Phiona Okumu, Spotify’s head of music for Sub-Saharan
Africa, disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Lagos.
Okumu said that Spotify’s Fresh Finds Africa programme was
launched in March, with the focus of giving independent artists the tools they
needed to grow their audiences and expose them to new audiences.
She said that Patience Naa Oyo Titus-Glover, also known as
Kofee Bean, was on a mission to take her place within the alternative music
space on the continent and in the diaspora.
According to her, the artiste began singing and writing
songs and poetry at the age of seven before becoming a singer with a Ghanaian
band called Made Africa and she subsequently formed her own live band, which
went on to perform at various events.
Okumu said haven decided to pursue her dreams as a full-time
artist and fueled by the desire to tell stories through her music, Kofee Bean
launched her debut track in 2021, titled, “Breathing”, featuring rapper
Kiddblack, which caught the ear of Spotify’s editors.
“We are continuously on the lookout for promising artistes
under the different hubs we have at Spotify and we want to showcase and offer
them social support to grow their music careers.
“Fresh Finds artistes also get one-on-one training on the
best practices for using the Spotify platform and in-app.
“Globally, the performance of Fresh Finds artistes has been
astonishing, since its global launch in 2016, Fresh Finds has playlisted over
25,000 artists, with their average monthly listeners increasing by 108 per cent
within a month of their songs being included in the playlists.
“This is the type of growth that Fresh Finds Africa artistes
like Kofee Bean can expect,” she said.
According to Okumu, the artist draws her inspiration from
formidable female artists like Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Sade, and Aṣa.
She said that the artist creates her music using several
elements from the different genres she grew up with, such as Neo-Soul and
R&B.
In her response, Kofee Bean said, “I feel honoured and
grateful to be viewed in such a light by Spotify
“Even at the beginning of my career, and it is definitely a
confidence booster in my sound and my artistry, and for people who love and are
creating this sound as well,” she said.
Fresh Finds Africa is a monthly programme, with a new
artiste selected every month by the Spotify music team, and forms part of
Spotify’s continued commitment to support the African music industry, through
initiatives such as EQUAL and Radar.
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