It’s harder for female artistes to make it. We’re judged by what we wear, not our talent — Nigerian artist Fave

Nigerian singer Fave has spoken about the double standards female artistes face in the music industry, saying they are often judged more by their appearance than their talent.

Speaking on the Afropolitan podcast, Fave said female artistes are not always measured by their music or stage performances but by their appearance, including their bodies, skin and how they dress.

“We’re not measured by our talent or our stage presence or just the normal metric that you’re supposed to measure an artiste by. We’re measured by what we wear. If your tummy’s not flat, if your skin is…” she said.

Fave also said discussions about female artistes in Nigeria and Africa often focus on their appearance and people’s s£xü@l fantasies about them rather than their music.

She added that female artistes often have to do “10 times” more than male artistes to get the same level of attention, while also facing s£xü@l advances in attempts to gain access to studios or industry decision-makers.

The singer further claimed that some industry executives had told her they were reluctant to sign female artistes because they considered them difficult to manage.

Fave said she believes major industry players need to help break those barriers so female artistes can be judged more equally on their music and talent.