In the past decade, the African music industry has seen more changes than ever before. African music has now become a global movement. There are more listeners each day and an even bigger spotlight on our artists. One of the most prominent factors that has stood out in the evolution of the African music industry is the inclusion of women. African women have now entered the room, contributed to conversations, and are now seated at so many tables in the African music industry. With this has come the rise of notable female African music executives in several regions of Africa. To celebrate International Women’s Day this year, here are SOOT Africa’s favorite female music executives:
Osagie Osarenz: Director of A&R/Operations (Africa) at ONErpm
With over 12 years of experience as a brilliant talent manager, Osagie Osarenz has forged her way through the entertainment space with numerous innovations to her name. As a female African music executive, she founded One Mic Naija, The Basement Gig, and The Zone Agency.
Osagie started out as the Nigerian country manager for ONErpm in 2020. Now, she holds the title of director for A&R operations in Africa. A quote from her professional bio particularly gives us an exciting insight into where she draws her motivation from. “I pride myself in being able to achieve maximum impact with just the resources I have available.”
Camille Storm: CEO Camille & Co.
Another favorite female African music executive of ours is Camille Storm of Camille & Co. As the founder of a groundbreaking indie record label and Nairobi-based PR agency, Camille discovered her place in the entertainment industry early enough. She basically started off as a music journalist and eventually grew into an entertainment consultant and PR strategist.
Camille & Co. has grown to incorporate digital distribution into its services by partnering with platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Audiomack, Tidal, and YouTube Music. This made Camille & Co. the first African-owned distribution service in West Africa at the time of its inception. The agency also offers other music business services like publishing, legal, and administrative services.
Afiah Benewaah Boateng: Manager, Spotify West Africa/Founder, Harmattan Rain
What started out as a simple, beautiful music curation journey for Benewaah Boateng subsequently turned out to be the beginning of a successful career in the African music industry. Based in Accra, Ghana, Benewaah founded the innovative music curation platform Harmattan Rain.
She has worked with Universal Music Group as the country coordinator and marketing lead for Ghana, among other roles. Currently, this passionate female African music executive works as an editorial manager for Spotify in West Africa.
Elizabeth Sho: Program Director, MBA for Africa
As a brilliant talent manager. Elizabeth Sobowale worked her way through the entertainment space to create room for more women like her to find their footing. Her experience as a brand strategist and a talent manager grew exponentially. Now, she sits as the program director for Music Business for Africa.
Elizabeth was recently a panel speaker at the annual Colombia Africa conference enlightening the world on the role of music in Africa’s global relevance. Elizabeth Sobowale is also an advisory board member for the Audio Girl Foundation Africa. This is even further proof of her dedication to amplifying African voices all over the globe.
This list is just a fraction of the thousands of female African music executives who are certainly out there paving the way for more women to find a place in the industry. African women are no longer being relegated to the back of the room; we are leading global movements, and our voices are finally being heard, and there is nothing more exciting!
Is your favorite female African music executive on this list? If not, let us know who she is here! Everyone who is making an impact deserves to be recognized.
Happy International Women’s Day!