In celebration of International Women’s Day this Mar. 8, Congolese-Canadian singer Lu Kala is joining forces with Spotify to co-curate tracks for its Equal Canada playlist.
The playlist aims to highlight Canadian women in music by featuring “a diverse range of inspiring stories of movements around the world, through music and at full volume,” Spotify explained in a press release.
Lu Kala’s choices include established Canadian artists like Shania Twain, Fefe Dobson and Jessie Reyez, but also shined the spotlight on rising acts like Benita, Luna Elle, Gayance, and Rowena Fysx.
“Music offers me the ability to be heard but not always seen,” Lu Kala explained in the press release. “I believe that women need support on all fronts. Feeling invisible is a very real thing. You never quite know what that looks like unless you’re in it. Over the years, there has been far more inclusion in spaces that were once male dominated but we still have a long way to go. Being a Black plus size pop artist on the rise comes with its fair share of challenges.
“Far too many to list but I’m so grateful to those who have kicked in those doors and shattered those glass ceilings so that I can do what I love for a living. They are proof that there is room for all of us, we just have to be willing to show up and speak out. After all, women make the world go round.”
It’s already been a big 2023 for the artist. She dropped “Lottery” with Latto back in February.
Spotify will also be presenting the inaugural Women in Music Canada Honour Roll, which serves to recognize 10 women and gender-diverse artists just starting out their careers to highlight their work, success, and growth.
Listen to Lu Kala’s co-curated Equal Canada Spotify playlist below: