Spotify announces Mx Blouse is its Spotlight Glow Artist for October

Spotify has announced Sandiso 'Mx Blouse' Ngubane, the genre-fluid South African artist, as GLOW Spotlight Artist for October.

Spotify GLOW launched in January this year as a global music programme celebrating and amplifying LGBTQIA+ artists and creators. The programme celebrates the work, artistry, and impact of LGBTQIA+ music and culture.

“Many LGBTQIA+ artists and creators have had limited amplification opportunities. This has led music lovers and the industry in general to overlook their artistry. Artistry is personal and used as a tool of expression, especially in the LGBTQIA+ community. However, if the opportunities for this marginalised community are few and far between, building a future as an artist becomes overly challenging,’’ said Henco Harmse, Spotify’s artist and label partnerships manager in South Africa. 

Mx Blouse has performed at some of South Africa’s most popular music festivals in addition to touring in Germany, Switzerland, and France.

“We firmly understand and acknowledge the importance of lifting the voices of LGBTQIA+ artists and creators within the music industry. Spotify GLOW provides LGBTQIA+ artists and creators with tools on and off platforms to build their careers beyond domestic borders,” Harmse said.

In a past Q & A with our sister publication Sowetan Mx Blouse shared why the music they were creating was important to the genre of kwaito. 

“I don’t even really call my music kwaito. That’s something others bestowed on me and I sort of just rode along on that ship because I guess it sounded so cool that I’m holding a piece of such a phenomenal heritage. My music is quite simply electronic and kwaito happens to be one of the genres I draw from. This is purely because I think when I started making music I missed that authenticity about us. I’m so glad that amapiano is currently recapturing that essence but for me it was about not erasing the fact that I grew up in a township. Ngiyi lokishi, no matter what threads I wear, how limp my wrist is or how much English I speak; ubupantsula is hard-wired in me.”