Tag: GLOW

GLOW Artist Sycco Shares How She Found Her Voice

May 25, 2023

Dive into the psychedelic pop sounds of “Ripple” or “Dribble” to immerse yourself in the bright and colorful world of 20-year-old Sycco. The artist, who has Torres Strait Island lineage and started off by writing and producing songs from her Meanjin/Brisbane bedroom, has spent the past year racking up streams and gracing several Spotify playlists, including Australia’s Front Left, Deadly Beats, and EQUAL AU & NZ. 

Now she’s Spotify’s latest GLOW artist. 

GLOW is our global music program celebrating and amplifying LGBTQIA+ artists and creators. We’ll support Sycco on-platform with a dedicated hub and flagship GLOW playlist, and off-platform via billboards and other takeovers. As part of the program, Sycco will also release a Spotify Singles recording of her track “‘Ripple” and a cover of Post Malone’s “Rockstar.”

“When I was asked to do this, I looked through my recent playlist to see what song I should cover and ‘Rockstar’ was in there, and I was like perfect, and started trying things straight away,” Sycco said. “My drummer, Paddy, hit this breakbeat, and it was it! I’ve been making so much trap music recently, randomly, so it felt very fitting. I am so excited to play this live. I feel like people will go hard!”

Though she’s in the middle of a tour with Australian favorite Tame Impala and U.K. indie breakout Glass Animals, Sycco spoke to For the Record about her identity and craft.

Tell us about your journey into music. How did you find your voice?

My dad taught me guitar when I was 7, and I just kept playing and writing songs. I loved playing drums on anything I could find and watching karaoke videos online. In high school I saved up all year and bought a Mac and started producing. I feel like that’s when I really found my voice. Music was my favorite place and my safe place to express myself. 

Why is it important to amplify LGBTQIA+ voices year-round?

Representation is everything. It is so important to amplify LGBTQIA+ voices all the time to create safe spaces and allow everyone to be themselves! 

What are some of the ways your Indigenous and queer identities intersect?

I am on my journey with educating myself about both—learning my privilege and breaking down my imposter syndrome. I also find so many similarities of empowerment, representation, community, and an ability to understand myself better.

What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?

I’m really into the Jonas Brothers at the moment.

What do you hope people take away from your music?

I want people to leave with jaws dropped, tears in eyes, and butterflies in their stomachs knowing they have just transcended everything they had ever known. A slay. 

Who are some queer artists or cultural icons who have inspired you? 

SOPHIE, Frank Ocean, Charli XCX, and sooo many more! 

What makes you GLOW?

My friends! We create such a safe space to allow freedom in self-expression and to be our authentic selves. 

How does music empower queer communities?

It’s a place of vulnerability and sharing stories. A place where people can relate in private or feel that collective energy in a crowd of people. It is truly magical. 

What is the best advice you received when you were growing as an artist? 

I guess it wasn’t directed at being an artist, but my mum always encouraged me to be myself. I think that advice, when I’d get a bit lost, was always really nice to know that it’s what my mumma taught. 

Catch Sycco on our episode of Spotify: Mic Check.

Spotify Camp Nou ‘Glows’ With Spotify and FC Barcelona’s LGBTQIA+ Creator Takeover

May 24, 2023

LGBTQIA+ people are in music, art, television—and on the football pitch. So earlier this year when Spotify created GLOW to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community’s work, artistry, and impact on music and culture, we committed to elevating queer creators year-round in our efforts both on- and off-platform. This weekend, that meant bringing GLOW to Spotify Camp Nou, the home of FC Barcelona. 

During the La Liga home match against Real Sociedad, Spotify and FC Barcelona celebrated LGBTQIA+ artists and creators through a stadium takeover highlighting our GLOW program. The weekend also cemented FC Barcelona’s commitment to drive cultural change and continue to build a more diverse and inclusive Blaugrana community. Together, Spotify and FC Barcelona’s joint platform reinforces the message that football and music are for everyone—and that the more diverse our communities are, the richer they become.

GLOW Artist Joy Oladokun Embraces the Beauty in the Unexpected

April 25, 2023

Joy Oladokun is one of those self-proclaimed “rare birds” who didn’t set out to become a professional musician. The fact that Joy now gets to write, record, and perform music for themself and other Black queers like them is still nothing less than magic. “Maybe it’s my religious trauma, but I feel this responsibility as an artist—and not in a heavy way, in a truthful way—that if I’m going to ask people to listen to me, I want to say things that matter,” the 31-year-old, Nashville-based songwriter told For the Record. “I want to make work that builds a bridge.”

