On Thursday, GRAMMY and BRIT award-winning producer, songwriter, and musician, Thomas Hull, AKA Kid Harpoon, was announced as the "first ever Producer In Residence at London’s Abbey Road Studios. Kid Harpoon’s new role is part of Abbey Road’s vision to build a true home for music creativity and innovation, building on a legacy of 94 years. It is the latest in a series of ‘in residence’ announcements following Jordan Rakei’s Artist In Residence title at the studios over the last 18 months. Kid Harpoon will have completeaccess to Abbey Road as his creative playground and studio home in the UK, as well as its collection of vintage gear, microphones and instruments, and future tech including Audiomovers. He will also consult on the studios’ music tech and innovation work."
"Part of Kid Harpoon’s new position will include active participation in Abbey Road’s free education programmesfor the next generation of artists and producers," a statement reads. "This includes Abbey Road Amplify, which is expanding to Manchester for the first time this year for a series of panels and studio workshops between 19 – 21 November at both Aviva Studios and the new adidas / Abbey Road studio in the Co-op Live arena, following sessions atAbbey Road across 3 - 8 November. In addition to Kid Harpoon, the likes of BAFTA-winning composer Daniel Blumberg, Everything Everything, Fraser T Smith, Rosie Danvers and Rich Turvey are all confirmed to take part in Amplify, with more artists and industry experts to be confirmed in the coming weeks."
Speaking about being Abbey Road’s new ‘Producer In Residence’, Kid Harpoon says: “I’m beyond excited to become Producer in Residence at Abbey Road. In this position, I’m hoping to use my experience to help guide some of the incredible up-and-coming talent we have in the UK while they navigate their way through what can be a difficult industry. Mark and the team have a real desire to give back and develop new talent, which is something I’m really passionate about. To be able to contribute to the Abbey Road legacy in any way is an honour, and I can’t wait to get stuck in!!”
Sally Davies, Abbey Road’s Managing Director says: “We’re thrilled to welcome Kid Harpoon as our first-ever Producer in Residence at Abbey Road Studios. He brings a spirit of collaboration and innovation that perfectly aligns with our vision. With his creative lead, we’re excited to deepen our artistic community and continue placing creativity at the heart of our home.”
Mark Robertson, Abbey Road’s Director of Marketing & Creative, adds: “It’s a real joy to be able to bring Tom into our home and family. He’s already part of our modern history, having first worked here in 2011 with Florence+ The Machine, and we have long admired his impact on the global stage - with highly creative production skills and an ability to craft melodies that intoxicate and move the world. Tom’s experience, know-how and generosity are already fueling and informing our work as we enhance the gear and instruments in our smaller rooms. And we’ll combine forces to create new opportunities for the next generation of artists, producers and creatives, so I’m super excited by the possibilities with Tom as we write the next chapter in the Abbey Road story.”
"Born in Chatham, England, Kid Harpoon’s genre-defying work has helped define the sound of modern pop," they said. "After launching his career as a solo artist in the mid-2000s, he quickly emerged as one of music’s most sought-after collaborators, hailed by Billboard as 'pop’s new secret weapon.'"
"Spanning artists at the top of their game across pop, rock, country, alt, and Latin, his credits include Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus, Lizzo, Florence + the Machine, Inhaler, Kings of Leon, Jessie Ware, David Byrne, and more. His long-running collaboration with Styles includes all three of the artist’s albums, most notably Harry’s House, which Kid Harpoon co-wrote and co-produced, winning Album of the Year at both the GRAMMY and BRIT Awards. The album’s single As It Was spent 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, became the UK’s best-selling single of 2022, and has surpassed 2 billion global streams."
"Kid Harpoon was also behind Miley Cyrus’ global juggernaut Flowers, which broke Spotify’s all-time streaming records in back-to-back weeks and won both Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2024 GRAMMYs. The track has now exceeded 2.5 billion streams worldwide. Most recently, Kid Harpoon produced all 12 tracks on David Byrne’s new album, Who Is The Sky?"
Photo by Anthony Pham
