Sona Mohapatra Lights Up Times Square For Spotify EQUAL

Sona Mohapatra Lights Up Times Square For Spotify EQUAL

A face that can launch a hundred brands and voice that could send you soaring in ecstasy, Sona Mohapatra is one of the most versatile and talented singers along with being an exhilarating stage performer that Bollywood has today. Known for her electric style, Sona is now shining at Times Square, New York City as her billboard just went live on July 20 and it will be there for a month.

To be one of the first independent artists from India to be given this place is a pop culture milestone because it paves the way for artistic expression of various hues & colours free from cookie-cutter formulas in musical mainstream success. She said to My City links, “To be woken up in the middle of the night to see photographs of my face on a billboard covering a skyscraper in one of my favourite cities, New York, was a surreal feeling.”

“We are slowly coming out of a very tough time together as a society but this phase in India has been the very best for independent music releases without the big banyan tree of Bollywood taking away all the media and audience attention/ sunlight with its big promotional budgets! I feel truly proud of having a first mover’s advantage by consistently putting out original music via my own indie label Omgrown Music over a decade. This billboard is a validation of that constant hustle of never giving up on the power of music & self belief. My allies have stood by me through thick and thin & I am grateful for their belief.” said the singer.

Mohapatra was chosen for the Spotify EQUAL campaign in which she will lead the Indian leg of the global campaign for the month of July. Her recently released single ‘Aise Na They’ will feature on the EQUAL playlist where she will be joined by other artists of world music like Meryl of France, Bowklylion of Thailand, Nadin Amizah of Indonesia and Anikv of Russia from the roster of Paris-based leading independent digital music distribution and artist services company, Believe.

‘Aise Na They’ is composed by Ram Sampath and the lyrics are written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. This soothing soft-rock romantic song is distributed by Paris based music distribution and marketing service Believe. The song talks about a relationship that has lost the fire, where people are slowly drifting apart without realising it. The song is a celebration of the sound of the hills through ethereal flutes & tingling mandolins.

According to Vivek Raina, Managing Director – Believe India, It is a great initiative by Spotify that creates a space on the platform to strengthen the work of female talent in music from across the globe and he is excited that it features Sona Mohapatra from India with her new song ‘Aise Na they’. The team is proud to collaborate with Mohapatra.

Spotify has been continuously working towards equity for women in audio by showcasing and highlighting female artists and creators through their work in music and podcasts. The campaign includes partnerships, activations, new content experiences, and on- and off-platform support on local, regional, and international levels, highlighting women artists who are shaping the future of music.

The Spotify EQUAL campaign which was launched globally earlier this year to celebrate female talent across the world, aims to put the spotlight on women in music across the world. The initiative features specially curated playlists across 50 countries while the Spotify EQUAL global playlist features music from selected artists from across the world. Every month the streaming platform announces new artists for the campaign and on the cover of their respective local playlist.