While living in LA after college, Joy found a job singing background vocals for a rock artist, and from there began to write music for low-budget videographers. The work snowballed into a viral gig, and eventually, a publishing deal. A few albums, plenty of singles, and an enviable number of high profile collaborations later, Joy is now preparing to release a new album and then go on tour with collaborator Noah Kahan. To top it off, she was just named Spotify’s latest GLOW artist. 

GLOW is our global music program celebrating and amplifying LGBTQIA+ artists and creators. We’ll support Joy on-platform with a dedicated hub and flagship GLOW playlist, and off-platform via billboards and other takeovers. The visibility, to her, is crucial—online as well as in real life. 

“Nashville reminds me of the small town that I grew up in, in rural Arizona. And it’s really interesting being so Black and so queer in a place that, at least on the outside, wants to pretend that you don’t exist. I think that there’s this real ownership and identity for me that has happened here. Yes, it’s a country music town, and I’m not a country musician, but I feel just as at home writing songs and making music here.”

Joy always believed in the power of storytelling and songwriting, and now, they have the opportunity and the audience to tell their own stories. 

“As a songwriter, I got to a place where I could have written a song for an Ariana Grande or a Carrie Underwood and that could have been gratifying. But I also was looking around the playing field and not seeing anybody like me and not seeing anybody telling stories like mine in a way that I resonated with,” they said. “There are obviously queer artists, there are obviously Black queer artists—thank God for Lil Nas X—but I think for the kids who grew up watching too much Star Wars and listening to Paul Simon and geeking out to the harmonies in Crosby, Stills, and Nash records, and also lying on the floor and listening to Linkin Park’s Meteora because it’s the best thing ever, I think I fill that gap. And I get to remind people that Blackness and queerness and womanhood and gender are not monoliths.”

Listen to her tracks “sunday” or “jordan” and you might just hear a 21st-century Tracy Chapman with hints of Bob Marley, Phil Collins, and Peter Gabriel. “They used a lot of West African music and rhythms in what they did. My family is from Nigeria and West Africa, and their music feels like home. They reached out and created a bridge, musically, between a synth and a talking drum.” 

Jimi Hendrix, Green Day, Nirvana, Paramore, and Metallica also made a big impact on the artist as a young person. “Music is the weirdest thing we do. We just make noise out into the void, hoping it connects with somebody. I can listen to a Johnny Cash record and be like, ‘I relate to this.’ But if Johnny Cash and I sat down to dinner, it would just be awkward.” 

Maybe, but there’s also a broad range of artists Joy has already been able to work and record with, including Manchester Orchestra, Mt. Joy, Noah Kahan, and Chris Stapleton. “When Chris said he would sing ‘Sweet Symphony’ with me, I think I said, ‘Are you sure?’” Joy has a photo of herself crying after listening to their track together for the first time. “Everyone has been so cool and so open to this sort of weird world that I’m building.” 

Joy refers to their work and live shows as a sandbox at a playground—a place where lesbians dressed like truck drivers stand and sing their songs next to actual truck drivers. But it’s not always a day in the sun. “I did this benefit concert in Tennessee because there’s been a lot of anti-LGBTQ legislation here. And we were like, ‘Hey, queer people live here! Imagine.’” One of the songs on the new record is about how nobody came to Joy’s eighth birthday party, but when it comes to the mood, “It sounds as if Radiohead and the Beach Boys had a baby. So I have a serious, innate desire to make beauty out of difficulty.”

Joy aims to keep her diverse fan base in mind and deeply values creating art that allows anyone to come to the table to find themselves. 

“I want queer people to listen to my music and feel empowered to take up all the space that God made them to take up,” they said. “I want people to feel like they can be sad or frustrated at the state of the world, or the way they’re spoken to, and feel like they still have people who care about them and advocate for them. And I think music does that.” 

Listen to the singles from Joy’s upcoming album, Proof of Life, and look out for the release on April 28.

GLOW Artist Villano Antillano Finds Power in Community, Authenticity, and Being Fearless

February 23, 2023

Villano Antillano looking over her shoulder

It’s no easy feat to be as fearless and uncompromising as Villano Antillano. But for one of Latin rap’s first transgender artists, it’s a necessity.

