Spotify, the online music streaming platform, has announced Nigerian singer Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, popularly known as Ayra Starr, as the EQUAL Africa and EQUAL Global artist for May 2024.
Background: RADAR is Spotify’s program created to spotlight up-and-coming music talent, offering them an opportunity to expand their fanbase and support their journey to superstardom through comprehensive marketing, content, and editorial campaigns.
In 2023, Spotify hosted 15 EQUAL activations, leading to over 14.8 million artist discoveries from EQUAL playlists, and EQUAL artists received 11,800 editorial playlist ads, highlighting the program’s extensive reach and impact.
Ayra Starr, whose February release ‘Commas’ has garnered over 35 million streams on Spotify, spoke about her expressive musical style that has helped her carve out a niche in the music industry and what it means to be selected as Spotify’s EQUAL artist.
“I am grateful to become a Spotify EQUAL Ambassador. It means so much to me to be able to represent women in Afrobeats and African women in general. There are so many women in music right now and the EQUAL program is doing a great job in highlighting their hard work.”
Known for hits such as ‘Rush’, ‘Sability’, ‘Rhythm & Blues’, and ‘Commas’, Ayra Starr is gearing up for the release of her second album, ‘The Year I Turned 21’, expected to drop in May 2024.
Commenting on the significance of the Spotify EQUAL program, Starr said, “There are so many women in music today, behind the scenes, in front of the camera, musicians, and sound engineers—all these women working hard and Spotify EQUAL is doing a great job in highlighting all their hard work.”
