Kylie Minogue splits with Jay Z’s Roc Nation, Parlophone

Kylie Minogue has confirmed that she has split from JayZ’s management company Roc Nation after two years, and that her label deal of 15 years with Parlophone expired this month.

Minogue remains with Warner Music Australia.

Apparently her main dissatisfaction was that sales of her current album Kiss Me Once were not up to her expectation. She signed to Roc Nation in February 2013 after splitting from her long time Australian manager Terry Blamey who guided her from her debut single in her teen days.

Minogue had been initially excited about Roc Nation. Its star clients include Rihanna, Shakira, Mark Ronson, M.I.A. and Calvin Harris. They also promised her sponsorship and endorsement deals. These never materialised, Her disappointment grew, according to whispers that the company didn’t “get” her as an artist.

The Roc Nation deal runs out on March 21, when she winds up her Australian tour in Brisbane.

“She wants to take more control over her career,” a spokesperson was quoted in the UK newspapers.

Minogue has already recorded “edgier” music with Nile Rodgers, Disclosure and Giorgio Moroder and plans to release them shortly. On her current Australian tour, she performs two songs with Moroder: a cover of Donna Summer’s I Feel Love and new track Right Here Right Now. She also wants to reactivate her acting career and signed with a USagent.

The singer issued a statement, "I've had an amazing time with Roc Nation and it's been fantastic to team up with them over the last two years.We got together at a period in my life when I wanted to shake things up.

"I loved collaborating with Roc on the Kiss Me Once album, world tour and DVD and have made great friends in the process. I’m now looking forward to my upcoming summer gigs and embarking on new adventures. And I want to thank everyone at Roc Nation who have been on this incredible ride with me."

Kiss Me Once, which the 46-year-old executive-produced with Sia, was released last March to mixed critical response. Some hailed her return to mainstream dance music, others thought it dated and safe.

The album was her first after Parlophone was bought over by Warner Music Group. It debuted at #1 in Australia (first week sales 8,166) and #2 in the UK (first week sales 29,251). But it stalled at #31 in the USwhere it was issued through Warner Bros. It made it into the Top 20 through Europe. Its singles Into The Blue and I Was Gonna Cancel failed to spectacularly fire the Top 10.

Rumours of a split with Parlophone emerged last June but the singer squelched them on Twitter.