Villano has been carving out a path for herself and other queer artists in Latin rap, making music that brings her challenging, raw, unfiltered experiences to the forefront in a time when queer people still face so much adversity. And now, she’s also one of Spotify’s first GLOW artists.

Spotify GLOW is a new global music program celebrating and amplifying LGBTQIA+ artists and creators. It’s our latest initiative through our Creator Equity Fund to support people of this historically marginalized community of voices and reassert our commitment to equity in audio. It ensures that queer creators, and their contributions to music and culture, are heard and honored year-round.

Born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Villano generated early buzz with hard-hitting tracks such as “Pajara,” “Culo,” and “Muñeca”—the last of which was recorded with non-binary rapper Ana Macho. 

In 2021, Villano enjoyed viral success with her feature in the single “Vendetta,” and went on to be on Bizarrap’s “Bzrp Music Session, Vol. 51.” This past December, she was a featured artist for Spotify RADAR US, and at the 2022 Latin American Music Conference, Villano was named one of its 2022 Wonder Women of Latin Music. She closed last year with the release of her debut album, La Sustancia X, a project that embodies the beauty and horror of growing up queer in the Caribbean.

For the Record sat down with Villano to talk about her music, her life as a trans woman, and what makes her GLOW.

Can you tell us a little about your journey into music? 

It’s been a long development. As a trans woman and a queer person, I didn’t really have access to this world until I paved my way into it. I was just in the trenches for the longest time, so I feel like my chances for opportunities were maybe lower than they would have been for people that aren’t queer because we’re just shunned out of all these places. So, now I feel like I can actually get things like people on demand, or a team and resources, and I’m just getting freaky with it now because I’m much more comfortable. But it took me a while. 

Growing up, did you have any queer artists who influenced you? 

No, because they didn’t exist in the public lens. We now know the story of Cristina “La Veneno,” who definitely changed the trajectory of my life when I found her on YouTube. But otherwise, I have very, very foggy memories of some slightly famous trans women who were public figures because they were so sexed up. I remember reading about them in the newspaper sometimes, but it was never treated with respect and dignity. There was no way they could have just been anything but a mockery on television and radio over here. 

I would say, however, there were cis-het females who went above and beyond because they really f*cked with the queer community and the queer public. Those two would be artists like Iris Chacon, who was the pillar of everything aesthetic and one of my biggest references. I feel like she’s one of Puerto Rico’s biggest artists. And Ivy Queen, of course, because I feel like she really took it upon herself to give the community space within her crowd and her music. 

How is music used to empower queer communities? 

I feel that art is a mirror of society. Since the advent of civilization, music has always been present, and it’s tied to the art of storytelling and how culture is kept alive through tradition. So, I feel like those things are of very fundamental importance to humanity. 

Music is also a mirror of our own experiences. I make music that makes me and other queer people feel empowered, and I created that feeling for myself because I needed it. I feel like we [the queer community] are a very empowered collective globally right now and we’re growing. Regardless of whatever is happening, we’re forcing people to take us into account. We’re here and you’re going to have to deal with it. I’m glad we’re moving so far away from the patriarchy because it was about time!

What makes you GLOW? 

Wow. A lot of things. You know, I feel like I take joy and find beauty in the little, ordinary things and in being at a point in my life where I can take a step back. Before I had access to this life and before I was a cemented and fully realized figure, I was just a poor girl from Bayamón trying to stay alive. I didn’t even have access to the minimal and limited resources we have here. So the power for me to obtain these things makes me GLOW. My community makes me GLOW, my friends make me GLOW, and the fact that I can give them a life that we never thought we could achieve before makes me GLOW. 

If you had one thing you’d want listeners to take away from your music, what would it be? 

Fearlessness. I’m very into sci-fi and am reading the Dune novels, and I really just come back to that “fear is the mind killer” line. Because fear is the mind killer, and nobody should have the power to make me feel fear because nobody holds absolute power over me, you know? And I feel like I communicate that fearlessness into my music. 

I feel like the life expectancy for trans people, specifically trans women according to the study, is around 35 years old. I’m 27. How, or why, would I let that limit me? It’s a fact none of us can escape, so I feel like, in a way, it’s what you do with that information. And what I’m going to do is not buy into this idea or narrative that there’s something wrong with me or that I’m f*cked up or erroneous.

