Larry Wade
Founder, Decible Entertainment Group
By not only understanding, but also exhibiting keen intuition and empathy for artists, songwriters, and producers, Larry Wade has facilitated the careers of some of 21 – century pop’s defining voices. As Founder of Decible Entertainment Group, he manages the likes of GRAMMY® Award-winning force of nature Ricky Reed [Lizzo, The Weeknd, Camila Cabello, Bomba Estéreo, Twenty One Pilots] Evan “Kidd” Bogart [Beyoncé, Rihanna], Danja [Britney Spears, Beyoncé], and recording artist Ogi. Simultaneously, he serves as COO and Co-Owner of Reed’s Nice Life Recording Company, which counts Lizzo, The Marías, and more as part of its family.
Growing up in Indiana, Larry pored over liner notes from classic records as a kid. After studying at Purdue University, he briefly held down a sales job before heading out to L.A. with his best friend and first management client songwriter Philip Lawrence. He broke into the business by putting Lawrence on tour to sing background for Anthony Hamilton and linking Lawrence to Bruno Mars. This connection helped co-found The Smeezingtons and took Bruno Mars to stardom. In 2008, he picked up Bogart as a client and they started the writing camp. Wade then guided the Stereotypes to unprecedented heights as they notched a pair of GRAMMY® Awards in 2018 for their work with Bruno Mars. 2013 saw Wade welcome Reed as a client. While Reed launched a successful career as a producer and songwriter under Wade’s purview, they signed Lizzo as Nice Life’s flagship artist in 2015. They carefully developed her as Reed co-wrote and co-produced the BIllboard Hot 100 #1 multiplatinum mega-hits “About Damn Time,” & “Truth Hurts,” as well as top 10 hits “Rumors,” “Good As Hell,” and “Juice.” Lizzo netted the label its first three GRAMMY® Awards in 2020. In the wake of this success, Nice Life Recording Company presented a critically acclaimed project from The Marías who featured on Bad Bunny’s 2022 game-changing album Un Verano Sin Ti. More recently, in 2023, Reed and Lizzo won Record of the Year for “About Damn Time” at the GRAMMY® Awards. Wade consistently asserts himself as a champion for creators, above all.