Cumulus Media Launches First Urban AC Campaign Today for “Your Music First” Multi-Week Audio Series

ATLANTA, GA – May 15, 2023 — Cumulus Media (NASDAQ: CMLS) announces that today it will launch the fifth installment of its new multi-week audio series, Your Music First, featuring Janelle Monáe’s new single, “Lipstick Lover,” on Atlantic Records. The multi-part series will air over the next four weeks across Cumulus’ Urban AC stations nationwide and will share Monáe’s exclusive personal stories and insights into making the single, with candid behind-the-scenes observations from Monáe. The Your Music First series will also take listeners on the groundbreaking artist’s career in music, acting, and fashion. “Lipstick Lover” heralds the arrival of Monáe’s highly anticipated new album, “The Age of Pleasure.”

Greg Frey, VP of Music Partnerships, Cumulus Media, said: “We’re so excited to partner with Atlantic Records to introduce Janelle Monáe’s infectious new song, ‘Lipstick Lover,’ as the debut Your Music First campaign for our Urban AC format. ‘Lipstick Lover’ is a bold and empowering song showcasing Monáe’s signature style. The song, combined withMonáe’s one-of-a-kind comments on her life in music, acting, and fashion, will truly be a dynamic way to introduce her new music to our Urban AC listeners.”

Kevin Holiday, EVP of Urban Promotions, Atlantic Records, said: “We are thrilled to have Janelle Monáe’s ‘Lipstick Lover’ premiered at Cumulus’ Urban AC launch of their program, Your Music First. This single gives you a glimpse of what’s to come from Janelle’s upcoming project, where she creates a world that encapsulates sensuality and seduction, packaged in an amazing body of work from top to bottom. I hope you all enjoy and many thanks to Cumulus for choosing Janelle Monáe to be the first artist launching their Your Music First program at Urban AC.”

Cumulus Media debuted the high-profile Your Music Firstcampaign in February to highlight new music in a unique way by sharing with radio listeners the thoughts of the biggest stars in different formats in a series of revealing and exclusive vignettes across AC, Alternative, CHR, Country, Hot AC, Rock and Urban formats. The shows feature artist commentary on the song, with artists presenting different aspects of their song’s personal meaning, the inspiration behind the music, and insights on their life and career. Previous Your Music First campaigns have featured Valory Music Co. recording artist Thomas Rhett’s “Angels (Don’t Always Have Wings),”Republic Records recording artist Shania Twain’s “Giddy Up!,” Capitol Records Nashville recording artist Darius Rucker’s “Fires Don’t Start Themselves,” and Thirty Seconds To Mars’ “Stuck.”

About Cumulus Media 

Cumulus Media (NASDAQ: CMLS) is an audio-first media company delivering premium content to over a quarter billion people every month — wherever and whenever they want it. Cumulus Media engages listeners with high-quality local programming through 404 owned-and-operated radio stations across 85 markets; delivers nationally-syndicated sports, news, talk, and entertainment programming from iconic brands including the NFL, the NCAA, the Masters, CNN, the AP, the Academy of Country Music Awards, and many other world-class partners across more than 9,400 affiliated stations through Westwood One, the largest audio network in America; and inspires listeners through the Cumulus Podcast Network, its rapidly growing network of original podcasts that are smart, entertaining and thought-provoking. Cumulus Media provides advertisers with personal connections, local impact and national reach through broadcast and on-demand digital, mobile, social, and voice-activated platforms, as well as integrated digital marketing services, powerful influencers, full-service audio solutions, industry-leading research and insights, and live event experiences. Cumulus Media is the only audio media company to provide marketers with local and national advertising performance guarantees. For more information visit www.cumulusmedia.com. 

About Janelle Monáe

Janelle Monáe is without question one of the most celebrated artists of the modern era, an 8x GRAMMY® Award-nominated singer, songwriter, producer, performer, and fashion icon known worldwide for her inimitable style and visionary sound. Her genre-bending debut album, THE ARCHANDROID, arrived in 2010 and immediately ascended to the top 20 on the Billboard 200 while also earning two GRAMMY® Award nominations including “Best Contemporary R&B Album” and “Best Urban/Alternative Performance” for the RIAA Gold-certified single, “Tightrope (Feat. Big Boi).”

THE ELECTRIC LADY entered the SoundScan/Billboard 200 at #5 upon its 2013 release, fueled by collaborations with such like-minded artists as Solange, Esperanza Spalding, and Monáe’s lifelong hero, the one and only Prince, as well as hit singles/music videos like the MTV Video Music Award-winning “Q.U.E.E.N. (Feat. Erykah Badu).” 2018’s DIRTY COMPUTER – which received a coveted GRAMMY® Award-nomination as “Album Of The Year” – features the RIAA Gold-certified hit singles “Make Me Feel” and “I Like That” and was accompanied by a groundbreaking “Emotion Picture” incorporating a number of the album’s visually stunning music videos.

Undoubtedly among the 21^st Century’s most inventive and creative live performers, Monáe has traveled the globe for sold out headline tours, a range of festival appearances, and special guest runs alongside Bruno Mars, Amy Winehouse, No Doubt, Katy Perry, Erykah Badu, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. An in-demand collaborator, Monáe is featured on tracks by an incredibly diverse group of artists including Outkast, Big Boi, Kelly Clarkson, Sérgio Mendes, Of Montreal, The Coup, Grimes, Estelle, Paolo Nutini, The Internet, Chic, Duran Duran, Goodie Mob, and of course fun., whose “We Are Young (Feat. Janelle Monáe)” proved the biggest single of 2012, a worldwide #1 phenomenon named in three GRAMMY® Award categories: “Record of the Year,” “Song of the Year,” and “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.”

2016 saw Monáe embark on her film acting career with stellar performances in two milestone films, Hidden Figures and Moonlight; both films received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, with the latter winning the award at the 89^th Academy Awards. Her filmography quickly grew to include acclaimed roles in 2018’s Harriet, 2020’s Antebellum, and 2022’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, to name but a few. Monáe has also made countless TV appearances, including a lead role on Amazon Prime’s Homecoming and performances on NBC’s Saturday Night Live and TODAY, ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, PBS’ Sesame Street, MTV’s RuPaul’s Drag Race, Netflix’s We The People, and many more.

Recently honored with the National Board of Review’s 2022 “Best Supporting Actress” Award for her role in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Monáe has received a long series of accolades and other honors, including three Critics Choice Awards, two Billboard Women In Music Awards, an NAACP Image Award, two Soul Train Awards (out of 13 nominations), an Essence Black Women in Hollywood Award, eight GRAMMY® Award nominations, and multiple nominations for BET Awards, BRIT Awards, and MTV Video Music Awards, along with many more laurels around the world.

Always an eclectic and creative visual presence, Monáe was chosen as the new face of CoverGirl in 2012, later became a spokesperson for the home audio company Sonos, and recently joined forces with Target for its “I Got The Juice” co-branded campaign for Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Contact: Lisa Dollinger, Dollinger Strategic Communication for Cumulus Media, 512.633.4084, lisa@dollcomm.com.