SA: Elaine named Spotify EQUAL Africa artist for October

Elaine joins a growing list of influential artists featured in the programme which shines a spotlight on women artists across the continent. They include Sampa the Great, Sio, Ayra Starr, Aṣa, Gyakie, Somi, DBN Gogo and Soraia Ramos.

The EQUAL campaign seeks to address gender imbalance and offers participants in Africa the resources they need to accelerate their careers. It forms part of the streaming platform’s EQUAL Hub, which was launched in commemoration of International Women’s Day.

"My biggest motivator has been watching women flourish in a world full of standards and expectations that are meant to limit and box them in,” Elaine said. “We carry the culture and play a huge role in transforming the way music is received and consumed.”

Spotify’s head of music for sub-Saharan Africa, Phiona Okumu, said: “RADAR Africa Alumni Elaine is one of the talented female artists from Africa who are making notable inroads across the continent and around the world. As an artist who is steadily building an audience as a global recording company signee, we are glad to have her join the EQUAL programme.”

The news follows the fourth anniversary of her break-out, chart-topping EP Elements. Elaine announced herself on the music scene through her 2019 soulful R&B track ‘You’re The One’ off her debut album. The song is hailed for bringing South African R&B back into the spotlight. Elaine manages to captivate listeners with her seductive voice as she tells stories that transcend South African borders. 

Listen to Elaine’s new single ‘Deja Vu’ on the EQUAL Africa playlist.