Phiona Okumu, Spotify’s Head of Music, Sub-Saharan Africa, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
Okumu said Kering had joined the group of featured female artistes from the continent who exude confidence, compassion and fierceness.
She said the singer had built a formidable career at just 20-year-old.
Okumu noted that the Spotify EQUAL Africa programme seeks to provide female artises with the support and resources to grow their craft and reach worldwide audiences through multiple playlists.
She said that the beneficiaries also receive off-platform guidance and tools to help take their music careers to even greater heights.
“As a company known for being at the forefront of empowering artistes since it was founded, Spotify is proud to have the talented Nikita Kering join the EQUAL Africa family as the artiste for November.
“We are looking forward to working with her to help build on her growing fan base,” she said.
Okumu noted that for Kering’s soon-to-be released EP titled “The Other Side”, she hopes to break the silence on mental health struggles.
She revealed five interesting things about Kering as she first started performing when she was only three years old.
She said as an Rhymes and Blues act, Kering had won several awards, including ‘Best RnB and Soul Artiste’ and ‘Best Female Artiste East Africa’ at the 2021 All Africa Music Awards.
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“This was after scooping ‘Best Female Artiste in Eastern Africa’ and ‘Revelation of the African Continent’ at the 2019 edition of the award.
“Kering’s biggest single, Ex, was one of the most streamed songs in Kenya on Spotify in 2021.
“In 2020, she was the youngest performer at the annual women in music concert series in Nairobi, the following year, she released her debut EP “A Side of Me” to rave reviews.
“She writes her own music,” Okumu said.
In her response, Kering said, “As a young woman, making music has always been more than just vibes, it has been a blessing, however, having to always keep a third eye open has been a big challenge.
“Like any other male-dominated field, it is hard to know if my talent and expertise will be enough to get me to the top.
“I am so happy that platforms like EQUAL create a safe space where we can share our experiences as women and find ways in which this space can be safe for us all.” (NAN)