I feel like as a trans person who has medically and socially transitioned, nothing has gotten me closer to my consciousness than the fact that I have actually had to feel my existence from all spectrums possible. And that’s no small feat; that only gives you power. The fact that I did that and I know exactly what I looked like when my body was full of testosterone and I know what it looks like now, three years into estrogen . . . everything I’m seeing, feeling . . . everything changes. 

You can’t tell me that’s not power. 

Listen to Villano on our flagship GLOW playlist:

GLOW Artist Arlo Parks Is Inspired by Vulnerability, Personal Connection, and Queer Representation

February 16, 2023

Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Arlo Parks’s 2021 debut, Collapsed In Sunbeams, is a tender and raw plea from the artist to listeners. But what fans of honest ballads like “Hurt” and “Eugene” may not realize is that Arlo is a self-proclaimed extrovert with a “frantic approach to creativity” who is constantly in motion. 

Arlo’s energy for her passions has been at the fore recently, as she revealed news of her upcoming sophomore album, My Soft Machine, the same week that she was named one of Spotify’s GLOW Spotlight artists. GLOW is our new global music program celebrating and amplifying LGBTQIA+ artists and creators. At launch, we supported Arlo on-platform with a dedicated hub and flagship GLOW playlist, and off-platform via billboards and other takeovers. And our commitment to the artist, and to equity in audio, will continue year-round.

With her latest single, “Weightless,” the London native leans a little more heavily toward her deep love of techno, electronic music, and nightlife culture. “I taught myself to DJ, and I’m inspired by a lot of dance music, actually,” the artist told For the Record. “I feel like it’s a perfect intersection of queerness and music that makes you move—that marriage is super organic.” 

Tell us about your journey into music. How did you find your voice?

I started playing piano when I was very young. That developed into learning to play the guitar a little bit and falling in love with bands like Deftones, My Chemical Romance, and Smashing Pumpkins. I fell in love with the energy of these people who were smashing into each other onstage. Around the same time, I also discovered the more gentle use of guitars with people like Phoebe Bridgers, Elliott Smith, Nick Drake, and Jeff Buckley and seeing how deeply emotionally profound music could be as a medium. 

So, those two things’ colliding led me to teach myself how to produce on GarageBand and just make terrible little demos in my bedroom and in my closet. Making music in the closet turned into making music in the studio. And now I’ve been doing music full-time since I was about 17, so about five years.

How has your music changed as you’ve gotten older?

Over time, I’ve become more brave, more vulnerable. I think honestly, it’s just from having lived more life, becoming more assertive in the studio, and picking up more skills and balancing it with the advice from the people around me. I feel like my approach to writing itself has been quite consistent. I’m often struck by melodies in the middle of the night or at the most inconvenient times and voice-noting those, reading excessively, and mining my lyrics from poetry. 

How does your queer identity influence your music or your songwriting? 

My queer identity has always made its way into my music because it’s who I am. And I’ve always written about love and finding myself in the world and coming of age. I feel like music was also treated as a journal for me, and it was a way that I processed the world around me and became more comfortable and confident with who I was. I’m also super inspired by queer artists, as well as books and films. 

Who are some of those artists?

SOPHIE. Beverly Glenn-Copeland. Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker—that boygenius release has sent me into a frenzy. Another major one was Syd from The Internet because she had her own sense of style, her own sense of confidence and presence in herself. The fact that she was a producer who was active and leading the group—I was really inspired by her when I was a kid. 

How does music empower queer communities?

Music builds connection, and a lot of queer people find real comfort in their chosen family. I feel like music really serves to build that, especially in spaces like queer clubs, and especially in London. Many queer kids really find themselves on nights out when they’re finally surrounded by people who they can relate to who they feel close to. And I feel like music is so vital in that dance culture, but music also serves as representation. 

I remember the first time that I heard somebody singing a song about being queer and using pronouns that I felt I could apply to love stories that I had been through, and then also wanting to give that back to people. A big part of encouraging people is just making them feel less alone, and it’s a really powerful tool for empowerment too. 

What do you hope people take away from your music?

I would hope that people feel confident in being vulnerable, because of how vulnerable I am. That’s what I learned from my favorite artists, from listening to “Speed Trials” by Elliott Smith. And I want it to be something that acts as a companion through life, when they’re in the car or bus on their way to work, or hanging out with friends. More softness, that’s what I want. 

