MUSIC streaming service Spotify this week announced Ghanaian singer and songwriter Moliy as the EQUAL Africa ambassador for the month of June, the company said in a statement.
Moliy takes inspiration from her childhood spent between Accra and Orlando, Florida, where she was exposed to musical sounds like Afrobeats, Reggae, Soul, Jazz, and Hip Hop.
Reacting to her EQUAL Africa selection, Moliy says she’s always felt there was a huge disparity between the levels of success among male and female artists, ranging from bigger pay checks to bigger venues afforded to male artists over female artists.
‘As if that’s not enough reason to uplift female artists, there’s always a reason to bring us down: from body shaming to constantly comparing and pitting us against each other. There’s also this theory that women ‘supposedly’ have a ticking time bomb hanging over our heads on when we can be successful and when our prime time is over,’ she adds.
As a staunch advocate for women empowerment in the creative scene, Moliy feels that EQUAL provides a platform that inspires generations of women in Africa.
‘When people ask who are the biggest artists here, the first five names you hear are likely to be male. But this is what I live for, this is why I am here, there will be a day when the top five will be females and I’m going to be alive to see it. I’m going to be one of the greatest artists to ever come from Africa and inspire an entire generation of women,’ she concludes.
The EQUAL programme by Spotify is geared towards shedding light on powerful female voices making groundbreaking moves on the continent’s music scene.
‘The voices of women are still missing from popular music. Our goal with the EQUAL Music programme is to shine light on creative young African women who are finding their voice through music,’ says Spotify’s head of music for sub-Saharan Africa, Phiona Okumu.
‘We are grateful for Moliy’s remarkable journey and experiences that have shaped the strong voice she has. We are also excited for her future in the music industry and are happy to welcome her to the EQUAL programme,’ she says.