Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent Alum and Runway Favorite to Create Innovative International Music Programming for W Hotels
September 14, 2009 // Franchising.com // NEW YORK, NY - W Hotels Worldwide, the industry innovator, today announces the appointment of renowned international music expert Michaelangelo L'Acqua as W Hotels' first ever Global Music Director. In this role, L'Acqua will serve as a strategic advisor for the W brand, strengthening W Hotels' presence within the music community in new and exciting ways, including producing the soon to be released seventh edition W Hotels CD, attracting partnerships within the music industry, and identifying ways to further integrate music into the W guest experience globally. For more than 10 years, with the opening of the first W Hotel in New York City in 1998, W has continually broken new ground through innovative and first-of-their-kind music programs and partnerships. As W Hotels continues to grow globally, more than doubling its current portfolio of 33 hotels by 2011, the contemporary lifestyle brand has engaged L'Acqua to ensure this passion for entertainment is integrated in authentic and original ways, positively impacting the guest experience in its hotels worldwide.
"Like fashion, which is also a passion of the W brand, music is a global language that is always evolving and reinventing itself," said Eva Ziegler, Global Brand Leader, W Hotels Worldwide and Le Méridien. "This helps us connect to our loyal jet setting guests, who are always looking out for what's next and what's new, and Michaelangelo, who shares both of these passions with us, is the perfect fit to help us globally attract and implement music into our hotels in a credible way and engage guests and locals alike."
Since being discovered by Tom Ford and brought on as the Music Director of Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent in 1999, Michaelangelo L'Acqua, who holds a prestigious music degree from The New School Jazz & Contemporary Music Program, has worked with some of the biggest names in fashion, producing over 150 fashion shows in Paris, Milan, Berlin and New York for the likes of Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors, John Varvatos, Jil Sander, Chanel, and Diane von Furstenberg. As a recording artist working under the name "Onda," L'Acqua has scored and licensed music for nearly 200 commercials, including campaigns for Revlon, Cotton Inc., and Old Navy. He also served as a producer on The Isley Brothers' "Taken To The Next Phase" remix project for Sony Music Entertainment's Legacy Recordings, and L'Acqua recently executive produced a large scale concept record for EMI/Capitol Records, Re:Generations: the Nat King Cole Remix Project, bringing on board the talents of such artists as Cee-Lo, The Roots, will.i.am with Natalie Cole, TV On The Radio, and Brazilian Girls, among others. For this record, he also produced the "Brazilian Love Song" track, featuring Bebel Gilberto. Most recently, L'Acqua was tapped by fashion legend Karl Lagerfeld to produce Elle Germany's 20th Anniversary event as well as Chanel's runway show, both at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin.
With his ability to seamlessly meld the worlds of fashion and music, it is fitting that L'Acqua has made his debut as W's Global Music Director during New York Fashion Week, where W Hotels is hosting its VIP Backstage Lounge for the 12th consecutive season. While the W VIP Lounge has always been a hotspot for celebrities and fashion's elite throughout the week, L'Acqua is taking things up a notch by implementing new and exciting music programming in the stylish space. In addition to personally DJing in the lounge, he is bringing in established and emerging artists for surprise performances in the Lounge while debuting tracks that he has hand-picked for the latest installment of W Hotels' signature CD, including a preview song by Bebel Gilberto.
"It is such an exciting time to join the W Hotels brand as they are expanding globally," said L'Acqua. "While the music industry is trying to adapt to change and reconnect to their core audience, W is undertaking innovative ways to offer music to their guests as an integral part of their contemporary lifestyle. I am honored to have been chosen as the Global Music Director to help execute W's vision."
W Hotels has long been an innovator in the world of music. The first hotel brand to produce a CD that captured the vibe of its public spaces, W Hotels' released its sixth compilation in this exclusive series, The Sound of Wonderlust, in 2008. In partnership with MasterCard Worldwide and SONY MUSIC, W Hotels also sponsors Wonderlust Live, a groundbreaking platform offering W Hotel guests and loyalists exclusive insider access to a world of musical experiences through an exclusively curated series of live performances by award-winning and emerging artists, such as Natasha Bedingfeld, Gavin DeGraw, and Peter Bjorn and John.
About W Hotels Worldwide®
W Hotels is an innovative contemporary lifestyle brand and the hotel category buster with 33 properties in the most vibrant destinations around the world. Inspiring, iconic, innovative and influential, W Hotels provides the ultimate in insider access to a world of "Wow." Each hotel offers a unique mix of innovative design and passions around fashion, music, entertainment, design, architecture, pop culture, and everything in between. W Hotels are unique and individual expressions of modern living, reflected in the brand's sensibility to a holistic lifestyle experience with cutting-edge design, contemporary restaurant concepts, glamorous nightlife experiences, and signature spas. With 10 years of proven success, W Hotels will triple its footprint by 2011. In North America and Latin America, W Hotels have been announced in Austin, Boston, Hollywood, Huntington Beach, and Downtown New York. In Europe, W Hotels have been announced in Athens, Barcelona, London, Manchester, Milan, Paris and St. Petersburg. In Asia, W has announced properties in Bangkok, Guangzhou, Macao-Studio City, Shanghai and Yokohama. In Africa and the Middle East, W has announced properties in Marrakech, Amman, and Dubai. W has plans to open W Retreats in Bali, Koh Samui, Vieques Island and Verbier, the latter of which will serve as W Hotels' first ski retreat.
About MUSIC2 Management
MUSIC2 Management is an artist management agency, with more than a decade of proven experience on an international scale, managing world-class musical talent. The company handles 360 degrees of an artist's career securing deals with all the major record labels, publishers, distributors, brand marketing companies, music supervisors and advertising agencies worldwide. MUSIC2 works closely with everyone from global advertising agencies to international brands such, music industry leaders and beyond. Our ultimate goal is "to provide independent artists with solid support and sound advice, endeavoring to help our clients define as well as achieve their goals and ambitions through an informed, committed and personalized approach."
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