She’s already one of the most famous mononymous celebrities in the world, and now Academy Award, Emmy and Grammy winner Cher has partnered with Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group to expose new generations to her prolific, six-decade-long music career.
IAG has acquired Cher’s full interest in her past sound recordings and compositions for a sum that the company declined to reveal.
The 77-year-old singer-actress, who is now recording her first holiday album, has landed a No. 1 single on one of Billboard’s charts in each decade from the 1960s through the 2010s, beginning with her work as half of the duo Sonny & Cher, whose pop hits led to the hit CBS prime-time variety show, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, which ran from 1971 to 1974. But she got her start when she was 17, singing background vocals for late producer Phil Spector, whom she refers to as “Phillip.”
Like many acts on IAG’s growing roster, Cher has a relationship with Azoff that goes back to the ’70s, when they were introduced by Cher’s sister, Georganne LaPiere, who was a close friend of Azoff’s. “I’ve never worked with her professionally,” he says, “but obviously have been a fan.”
Cher says her decision to make a deal with IAG came down to the respect Azoff shows artists. “I trust Irving,” she says in an exclusive interview with Billboard. “If he has a great idea, I respect him. And if I have a great idea, I know he will listen attentively. My voice will be heard.”
IAG’s first project with Cher will celebrate the 25th anniversary of “Believe,” her electro-pop hit that arrived in October 1998 and was Billboard’s No. 1 song of 1999.
Although she has yet to talk strategy with IAG, Cher says she and Mark Taylor, who co-produced the song, discussed building a box set around “Believe” and her album of the same name — a conversation in which Taylor proposed an ambitious agenda for her. “I said I’d like to do a concert with my favorite songs, and he said, ‘Why don’t you do an album?’ I said, ‘OK.’ And he said, ‘Why don’t you do a concert for the Christmas album?’ And I went, ‘Wait, dude. C’mon,’ ” she recalls with a laugh.
Cher, who is managed by Roger Davies and Lindsay Scott, concluded her last major tour in 2005 and a Las Vegas residency in 2011. Asked if she plans to tour again, she replies: “I don’t know,” although she says there will not be live performances tied to the anniversary of “Believe”: “I’m not going to be ready that soon.”
She would also like to explore releasing a box set of her lesser-known songs, including some of her more recent recordings. “Some of my favorite, favorite songs weren’t hits,” she says. “I wasn’t a very good singer until, oh, my God, I was 40. I met my teacher [Adrienne Angel]. She made me a real singer.”
Her wish list for such a compilation would include tracks that fared well on the dance charts but weren’t necessarily mainstream pop hits, including 2001’s “Song for the Lonely”; 2010’s “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me,” which won composer Diane Warren a Golden Globe; and 1991’s “Save Up All Your Tears.”
There are also plans to license her vast catalog of hits for film/TV synchs. “I think that’s great because they’re good songs,” Cher says. “Not all of them, but a lot of them are really good. I’m surprised sometimes that people know me or know my songs.”
IAG’s acquisition includes the international share in her late ex-husband Sonny Bono’s publishing catalog, which she received in their 1975 divorce — a collection that Azoff says is “vastly underappreciated” and includes such Sonny & Cher hits as “The Beat Goes On” and “I Got You Babe.” Cher says she would love for those songs to find new ears, but adds, “It never actually occurred to me that kids would want to hear those old songs.” (IAG does not have a stake in her Los Angeles-based CHERlato pop-up gelato truck, which serves flavors like Snap Out of It! and kefir and cardamom.)
IAG president Jimmy Edwards says the company plans to mine all decades of Cher’s career. “She’s the symbol of empowerment,” he says. “She’s successful in everything she does — music, film, TV, fashion, you name it. There’s so much story to tell. That’s our goal, always: to make sure we’re working with our partners to help curate that story.”
