Spotify Launches First All-Female EQUAL Festival in Colombia: Here’s How It Happened
Goyo, Farina, Andrea Echeverri, and more form part of the all-female lineup.
Spotify’s global initiative EQUAL, which helps promote women’s equality in music through partnerships, exclusive content and more, has launched its first-ever music festival in Colombia.
The inaugural event, which kicked off April 1 at El Teatro in Bogota and wraps up April 29, unites 13 Colombian artists to make a statement through music including Goyo, Paola Jara, Lido Pimienta, Andrea Echeverri, Farina, Elsa y Elmar, Ventino, Karen Lizarazo, Juliana Velásquez, Nidia Góngora, María Cristina Plata, Bad Milk and Las Villa.
The global program officially launched in April 2021 with an EQUAL hub that showcases and celebrates female artists and creators through curated playlists in 50 countries, including Japan, Mexico, Malaysia and the U.K.
“The initiative aims to promote gender equality for female creators and artists in the audio industry,” a Spotify spokesperson tells Billboard. “We highlight podcasting artists and creators locally, regionally, and internationally, through global partnerships, activations, new content experiences, and support on and off the platform.”
For the first time, the Spotify EQUAL playlist has become a live festival, produced by the Spotify music team in Colombia. Though Spotify has turned its ¡Viva Latino! and Rap Caviar playlists into live events, this is the first time headliners consist of all-female acts.
“We understand that fairness in music is a complex issue that goes beyond the industry, but we want to do our part from the trenches,” the spokesperson adds. “By giving artists more power, more space, and more support, we can get more people to listen to them, more women to know that it can be achieved and that every day more opportunities are created and there are more women on the playing field. The music itself shapes a more equitable future.”
Up next, Karen Lizarazo and Las Villas will take center stage Friday, followed by performances by Paola Jara on April 20; Lido Pimienta and Nidia Gongora on April 22; Andrea Echeverri and Maria Cristina Plata on April 27; and Farina and Bad Milk on April 29.
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