Teresa LaBarbera Whites

Teresa LaBarbera Whites is an American A&R, music executive, talent scout, and executive producer, who is best known for discovering Destiny's Child and Jessica Simpson. Previously the A&R executive for Beyoncé and Chloe x Halle, she has recently reunited with Simpson.

Career Originally the Southwest regional talent scout for Sony Music in the 1990s, Whites was offered an A&R position with Columbia Records, pitching and signing Destiny's Child and Jessica Simpson to Columbia. Over the next eight years, she would organize several multi-platinum projects: The Writing's on the Wall (1999), Sweet Kisses (1999), Survivor (2001), Dangerously in Love (2003), In This Skin (2003), and Destiny Fulfilled (2004). Whites was then offered the Jive/Zomba Vice-President of A&R position, where she would oversee the direction of Nick Lachey's 2006 solo breakthrough album What's Left of Me, as well as various Backstreet Boys, JC Chasez, and Britney Spears projects. Whites would eventually reunite with Destiny's Child member Beyoncé Knowles in 2011, first becoming Senior Vice-President, A&R of Columbia Records, and then becoming the A&R executive for Knowles' label imprint Parkwood Entertainment, overseeing song selection for her eponymous fifth album, Lemonade, and several other projects.

In 2022, Whites parted ways with Parkwood Entertainment to become CEO and owner of her own music agency Highbank Entertainment. Her first project was to oversee Chloe Bailey's 2023 debut solo album In Pieces. In 2025, Whites reunited with Simpson, helping to manage and oversee her 2025 comeback project Nashville Canyon, P.1. Bellasonic / Jive Records

2008 Circus Jive Records / Zomba

2009 This Is Us Jive Records / Sony Music

2009 Just Like You 19 Entertainment / Jive Records

2009 Sorry for Partyin' Jive Records / RCA Records

2011 4 Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records

2013 Beyoncé Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records

2014 MKTO Columbia Records

2015 Hysteria eOne

2016 Lemonade Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records

2018 Everything Is Love Roc Nation / Parkwood Entertainment / Sony Music

2019 HΘMΣCΘMING: The Live Album Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records

2019 The Lion King: The Gift Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records

2021 Ungodly Hour: Chrome Edition Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records

2023 In Pieces Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records

2025 Nashville Canyon, Pt. 1 Nashville Canyon Records

2025 Nashville Canyon, Pt. 2 Nashville Canyon Records

Awards and nominations Year Ceremony Award ResultRef/Notes 2009 Premios Oye! 2009 Album Of The Year - English (Circus) Note: Executive Producer Album Award