Why do you think it’s important to have a program like GLOW that amplifies LGBTQIA+ voices?

What makes a difference is when young people feel like they’re seeing people like them amplified and lifted up into the mainstream—seeing people on billboards and TV and being queer and being happy and making art that a lot of people like. Seeing that was so important to me growing up. I imagine having Heartstopper as a 13- or 14-year-old and what that would have meant to me as a teenager. 

I feel like also the fact that GLOW is amplifying such a range of different queer artists. And there is a sense of variety and acceptance of the fact that there is nuance even within the larger umbrella of queer artistry, that there are so many different people making so many different things. Having that for young people is super important, and long may it continue. 

What’s one piece of advice that you got as a young person that has stuck with you? 

It sounds harsh, but stay with me: At the beginning, nobody cares yet, right? In that anonymity and in that lack of people seeing you; that is when you truly have time to grow. Because you can nurture your craft without people having eyes on you. So in the beginning, nobody cares—and that’s okay.

Catch Arlo on our flagship GLOW playlist as well as Alternative Pride.

Pakistani Artist Shae Gill Breaks Streaming Records With Viral Hit “Pasoori”

February 15, 2023

Shae Gill Cover Photo

Last year was quite a big one for Spotify EQUAL artist Shae Gill, who is one of the freshest sensations to come out of the Pakistani music industry in recent years. 

Born and raised in Lahore, Shae kicked off her career in 2019 by posting song covers on Instagram. However, Shae really hit it big with the release of “Pasoori,” a song she collaborated on with fellow artist Ali Sethi in Season 14 of the popular Pakistani television series Coke Studio. The song was a resounding hit all around the world, even appearing in the Disney+ show Ms. Marvel. And the track was the most-streamed Pakistani song on Spotify for 2022, according to the country’s Wrapped results. 

“We are ecstatic that ‘Pasoori’ has surpassed unprecedented milestones, creating a global sensation that listeners thoroughly enjoy,” said Khan FM, Spotify Artist & Label Partnerships Manager for Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. “At Spotify, we focus on providing listeners with unique experiences. And the triumph of ‘Pasoori’ has been highlighted in abundantly creative ways to reflect the magnificence that it has brought.”

Last year, Shae also released “Sukoon,” a collaboration with the songwriter-singer duo Hassan & Roshaan. The song had audiences reminiscing about the glory days of the “Queen of South Asian Pop,” Nazia Hassan. Shae closed out her record-breaking year as Spotify’s Ambassador for Pakistan as part of the EQUAL Global Music Program, which aims to combat gender disparity in the music industry by amplifying and celebrating the work of women creators around the world.

For the Record caught up with Shae to talk a bit about her career and inspirations.

The artists who have most inspired me are ___.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, ROSALÍA, Diljit Dosanjh, Farida Khanum, Ali Sethi, and so many more.

One piece of advice I’d give other women artists is ___.

Truly know your worth and that you deserve success and appreciation.

Some notable moments in my career have been ___.

So much has happened this past year! The Coke Studio live performance at Dubai in October was unforgettable. My experience recording for Coke Studio has been the most fun so far. Everybody involved in the project was so amazing at what they did, and I was over the moon about the fact that I got to work alongside such incredible people. And when I heard that “Pasoori” was the top track on Spotify in 2022 for Pakistan, I thanked God and was just truly grateful.

My creative process consists of ___.

Composing melodies and writing lyrics on top of them. I generally find creating melodies easier than writing.

One way I’d like to see greater gender equity in the music industry is ___.

By seeing more women being given the opportunity to be at the forefront of performances and music technology roles.

My girl-power anthem is ___.

There are so many girl-power anthems I like, but lately, it has been “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus. I think everyone’s crazy about it these days. I’ve always been a Miley Cyrus fan.

Listen to the record-breaking “Pasoori,” and more South Asian bops, on our Desi Hits playlist.

 

Meet Bruses and Pabllo Vittar, Two of Spotify’s Inaugural GLOW Artists

February 9, 2023

Brazilian pop icon Pabllo Vittar and burgeoning alt pop singer-songwriter Bruses both have viral fan bases to thank for their ascendance to the stage. Pabllo’s Portuguese cover of Major Lazer’s “Lean On” (retitled “Open Bar”) was a breakout clip when it debuted in 2015, catapulting the drag queen to stardom and jumpstarting countless other collaborations, like “Sua Cara” with Best New Artist nominee Anitta, “I Got It” with Charli XCX, and several with RADAR artist Rina Sawayama.  

