandals. Plus there was Ryan Seacrest, Lisa Rinna, Holly Robinson Peete, and DJ Khaled, as well as some Epic staffers, and Sony Music chiefs Doug Morris and Rob Stringer. I had some smoked salmon and caviar pizza with Sony’s Mel Lewinter and superstar music lawyer Joel Katz.
Epic is moving west and having a Renaissance. You can tell Reid is rocking because now Sony is sending record industry vet Sylvia Rhone out to LA to join him. She’s just bought a house and is getting out her GPS!
Kudos to LA Reid, who conquered Atlanta, then New York, and now takes aim at Hollywood. He’s got Travis Scott, Meghan Trainor, A Tribe Called Quest, Jennifer Lopez and more coming before the end of the year. Not bad!
