When it comes to musical reinventions in 2018, the industry surely won’t see a more striking example than James Bay’s metamorphosis.

Starring on the cover of the new edition of Music Week, out now, the reinvigorated tunesmith shows off a new look, while our in-depth interview unearths the secrets behind his new sound. With Bay’s bold candour and contributions from his team, it’s a fascinating story.

James Bay isn’t the only one shaking things up in this issue: Universal Music UK chairman and CEO David Joseph has some big news, while the industry reacts to the Global radio’s upcoming maiden awards ceremony.

Elsewhere in the news section, we’ve got the very latest reaction from Warner Bros UK president Phil Christie and others on a very successful night at the BRIT Awards.

While we’re on the subject of the BRITs, this week’s Hitmakers tells the story behind No More Sad Songs, by 2018 winners Little Mix.

There’s also a masterclass in songwriting from expert hitmaker JR Rotem, while we go deep on the latest RAJAR numbers with our unrivalled analysis. Meanwhile, BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra controller Ben Cooper takes on The Aftershow.

Now senior consultant at Raffingers, Ed Niman returns with another hard-hitting accountancy column explaining why tracking digital earnings is vital for the industry.

Also inside this week, we meet 22-year-old West London songwriter Nilüfer Yanya in On The Radar, and take a look at rising rapper Slowthai in Making Waves. This week’s Sync Story features BBC One drama McMafia, and our archive page rewinds the clock back to 1998.