Going down over 4 days and serving as a discussion board for worldwide expertise to debate present developments within the international music business, Reeperbahn is Europe’s largest membership pageant. Since 2006, artists, followers and business gamers from all around the world have gathered in Hamburg for the occasion.
For this yr’s Reeperbahn Pageant, Spotify celebrated its EQUAL World Music Program. EQUAL goals to deal with gender disparities within the music business by amplifying and celebrating the work of artistic ladies all over the world.
In the course of the pageant, Spotify organized a sequence of concert events to showcase the skills of German artist EQUAL LEEPA (who can also be the EQUAL artist of the month for September), Sofia Portanetand Earlier than. “It was thrilling to have three nice artists acting at this internationally acclaimed occasion,” shared Conny Zhang, Spotify Accountable for music for the German area. “On the identical time, this showcase demonstrates, as soon as once more, the significance we place on selling range within the audio business at Spotify.“
Earlier than their performances, we caught up with two of the artists, LEEPA and Sofiato be taught extra about their careers and experiences.
What has been your expertise with the Spotify EQUAL program thus far?
LEEPA: It was nice, however a bit surreal. It is also been lots of work, so I feel I am in tremendous tunnel mode and should wait till essentially the most intense half is over to essentially notice it is occurred.
How does it really feel to be a part of the Reeperbahn showcase?
LEEPA: My response is disbelief, lots of perfectionism and gratitude. The reactions of different folks have been additionally wonderful. It is fascinating as a result of I additionally had lots of worldwide reactions that have been tremendous optimistic, which was each tremendous fascinating and good.
What has been essentially the most pivotal second of your musical profession thus far?
LEEPA: I feel this week was very decisive. To have two exhibits as necessary as Reeperbahn Pageant and Lollapalooza together with the EQUAL marketing campaign in a single week is the final word take a look at, and I feel this complete yr has led thus far. And succeeding in crossing it is going to be very figuring out for my profession, and likewise important for my confidence as an artist.
What’s subsequent for you?
LEEPA: A bit of break and lots of music.
Would you prefer to see extra gender illustration within the music business?
LEEPA: Extra technicians and extra producers!
How does it really feel to be a part of the EQUAL Reeperbahn showcase?
Sofia: I’m actually delighted with this showcase! I feel it is nice and actually necessary that Spotify places an indication for gender equality within the music business. The truth that the EQUAL Playlist and the showcase have come to life is an indicator of a giant drawback within the music business, and it is good that this matter is getting extra consideration. As a strong streaming platform, it is nice that Spotify is taking its share of the duty on this space by creating extra publicity for feminine artists and serving to to develop the viewers for feminine artists. Having the chance to play reside myself and be a part of Spotify EQUAL is due to this fact very thrilling and makes me actually proud! In addition to that, I really like performing on the Reeperbahn Pageant. It is a very dynamic and numerous pageant, and I really like assembly folks and discovering new artists right here.
What has been essentially the most pivotal second of your musical profession thus far?
Sofia: Successful Greatest Newcomer at VIA – VUT Indie Awards at Reeperbahn Pageant final yr (2021). For my part, recognition ought to by no means be the purpose, but it surely encourages and provides lots of energy to maintain working onerous! It was a extremely joyful second and I am actually, actually grateful for that.
What’s subsequent for you?
Sofia: Fairly a number of issues truly. I’m getting ready the discharge of my subsequent single for the start of November. The track is named “UNSTOPPABLE” and it is all about empowering folks to maintain believing in themselves it doesn’t matter what! There may also be a music video for it. Additionally, I’m getting ready for my subsequent tour which begins mid-November till December eighth. That is the principle tour of my final album Freier Geist, which we have now needed to postpone 3 times already. However this time, it is going to lastly occur! I like to recommend you get your tickets now. And at last, I am engaged on my new album. I am unable to wait to let you know all about it very quickly!
Would you prefer to see extra gender illustration within the music business?
Sofia: Regardless of all of the efforts of the previous few years, the music business continues to be a brilliant male-dominated business with nice gender inequality. Initially, it will be actually necessary for everybody to grasp that ladies don’t need particular remedy; we simply need to be handled the identical as males. Which means we should have as many alternatives to show ourselves, to achieve expertise, to be revered and to be handled as equals. And equal remedy means equal illustration in all sectors of the music business! Whether or not as an artist, songwriter, producer or government. Ultimately, for me, equal remedy will now not imply having “ladies’s panels” or “ladies’s music festivals”. It is going to merely imply that ladies shall be equally represented in any pageant, any panel, any enterprise. And do not get me incorrect, it is good to have “ladies solely” occasions or organizations as a result of it brings consideration to the difficulty, but it surely’s necessary that ladies do not feel stigmatized by this matter both. , however fairly built-in into the system.
Wish to know extra about these highly effective feminine artists? Try Spotify’s EQUAL GSA playlist.