Jai Sparks

I have spent over 20 years in the music industry as a performer, manager, and label director, working across artist development, PR, A&R, and international touring. In my early teenage years, bands I performed in and artists I managed released music through labels such as Epitaph, toured extensively with renowned international acts including Frenzal Rhomb, Unwritten Law, and No Use For A Name, and secured placements across major US television shows. After several years working at a major label, I left to tour extensively as a musician before founding Hello Gardener, an independent artist development label and management company focused on building long-term, sustainable careers.

In 2022, I signed Sunshine Coast band Betty Taylor to Hello Gardener as a development artist. Within 18 months, they became one of triple j’s top ten most-played artists, surpassed one million streams, secured a global agency deal with WME, and landed international editorial playlists across Spotify and Apple Music. The band has since signed a long-term management deal, toured throughout Australia, the UK, Europe and US, and is booked to appear at BottleRock Festival, California and The Aussie BBQ NYC, followed by extensive touring planned across the United States.

My work centres on artist development and international strategy. Most recently, I signed Sydney-based mid-wave artist Ed Barnes to a development and management deal.