Bruses is the stage name of Amalia Ramirez, a Capricorn from Tijuana, Mexico. Growing up, Amalia knew she wanted to be a songwriter but never anticipated she could be a pop star. When she started posting videos of her singing on social media however, she found a community of fans who “wear the same band t-shirts, have the same hair colors, and make me feel safe.” 

Both now find themselves in each other’s company as two of Spotify’s first designated GLOW artists. 

GLOW is our new global music program celebrating and amplifying LGBTQIA+ artists and creators. At launch, we supported Bruses and Pabllo Vittar on-platform with a dedicated hub and flagship GLOW playlist, and off-platform through billboards and other takeovers. Going forward, our commitment to both of them, and to equity in audio, will continue year-round.

Get to know Bruses and Pabllo Vittar and what makes them GLOW.

Why is it important to amplify LGBTQIA+ voices?

Bruses: I’ve always been out, and I talk about me liking girls in my music from time to time. It’s not the main focus but I don’t hide it. But when the industry finds out, they want to highlight you for Pride month, and not the rest of the year. But I don’t want to feel used. I don’t want to feel like my art only matters from time to time, just because I am a lesbian. That was what I was afraid of when I started doing this. The industry is changing and it’s finally catching up with us. 

In your own words, what does it mean to GLOW? 

Pabllo Vittar: To me, GLOW means that you can be yourself and to love yourself the way you are! It’s about not caring about what other people say. We need GLOW because we have lots of LGBTQIA+ artists who are super talented and just don’t have the space to show it! That’s why we need to amplify it even more and more. 

What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?

Bruses: A lot of people think I’m super tough because I’m covered in tattoos. But I’m super soft inside. That’s what I’ve been working on in therapy—I use this shell, this thing to give me confidence onstage and in my everyday life. That’s how I present to the world—this is my drag. But I’m a super-shy introvert. And sweet. Most people don’t know that about me until they meet me.

What do you want people to know about your music?

Bruses: Most of my lyrics talk about mental health. Most of the hit songs, most of the time, especially in Latin America, talk about love or heartbreak. But I wasn’t really connecting to that much. I feel love, of course, but I’ve felt pain most of my life. That’s the monster I’m familiar with. So one day, I was like, “Maybe I should write about it.” So that’s what I did with Bruses, and that’s my first record, Monsters. It was a healing process. When I hear my songs, when I sing my songs, I’m constantly feeling like I’m connecting with my monsters in a totally new and different, healthier way. I don’t hate them anymore, I’ve learned how to cope with them and celebrate them. They made me who I am, and I’m thankful for that. 

Tell us about your journey into music. How did you find your voice?

Pabllo Vittar: Music has always been a part of my life, ever since I was a small child. But I think I found my voice when I started singing as a drag queen! After that I started to feel complete as a human being and an artist. 

Who are some queer artists or cultural icons who have inspired you? 

Bruses: Definitely Lady Gaga. She was one of my first crushes. In general, drag queens inspire me so much. One of my friends here in Mexico who is a queen, Rebel Mork, is super inspiring to me because she also uses her art to talk about mental health. And she’s actually designing my costumes for my next tour. We do a lot of great stuff together. And Freddie Mercury. David Bowie. Elton John. The gay icons!

What is the best advice you received when you were growing as an artist and person?

Pabllo Vittar: My mom told me, “Never hide who you truly are.”

When or where do you find your voice?

Bruses: When I’m healing. When I’m being my true self. When I’m feeling a lot of emotions at the same time. When I’m around my cat. When I’m around my community, my fans, my supportive friends. I hate being alone. So I’m always thinking about other people. And if they’re okay, I’m okay. I glow when the people I love are glowing as well. 

 

Catch both Bruses and Pabllo Vittar on our flagship playlist, GLOW. 

Spotify Debuts GLOW, an Equity Program for LGBTQIA+ Creators

January 24, 2023

Glow header

The LGBTQIA+ community has greatly influenced music, and both music and culture have long been moved by the community in return. As more and more artists feel empowered to share their authentic selves onstage and off, the power and influence of queer creators grow as guiding forces across culture.

