Women's Equality Day 2022: Spotify EQUAL's Playlists Celebrate Women Songwriters

EQUAL is Spotify’s global initiative that is raising volumes on exemplary work done by women in the music industry. It explores outstanding creations of women across 180 countries in the world, including Italy, Africa and Argentina.

Users can access the EQUAL Hub., which has playlists celebrating women producers and songwriters. Thus, elevating the contribution of women in the industry. This is a step towards the advancement of gender equity where they believe that representation could become an inspiration for the future generation of women.

Billboard spoke to Zoheb Hassan and Simi for the third instalment of Worldwide Women. Zoheb spoke on behalf of the late Pakistani songwriter and singer Nazia Hassan. The two talked about journeys of artists, the EQUAL initiative and gender equity in the music industry.

Being Brand Ambassador Of EQUAL Is Symbolic For Simi

Image Courtesy: Instagram/simplysimi

Simi is an award-winning songwriter, singer and sound engineer born and raised in Nigeria. As a young woman singing in a music group at her church, she found her voice. It gave her an opportunity to work on solo projects.

Her first album, Simisola, was released in 2017, and it was among the top five on the Billboard World Albums Chart. She has always been passionate about how the industry treats women artists. It feels symbolic to her to be the brand ambassador of the Spotify EQUAL Program.

She suggests the music industry just must go all the way to support and establish gender equity. “Even when we get our foot in the door, we have to keep fighting to stay there. I feel a lot of pressure as a woman in the industry to look and move a certain way,” she added.

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Nazia’s Legacy Lives On

Image Courtesy: Spotify

While Nazia was alive, Zoheb and she were a sibling duo who introduced entire Southeast Asia to pop music. Together, they have sold 65 million records and toured across the globe.

They started producing music when they were quite young. Zoheb said that people in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. identified with their music. Hence, their Disco Dewanee album was such a success.

Although Nazia passed away in 2000, she has over 460,000 listeners on Spotify, which has also honoured her legacy by featuring her among the ambassadors of the EQUAL Global Playlist.

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Zoheb pointed out that not many Pakistani artists have received accolades like that, therefore, it was a proud moment for the country as well. He said that Nazia had always been a role model for many women in the country.

Nazia used to donate the majority of her royalties to needy people. Her family came to know about this truth after her demise. Through her albums, her legacy lives on.

What Spotify EQUAL is working on is a small step towards acknowledging the work of female artists in the music industry. Similarly, each industry can work to establish gender equity.