ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MASTER & EDITION
Karim Ech-Choayby is a leading artistic director who has shaped French pop, variety, and urban music for more than twenty years. After starting his career at Virgin, he joined EMI / Capitol, where he contributed to the rise of David Guetta and the Tecktonik phenomenon, while also working with icons such as Khaled and Cheb Mami, and signing flagship acts including Magic System, Zaho, Amine, and Rainb, as well as collaborating with M. Pokora.
He then moved to Universal Music Publishing, where he supported the careers of Amir, Indila, Slimane, Fréro Delavega, Kendji, and Yseult, and signed Damso, while also developing many talents from the Belgian scene (both beatmakers and artists).
In 2019, he became Head of A&R at Def Jam France, working with Vegedream, Kungs, Romeo Elvis, Hatik, Amel Bent, Louane, and Boulevard des Airs, and oversaw the massive success of the album VersuS by Vitaa & Slimane.
In 2021, he joined Columbia Records France (Sony), where he developed a new wave of talents including Star Academy artists, Joseph Kamel, and Lala &ce, while also collaborating with established figures such as Miossec and Patrick Bruel.
Today, he leads the revival of the historic label Phonogram at Universal Music France, signing Victorien Breux and EMMA (Star Academy), César (The Voice 2024), Filiz Ackerman, as well as the trio Il Cello, winners of The Voice 2025, in collaboration with Yvan Cassar and Florent Pagny.
A visionary and strategist, Karim Ech-Choayby has been building bridges between rising talents and established icons for more than two decades, consistently revealing the voices and sounds that shape the future of French pop.
