Spotify announces Fave as EQUAL Africa ambassador
Music streaming platform, Spotify has named a Nigerian artist, Fave as the EQUAL Africa ambassador for the month of March.
In April 2021, months after it expanded to 38 African countries, Spotify launched the Spotify EQUAL Music Programme in commemoration of International Women’s Day.
According to Spotify, the programme—which consists of highlighted playlists created and marketed by Spotify—was launched to highlight women creators on its platform and work towards equity for women in the audio industry.
Globally, charts are often dominated by male performers. From 2017 to 2019, only 21% of performers on Billboard’s Hot 100 were women. Apple Music and Spotify, during the same period, had even less, with female performers representing only 19% of charts.
Only 2 women — Rihanna and Ariana Grande — made the 10-year streaming charts in 2018 during Spotify’s 10th-year anniversary. Last month, Spotify released its milestone after two years of operation in Nigeria and its was also a male-dominated list.
Spotify today announced Fave as the latest EQUAL Africa ambassador of the month. This announcement comes off the back of Fave’s popularity and fame since the release of her breakthrough hit single Baby Riddim which was released in September 2021 via emPawa Africa.
“Our aim with the EQUAL Music Programme is to shine a light on remarkable young women in Africa who are finding their feet through music,” says Spotify’s head of music for sub-Saharan Africa, Phiona Okumu.
Adding that “[Spotify remains committed to leveling the playing field for female creators by giving emerging and established artists equal opportunities on our platform. Fave exudes character and confidence and we are proud to showcase her.”
Fave is a talented creative who understands the power of social media and who made her way to the spotlight through it. She hit the spotlight after she posted a freestyle of her song, N.B.U (Nobody But You), a blend of upbeat pop and Afro that soared across playlists and social media during the COVID-19 lockdown. The song received shares across social media and became an instant hit prior to its release.
The 22-year-old singer is a burgeoning Nigerian Afro R&B singer whose charming music style is attracting the big guns of the entertainment industry, placing her on the same level as other young female artists like Tems and Ayra Starr (another Spotify EQUAL Artist), who are becoming the next generation of female artists in Nigeria, each bringing with them their own style of music.
For Fave, “it’s easy to come across, or even be directly involved in, a conversation on the subject of female artists and the widely believed stereotype that women cannot give their 100% to music because there are other things that occupy their time, based on societal norms. Like family and kids,”
“Stereotypes like this already influence how people in the industry view women. On a broader scale, you almost get the vibe that people think the success of a female artist can only be short-lived. Of course, defects like this are not general but they do exist. Male domination, I believe, is something that can only be filtered away by our outstanding success as women in our fields of excellence and talent. I’m honored to be part of the EQUAL programme with women who plan to change the world,” she stated.
Also Read: Spotify's expansion and the short history of music distribution in Nigeria
Fave's record label's emPawa Africa's co-founder & Head of Label Services, Ikenna Nwagboso said it “we will continue to seek, recognize and amplify the female voices we have in the African music space so that the next generation of female artists can believe and have many influences to look up to.”
Fave’s breakout track “Baby Riddim” will be featured on the EQUAL Africa and EQUAL Global. In January, FAVE joined the Apple Music’s Africa Rising programme.