Et Voilà, Eurovision Runner-Up Barbara Pravi Is EQUAL Artist of the Month
French singer, writer, and actress Barbara Pravi isn’t afraid of a little competition. Earlier this year, she represented her country in the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest. The performer instantly captured the hearts of fans around the world and went on to place second in the competition for her song “Voilà.”
Barbara continues to inspire as this month’s featured artist in Spotify’s EQUAL Global Music Program, which aims to combat gender disparity in the music industry by amplifying and celebrating the work of women creators around the world.
Through our ongoing EQUAL campaign, we’re also extending resources and generating more opportunities for these artists by creating a global, cohesive, branded experience. As global artist of the month, Barbara will also be featured on the cover of our EQUAL Global playlist.
For the Record invited Barbara to turn up the volume and fill in the blanks on her process, inspiration, and advice for other women creators.
The artists who have most inspired me are ____.
Barbara, Jacques Brel, Charles Aznavour, and Nougaro, because they know how to perfectly manipulate words. They are poets and musicians! When I listen to them, I feel that words are as important as musicality. I also love and listen to a lot of classical music. More recently, I’ve been influenced by Nathy Peluso, Sufjan Stevens, and Maria Jose Llergo, among others.
One piece of advice I’d give other women artists is ____.
Do not make any concessions. Listen to your intuition and your heart. Make the music you love to listen to.
I really think we have to be the first listeners of our music. The advantage of staying true to yourself is that at the end, you won’t have any regrets. If you make mistakes (and you will!) you will feel OK with it because they will be your mistakes. You will embrace them because you’ll learn from them and, in the end, you will be and feel better. In my opinion, the keys to being happy and proud are integrity, authenticity, self-confidence, and always having an open mind, ear, and heart.
One notable moment in my career so far is ____.
Until my first album comes out, it will be the night of Eurovision this year!
My creative process consists of ____.
I have a million ways of making music. Sometimes I start with the words; other times, I have a melody in mind. Sometimes I have both, and sometimes neither. When that happens, I have to pick up a pencil and ask myself, “Ok, what do you want to say?”
I always try to be easy and gentle on myself and not be judgmental of my “creations,” whether they’re cool or bad. I don’t always have a handle on how they will turn out or how I’ll feel about them.
One way I’d like to see greater gender equity in the music industry is ____.
The EQUAL Global Music Program is absolutely fabulous. I love the playlists—they allow me to discover women creators from all over the world. The radio and media have the power to elevate a song and make a person’s career. They should expose the world to more women. I really hope one day we’ll have more women at the head of labels and media, too. I’m so happy to be part of a generation of young women who are independent, proud, and who know that to exist, the best person you can count on is YOU.
One up-and-coming woman artist I’m excited to watch is ____.
I love Silly Boy Blue, November Ultra, P.R2B, Saskia, and Kalika. They are all French women artists who are getting to be big!
My girl-power anthem is ____.
Qui a décidé ce qu’est la femme?
Un bouton de rose
un brun de flamme
Aucun des deux
ou bien tout à la fois
La femme, la femme, la femme.
Translation:
Who decides what a woman is?
A rosebud
A sparkling flame
Neither and both at once
Woman, woman, woman.
Keep celebrating Barbara and other women artists on Spotify’s EQUAL Global playlist below:
