Music / News

Spotify celebrates Lagos as a tastemaker city

On Thursday, 25 August 2022, Spotify brought together celebrities, media, influencers and fans to celebrate Lagos’ status as a city of culture-shifters, innovators, and tastemakers through a full-day experiential event dubbed #SpotifyFunhouse.

At the event, held at Landmark Centre in Victoria Island, guests enjoyed exciting performances and thought-provoking fireside chats, featuring key content creators who discussed Nigerian Gen Z listening habits and how they use music to vibe check.

“Lagos is becoming a global tastemaker city and a generation of artists, powered by online streaming, have got it to this point. Thanks in large part to music, the world’s been given a taste of Nigeria. Moreso, African creators are giving rise to globalization of culture through their work and we are so excited to be part of this success story.” – Phiona Okumu, Head of Music, Sub Saharan Africa, Spotify

“We are so proud to be connected with the Nigerian Gen Z community, and we remain committed to amplifying the talent coming out of Nigeria by providing a platform for local artists and creators in the audio space to showcase their creativity.” Okumu added.

Guests got the chance to explore Spotify’s Blend feature, which is a fun way for users to access unique collaborative playlists that combine their own music tastes with that of their friends and family, and discover where their tastes overlap. Guests were invited to create their own Blends, in a dedicated Blend booth, for a look at how Spotify uses music to bring people together.

Guests also had an opportunity to blend their own Bombay Sapphire cocktails at the Blend Bar. Speaking on the partnership, Lerato Makume, customer marketing manager for Bombay Sapphire said, ”Bombay Sapphire believes in inspiring self-expression. The collaboration with the Blend Bar gave opportunity for Nigerian creatives and tastemakers to express their creativity in a glass by mixing their own drinks as they do their music.”

The RADAR booth featured the six RADAR Africa artists who recently joined the Spotify RADAR program; BNXN (formerly known as Buju),Victony, Ayra

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Music / News

Drake, Taylor Swift, Juice WRLD, Kanye West, and Bad Bunny named as Spotify’s most-streamed U.S artists of 2021

Coming fifth is Bad Bunny. The 27-year-old Puerto Rican remains one of the most prominent singers in Latin trap and reggaeton—Bad Bunny’s continuous commercial success since 2016’s ‘Soy Peor’, the projects, added with famous features cements him as a forerunner for a genre that has claimed a top spot in modern music. Although Bad Bunny is the artist being recognized, he represents every Latinx artist since Luis Fonsi’s Despacito set the stage for Latin music’s reception in the US and worldwide.

Taking fourth place is Kanye West, otherwise known as ‘YE’. Despite the controversy, his name gets mentioned in, The multiple grammy-winning rapper, producer, father, and former presidential candidate remains one figure in hip hop that can not be sidelined. Kanye West’s 10th studio album DONDA [which we witnessed one of the iconic rollouts for, and arguably the best we’ll see in years] has received 33.4 million streams since its release. In addition, the build-up, production and dedication of the album to the rapper’s late mother, another major catalyst to the numeric success of DONDA was the brief feud Kanye had with fellow rapper Drake. The two released their albums in the same week. But, of course, beef fuels comparison. Comparison fuels competition. Competition fuels streams and numbers.

Two years after his tragic passing at 21, singer/ rapper juice WRLD’s mournful and energetic songs on love, heartbreak and emotions remain cherished among the Gen-Z audience that witnessed the birth of trap music and emo rap. Whether it’s ‘Goodbye and good riddance’, ‘Death race for love’, or posthumous album, ‘Legends never die’, in these albums, are millions of fans seeking closure and answers to a feeling the singer based his artistic career on, Love.

Taylor Swift will go down in history as one of the most iconic singers in human history. I’m talking about the kind that will inspire biopics long after she’s gone. At age 31, the singer is still breaking records, cracking charts as she evolves in sound and extension, telling her story the way she …

Entertainment / Music / News

Ayra Starr becomes the face of Spotify’s new campaign

Lagos, Nigeria: 9th November 2021 – Spotify celebrates Ayra Starr, the newest artist to join the EQUAL Music Program as the EQUAL Africa Artist of the Month. Spotify EQUAL aims to foster gender equality in music and provide a platform to highlight influential female creators, Spotify welcomes Ayra as she joins the list of fierce African women making waves in music.

The 19-year-old singer is a burgeoning Nigerian Afro-Pop and R&B singer whose charismatic music style is daring and undaunted– impacting and empowering people, especially those who need encouragement.

This announcement comes off the back of Ayra’s popularity and fame since the release of her smash hit, Bloody Samaritan, from her debut studio album ‘’19 and Dangerous”. The album features the chart-topping singles that have catapulted the musician to the global stage. The super-talented and vibrant fashion killer is one of Nigeria’s most promising new voices and exudes confidence in her songs, joining Gen-Z artists who are pioneering the kind of sound that younger audiences are leaning towards.

“Our aim with the EQUAL program is to create a space on the platform that allows us to solely amplify the work of female creators,” says Spotify’s Head of Music for Sub-Saharan Africa, Phiona Okumu. “Ayra represents the rise of new-age female artists whose creativity and determination breaks barriers between genres. She possesses the boldness and swagger that we’re used to seeing from pop artists, but has an edge that feels symbolic of the listening habits of Gen-Zers. We aim to amplify more confident female voices like hers through EQUAL.”

Ayra welcomed the acknowledgement given gender dynamics in the music industry.

‘’It feels good to be a part of the generation that is changing the narrative and being appreciated for our contribution to society, irrespective of the sector and age. I’m grateful to Spotify EQUAL for this feature that shines a light on women in a male-dominated industry. It makes me feel seen, and I’m sure it’s done so for everyone who has been featured before me,” says Ayra Starr.

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