John Legend is now being managed by Roc Nation, The Hollywood Reporter has learned, as the singer parts ways with longtime manager Ty Stiklorius and her firm Friends at Work.
It’s unclear when the switch took place. Legend was listed on Friends at Work’s roster as recently as last month, as reflected in the Internet Archive’s Way Back Machine, and Stiklorius had spoken about her work with Legend in February during a panel discussion for a Global Citizen event in Beverly Hills.
“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 to 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. I continue to be John’s partner in the many for-profit and non-profit ventures we built together and John’s biggest champion.”
Legend first broke out in 2004 with his much-lauded debut album Get Lifted, which quickly established himself as one of the biggest voices in R&B. He’s won 13 Grammys in his career and is behind some of the biggest hits of his generation, including his 14-time-platinum hit “All of Me” as well as “Like I’m Going to Lose You,” his duet with Meghan Trainor.
Legend and Stiklorius had worked together for decades, with Billboard reporting their association going back to 2006, with Stiklorius helping found John Legend Ventures. Legend stuck with Stiklorius when she founded Friends at Work back in 2014, leaving with her after Stiklorius departed from Troy Carter’s management firm Atom Factory.
Still on Friends at Work’s roster is Charlie Puth, who just released his fourth album, Whatever’s Clever!, on Friday. Also on the firm’s management list are rock band The National as well as jazz singer Arooj Aftab. Stiklorius has long-held a reputation as a respected manager who’s also used her platform to speak out on inequalities in the music industry. In 2024, she penned a New York Times opinion piece about toxicity in the music industry amid the abuse allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Roc Nation, the management and music company from Jay-Z, boasts a roster of superstars that includes A$AP Rocky, Rihanna, Clipse, Lil Uzi Vert and Megan Thee Stallion among others. Roc Nation didn’t respond to request for comment, though after THR reached out for comment, the company shared an Instagram post with a picture of Legend during his A Night of Songs & Stories Tour.
