South African Amapiano duo, Tarryn Reid and Clairise Hefke, popularly known as “TxC”, have emerged Spotify EQUAL Africa artistes for July.
Phiona Okumu, Spotify’s Head of Music for Sub-Saharan Africa, disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Lagos.
She described the artistes as a dynamic duo, known for their innovative contributions to the Amapiano genre and had continued to break barriers as well as set new standards in the South African music scene.
Okumu noted that the artistes’ unique sound, infectious energy, and dedication to their craft had not only earned them a loyal fanbase but also positioned them as role models for aspiring female artistes.
“In a powerful move to continue supporting women of Amapiano, following the decade of Amapiano celebration, Spotify proudly announces TxC as EQUAL Africa’s July ambassadors.
“We are thrilled to welcome TxC as our EQUAL ambassadors for July this year.
“Their trailblazing work in the Amapiano genre and their commitment to empowering women in music make them perfect ambassadors for this initiative.
“At Spotify, we believe in creating a platform where all artistes can thrive and we are excited to shine a spotlight on TxC’s incredible talent and influence,” she said.
According to Okumu, Spotify understands that there are challenges women in the global music sector face, hence the importance to have programmes like EQUAL to help combat gender disparities in the music industry.
She said this was done by spotlighting female talent from around the world, giving them a platform through playlist content and the EQUAL hub, having generated over 31 billion editorial streams across one billion listening hours.
“EQUAL provides female artistes with the resources and the visibility they need to succeed, with more than 6,900 female artistes added to the EQUAL playlist and over 1,000 ambassadors in their home countries including South Africa.
“Spotify hopes to inspire change and promote a more inclusive music landscape across the globe,” she said.
Responding, TxC said: “Working in a space that has been male dominated for a long time has had its fair share of challenges but has also been so much more rewarding.
“When we first started we had to prove ourselves 10 times more as being worthy of being within this specific music scene and now, as time has evolved, women have been more accepted within the space which is such a proud feeling.
“We are delighted to be part of such a prestigious programme as EQUAL, seeing women being celebrated and recognised for the work and effort they put into their craft is always so rewarding. ”So, we thank Spotify for making us part of such an elite and well rounded programme.”