MUMBAI: BMG has acquired outright the publishing and master rights in one of the most successful UK songs of the past 30 years, ‘Walking On Sunshine’ by Katrina and The Waves.

The song was first released in 1985, reaching number eight in the Official UK Singles Chart and number nine in the Billboard Hot 100, and has since gone on to become one of the most consistently successful songs in UK music. It has a track record of sync usage, in advertising, feature films, TV shows and video games and has been covered by artists ranging from The Muppets to the Cast of Glee and Dolly Parton.

BMG UK, EVP, Alexi Cory-Smith said, “‘Walking On Sunshine’ is a classic copyright, an instantly recognisable song and a very powerful addition to our roster.”

Since its formation in late 2008, BMG has made sync a priority area, and is unique at its size in representing both publishing and master rights. BMG’s sync staff of 75 operates as a single integrated international team sharing all briefs across borders in order to offer clients as comprehensive a service as possible.

BMG EVP, Marketing and Sync, Patrick Joest said, “The striking thing about ‘Walking On Sunshine’ is its ability to work across virtually every medium from film to TV and advertising – and in virtually any product category. It is a song loved around the world, working across cultures and languages”

‘Walking On Sunshine’ forms the centerpiece of the Kyboside catalogue, which includes rights to nearly every song written or recorded by Katrina & The Waves and the band’s primary songwriter Kimberley Rew.

These include the 1997 Eurovision winner ‘Love Shine A Light’, the last UK entry to win the song contest and ‘Going Down To Liverpool’ which was covered notably by The Bangles.

Before forming Katrina and The Waves, Cambridge graduate Kimberley Rew was a member of Robyn Hitchcock’s Soft Boys. In 1981 he and Alex Cooper joined with Vince de la Cruz and Katrina Leskanich to form Katrina and The Waves. Their self-released debut album in 1983 contained an early version of ‘Walking On Sunshine’ which became a radio hit in Canada, before becoming an international Top 10 hit in 1985. Over the following 15 years they recorded seven albums.