Today, Spotify introduces GLOW, a new global music program celebrating and amplifying LGBTQIA+ artists and creators. It’s our latest initiative to support people of this historically marginalized community of voices and reassert our commitment to equity in audio. It ensures that queer creators, and their contributions to music and culture, are heard and honored year-round.  

Putting LGBTQIA+ artists front and center

GLOW is supported by an on- and off-platform ecosystem where LGBTQIA+ artists and users are authentically represented and meaningfully included. 

All in, GLOW will streamline and heighten the support Spotify has provided through our annual global Pride activations. It will be available in 50+ markets across Europe, India, Asia, Africa, North America, Latin America, the Nordics, and Southeast Asia. 

To launch, we’re hosting LGBTQIA+ artists and songwriters at the Spotify At Mateo office in LA, including jesse saint john, who has written for Britney Spears, Lizzo, and Kim Petras; JHart, who has written for Troye Sivan, 5SOS, and Little Mix; Ilsey, who has written for Panic! at the Disco, Miley Cyrus, Mark Ronson, and Harry Styles); and INK, who has written for Beyoncé, Leon Bridges, and Lil Nas X. The attendees will participate in three days of writing sessions aimed at celebrating and inspiring collaboration among creators in the LGBTQIA+ community. 

We recognize the power of our platform to elevate, uplift, and spotlight voices that have been historically marginalized, and we’re committed to using it to drive cultural change. GLOW is supported by Spotify’s Creator Equity Fund as the latest part of our ongoing commitment to fostering equity in the audio space. By providing equitable resources to queer artists on a global level, GLOW is another way we’re working to create greater equity, empathy, and representation for the LGBTQIA+ community. We work closely with our partners at GLAAD and others to ensure GLOW best represents LGBTQIA+ artists and listeners in authentic and meaningful ways.

Meet the team behind GLOW

The backbone of GLOW is Spotify employees who are passionate about music, artist empowerment, and above all else, their queer community. 

Lisa Ritchey, she/her, Manager, Artist Partnership Team

Lisa Ritchey

What is your role in bringing GLOW to life?

I am a manager on our newly formed Artist Partnerships Team, but I’ve been in this type of role for the past three years. I currently work across pop, dance, and indie, finding ways that we can bring Spotify into the entirety of an artist’s career outside of a record cycle—touring, festivals, merchandise, integrating artists into campaigns within those genres and our playlists—finding new and creative ways to partner together with artists. 

I’ve worked on Spotify’s Pride campaign for the past three years. I came in and was very, very passionate about LGBTQIA+ artists and how we can better serve that community and the fan base. After working on Pride, I started working on what would be an evergreen program very similar to Frequency or EQUAL with a colleague (the Head of Rock on our Editorial Team, Laura Ohls). We started working on this probably two years ago and in that time, the team has grown exponentially, become more robust, and received a lot of support company-wide.

Why is GLOW important to you?

I, along with the majority of the community, am very weary and skeptical of corporatized Pride. If a company is going to show up in June, they have to show up throughout the year. Where this program is amazing is that its sole purpose is to support the community on- and off-platform year-round. The way that we are showing up in this program also feels different—we’re supporting these artists because of who they are holistically. These are artists who are doing incredible things and they just so happen to be queer.

Who are some queer artists or cultural icons who have inspired you?

In the ’90s it was hard to find robust queer representation, and you had icons like Elton John and George Michael, so when The xx showed up and I found out that Romy and Oliver from The xx were both queer, it kinda blew my mind and it was the first time that I felt seen. St. Vincent was pretty huge for me and really made me understand myself more in college. Frank Ocean—truly, his tumblr coming-out letter, I want to get it framed and put it up in my house because that was so huge not only to me, but to music and culture in general—I think that was around the time that I was truly figuring myself out, so it meant a lot.

And the beautiful thing that we’re seeing now is just, more. The floodgates have opened and we have so many artists to choose from. 

 

Cahleb Derry, he/him, Associate Manager, Music Marketing

Cahleb Derry

What would you say is the ethos of GLOW?

We always go back to this commitment to amplify LGBTQIA+ artists. So while there’s a lot of other flashy aspects of GLOW, and there’s billboards and there’s editorial support, behind all of that, the question we go back to is, ‘How do we tangibly influence the resources that LGBTQIA+ artists have?’ We know in the industry that there are hurdles that marginalized artists face in creating and putting out music that other artists don’t face. 

