For months, Selena B. Hunter had been agonizing over what to call her new record company. The label would be the embodiment of “Black Girl Magic.” It would be groundbreaking. It would be bold. And it would be built on principles rarely, if ever, seen in an industry often riddled with misogyny and exploitation. Artists would be endowed with a real voice. They’d be empowered to fully and organically embrace their own, unique brand of creativity. The name would have to somehow convey all of that.
She pored over branding and marketing materials for a diverse mix of products and businesses, along with that of Fortune 500 companies too, but her answer would finally come within the pages of a book by marketing guru Seth Godin. It inspired her to do more research online and she was instantly drawn to the story of an effervescent Egyptian goddess. “She’s half-woman, a nod to femininity, and also half cow, which speaks to being sacred and valuable,” remembers Selena, 51, a 30-year industry vet. “She was the goddess of the stars, the goddess of love, the goddess of women, and the goddess of music; all of which is very appropriate for what I wanted to represent.”
In that moment, Hathor Entertainment was born in Los Angeles, California as, what Selena asserts is, “the first Black-owned, majority woman-owned and led independent record label designed to meet the underserved needs of women in the R&B, hip hop, and pop genres.” It officially launches this month and Selena plans to hit the ground running, starting the roster off with her own daughter and Co-CEO, solo progressive R&B artist Nia, a former The Lion King star on Broadway. And that’s just the beginning. Selena’s ultimate goal is to develop and support 100 women musical artists, bringing something fresh, unique and, well, needed.
