John Legend Joins Roc Nation, Ending Nearly 20-Year Manager Partnership
John Legend is making a significant change in his professional team, entering a new phase of his career by switching management companies. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Legend has signed…
John Legend is making a significant change in his professional team, entering a new phase of his career by switching management companies.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Legend has signed with Roc Nation. This move ends his nearly 20-year relationship with manager Ty Stiklorius and her company, Friends at Work.
He will now be managed under Roc Nation CEO Jay Brown.
Longtime Partnership Comes to a Close
The timing of the transition has not been clearly announced. Legend was still listed on Friends at Work’s roster as recently as February. Stiklorius also discussed her work with him earlier this year during a Global Citizen panel in Beverly Hills.
Roc Nation did not release an official statement about the signing. However, the company shared a photo of Legend from his A Night of Songs & Stories Tour shortly after reports of the move became public.
Nearly Two Decades of Collaboration
The change ends one of the longest-running artist-manager partnerships in the music industry.
According to THR, Stiklorius began working with Legend in 2006 when they launched JL Ventures together. She later became his full-time manager and remained a central figure throughout his career.
Over the years, their partnership continued through several business changes, including her roles at The Artists Organization and Atom Factory, before she founded Friends at Work in 2015.
Statement from Stiklorius
Stiklorius reflected on the partnership in a public statement:
“Twenty years is a lifetime in this business, and I’m proud of the work John and I did together that was rooted in creativity, trust, love, and ambition,” Stiklorius said in a statement, as reported by THR. “I’m energized by what’s ahead for both of us as I pass the music management baton to Jay Brown at ROC Nation.”
She also said she will “continue to be John’s partner in the many for-profit and non-profit ventures we built together and John’s biggest champion.”
Work Beyond Music
Their collaboration extended beyond Legend’s recording career. Stiklorius worked with him on Get Lifted Film Co., a production company involved in projects such as La La Land, Underground, Rhythm + Flow, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, Citizen Ashe, and Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children.
Together, they also helped develop John Legend Ventures, which expanded his work into film, television, philanthropy, and business.
