Simi is Spotify’s EQUAL Africa artist for July

EQUAL includes various regional and global segments on the streaming platform that spotlight the selected artists. As an EQUAL Africa artists, Simi will be featured on the EQUAL Africa and EQUAL Global playlists.

Simi’s selection comes after the release of her new album TBH (To Be Honest) in June. She joins the likes of Tiwa Savage, Ayra Starr, Aṣa and FAVE, who have appeared on EQUAL in the past. She is also only the second African artist after Tiwa Savage to be named both an EQUAL Africa and EQUAL Global artist.

Simi, who is also a sound engineer and actress, is behind well-known songs like 2014’s ‘TIFF’, 2016’s ‘Jamb Question’ and 2020’s ‘Duduke’. In March, she became the first African woman to reach 100 million plays on Audiomack.

“Striving and thriving as a woman in a male-dominated industry has taken years of practice to master,” Simi said. “You go from being scared of it, to being intimidated by it, to being brave enough for it and then finally, to conquering it. I’ve almost always had to do way more than my male peers to prove myself. But, because of my love for music, I have been relentless and proud to do this work. I certainly hope, with all my heart, that the women who continue to come after me find it easier to shine in the way they deserve.”

Spotify’s head of music for sub-Saharan Africa, Phiona Okumu, said: “We are proud to welcome Simi to the EQUAL programme, and we’re so excited to see where her talent continues to take her from strength to strength.”