Young Turks — the U.K. record label and publisher that's home to The xx, Sampha, FKA twigs and more — will now be known simply as Young.
Founder Caius Pawson announced the change today, sharing that it comes after "a long period of reflection."
As he outlines, Young Turks took its name from Rod Stewart's 1981 single of the same name.
"When I first heard the song, it took a week of 2005-era internet searches to find out what it was and even longer to understand its meaning," Pawson wrote. "The name intrigued me, evoking the solidarity of youth. In 2005, it seemed to perfectly sum up what we were: teenagers, wanting and waiting to do something, anything."
He continued: "However, we were unaware of the deeper history of the term and, specifically, that the Young Turks were a group who carried out the Armenian Genocide from 1915 onwards. Through ongoing conversations and messages that have developed our own knowledge around the subject, it's become apparent that the name is a source of hurt and confusion for people.
"We loved the name for what it meant to us, but in retrospect should have listened more carefully to other voices and acted more quickly. We have always tried to affect positive change and knowing what we do now, it's only right that we change our name."
Pawson notes that the label has donated an undisclosed sum to the Armenian Institute in London.
You can find his full statement below.
Founder Caius Pawson announced the change today, sharing that it comes after "a long period of reflection."
As he outlines, Young Turks took its name from Rod Stewart's 1981 single of the same name.
"When I first heard the song, it took a week of 2005-era internet searches to find out what it was and even longer to understand its meaning," Pawson wrote. "The name intrigued me, evoking the solidarity of youth. In 2005, it seemed to perfectly sum up what we were: teenagers, wanting and waiting to do something, anything."
He continued: "However, we were unaware of the deeper history of the term and, specifically, that the Young Turks were a group who carried out the Armenian Genocide from 1915 onwards. Through ongoing conversations and messages that have developed our own knowledge around the subject, it's become apparent that the name is a source of hurt and confusion for people.
"We loved the name for what it meant to us, but in retrospect should have listened more carefully to other voices and acted more quickly. We have always tried to affect positive change and knowing what we do now, it's only right that we change our name."
Pawson notes that the label has donated an undisclosed sum to the Armenian Institute in London.
You can find his full statement below.