We know that a lot of artists only get hit up in June during Pride to do campaigns. And then July 1 hits and there’s no work to be found again. Performative support wittles down an artist to their identity. If you only ask artists to activate during Pride, you ask them to give this boxed-in, performative version of themselves. For some artists, their identity is crucial to their work, right? It drives their writing, their artistry. For other artists, they’re just artists who happen to be LGBTQIA+ and they still should receive the support that LGBTQIA+ artists need. And we know that we, at Spotify, have a responsibility as the largest music audio platform in the world to fill in these gaps.

Why is GLOW important to you?

I am gay, so as someone who’s in the community, this program means so much to me. For example, Sam Smith, one of our 11 launch artists, their sophomore album, The Thrill Of It All, was my coming-out album and it saved my life in so many ways. I know firsthand how important LGBTQIA+ artists are for representation, but also for validation, and it just means a lot to see a company like Spotify really doing the amplification work. And to be helping lead the charge? I kind of have to pinch myself a lot and realize like, yeah, this isn’t just a campaign.

LGBTQIA+ culture is the culture. LGBTQIA+ artists, since the beginning of time, have shaped  some of the biggest genres that we have—from disco to jazz to pop—and unfortunately, with the way our industry functions, artists aren’t given the proper tribute, support, or platform that matches the effect and impact of LGBTQIA+ artists’ contributions. 

How does music empower queer communities? 

To me, it’s survival. Literally, “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor being a gay anthem is an example, but it’s about connecting people, and it’s about safe space. We know that in New York and Chicago and Detroit and LA, the ballroom space was where Black and Latine queer folks who were shunned were able to go and shine. And music was the soundtrack to this. Even when queer culture and queer people were relegated to basements, to spaces deemed “unused” or in “disarray,” music kept those spaces alive.

Music is how I made sense of my emotions growing up. It gave me language to describe how I felt and gave me validation to feel confident in those emotions. Music is the soundtrack to our lives and to our survival, and it’s the soundtrack to our joy. Music is this creative playground where you’re allowed to imagine anything. Music is the most tangible thing we have to imagine queer futures that are happier and brighter and better and freer. 

Bel Aztiria, she/her, Equity Global Music Programs Lead

Bel A

What is your role in bringing GLOW to life?

I lead our Equity Global Music Programs, such as GLOW and EQUAL. I am in charge of bringing our equity principles to life within Spotify’s 360 programs, which elevate and celebrate artists for who they are, around the world. I lead the go-to-market strategy through ideation, launch, and adoption. My role is focused on the vision of contributing to a music industry where everyone is fairly represented and included for who they are, and wherever they are from. 

Within GLOW, my role is to take the program from ideation to launch and beyond, setting the overall strategy towards the mission of celebrating and elevating LGBTQIA+ creators and serving users all year round and beyond cultural moments. By bringing together my expertise in equity programs and in international strategy and in music, I have the privilege of being the connector of experts in over 20 different company functions and music representatives for the 50+ countries where GLOW is live, to ensure that this program utilizes Spotify’s resources as best as possible to serve the community and honor its immense contribution to music and culture. 

Why is GLOW important to you?

I grew up in a small town in rural Argentina, where I didn’t have any positive examples of people being accepted, included, and celebrated for who they were. I migrated at a young age, which exposed me to more expansive experiences around sexual orientation and identity, but also to a new way of feeling different, of living within another culture. When I started working in music, which was always my passion, I had more positive experiences of inclusion through seeing colleagues from the community thrive and be inspired by the music itself, and I made it my mission to contribute to a world where we can all feel included and valued for who we are.

Today, I feel safe to be who I am in most places I inhabit, and I have the chance to put my experience, resources, and skills back in service, for more people to hopefully feel included and represented, too. To me, GLOW represents the opportunity and privilege to work within a company that is well positioned to drive social change, where people are passionate about equity and gather to take steps in that direction.

What do you see as the future of the program?

I know we live in a world that is far away from equity for all of us, that the issue is bigger than music, and that we can’t do it alone. But I also believe in the power of music, and I hope that GLOW can inspire and uplift more of our voices to the narrative, contributing to a future world where people are free to be.

Tune into GLOW to hear the latest, hottest songs coming from LGBTQIA+ artists around the world.