Jackie Davidson

Having worked across the wide-ranging backbone of the music business over a couple of decades, Jackie Davidson MBE is a multifaceted entrepreneur. Her early beginnings saw Davidson interning at Bunny Wailer’s record company Solomonic. Following this, Davidson made a leap into marketing, where she founded the award-winning firm Hardzone Marketing & PR. Through Hardzone, Davidson consulted for reggae stars Buju Banton, Shabba Ranks and Patra, as well as labels including Columbia, Def Jam, Epic, BMG, Universal and Sony Music, across artist campaigns that were orientated within black music, for the likes of (but not limited to) Jay Z, Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, Destiny’s Child, Groove Theory and Brownstone. Despite these inimitable milestones, it is through her role as a manager that Davidson has made a perennial mark on the industry. Through her company JD Management, she has managed songwriters Wayne Hector and Ali Tennant amongst a range of incredible talent. Davidson continues to represent Wayne Hector today, who remains one of the world’s most coveted songwriters, having amassed over 30 International Number One singles, and earning awards at the Grammys, BRITs and Ivor Novello Awards. Together, Davidson and Hector have formed publishing firm Art Music, where they develop and nurture young writers and composers. Beyond her day-to-day, Davidson has remained a constant in the development of young people within the business, serving as a mentor and lobbyist. Her passion and drive for a fairer, more diverse and transparent industry is evident in her position in the Custodians Council for Music Managers Forum (MMF), in addition to being recently elected to the Music Publishers Association (MPA) board in 2020. As recognition for Davidson’s revered work, she has attained multiple awards, including Urban Music Seminar’s Respect Due Award, MMF’s 2015 Writer/Producer Manager Of The Year, and The Ivors Academy’s Gold Badge Award in 2018. A year later, she was honoured with the prestigious MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) on the Queen’s Birthday List for her services to the music industry – an acknowledgement that Jackie Davidson undeniably deserves.