Acclaimed Irish electronic artist Elaine Mai has signed an exclusive publishing deal with industry icon Nick Halkes and his joint venture with Sentric Music Group.

“From the first time we were introduced, I got a great feeling about collaborating with Nick and the team at Sentric," Mai says. "Nick’s exceptional industry expertise is coupled with a huge passion for music and helping artists develop and grow their careers. I’m really excited to see where this partnership takes us.”

“I love that feeling when I hear great music with strong potential, and when I heard 'No Forever' (feat. MayKay) for the first time I was keen to hear more," Halkes adds. "Elaine has a strong body of work already but I think there's much more to this story that will unfold over the months and years to come.”

Sentric Music Group – a global, award-winning independent publisher – entered a partnership with Halkes earlier this year. He joined the group as an A&R consultant, signing writers in partnership with the independent publisher, as well as working creatively with Sentric’s existing clients.

Mai’s debut album, Home, was released to critical acclaim in October. The lead single, 'No Forever', featuring MayKay, achieved over 13 million impressions across Irish radio, hit No.2 on the Irish Radio Breakers chart and peaked at No.6 on the Viral 50 Ireland Spotify chart.

Mai is currently one of three artists representing Ireland with Keychange – the EU initiative working towards a total restructuring of the music industry to help reach full gender equality.

She also contributed to the No.1 single 'Dreams', a cover of The Cranberries’ hit by Irish Women In Harmony, which raised over €250,000 for anti-domestic violence charity SAFE Ireland.

On December 18 and January 15, Mai will perform on the Dave Fanning's Fanning At Whelan’s TV series on Virgin Media Two.