By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The prestigious Spotify EQUAL Music Programme has announced Ghanaian breakout star, Amaarae, as the January Artist of the Month.
The red-gold-green nation’s global sensation is the cover of Spotify’s EQUAL Africa playlist, which compiles music from “the fiercest African women making waves”.
Spotify EQUAL is a pledge to amplify the voices of women in the music industry, as only 25 per cent of artistes on the charts are female, according to a study by Spotify-funded USC Annenberg.
The EQUAL programme spans seven categories, which include the EQUAL Artists of the Month and the EQUAL local playlists, where Amaarae represents the January 2022 selection.
“I’m incredibly proud to be EQUAL’s Artist of the Month in recognition of all the barriers my creative work looks to break. It’s a win for Ghanaian and African female creators,” Amaarae enthused.
New York-born Ama Serwah Genfi is creating R&B, Soul, and Afropop fusions that have global appeal. Amaarae, who is a strong advocate of gender equality, is fast achieving fame.
The rise of The Angel You Don’t Know album maker on Spotify is phenomenal, with more than 10 million monthly listeners, and over 116 million streams for her Sad Girlz Luv Money remix alone.
With this viral hit, which features Kali Uchis and Moliy and which debuted at #80 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November 2021, Amaarae became the second Ghanaian to break into the Billboard charts – 50 years after Ghanaian-English Afro rock band Osibisa first paved the way.
Today, the entertainer known to her social media fans as Fountain Baby follows in the footsteps of fellow Ghanaian female star Gyakie who, with her selection in April last year, became the first African woman to partner with Spotify for EQUAL.
Other African artistes to have been featured on EQUAL include Kenya’s SSARU and Muthoni Drummer Queen, Nigeria’s Ayra Starr, and South Africa’s DBN Gogo.
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