“What we need is a space to be heard,” said Shillong musician Meba Ofilia at Spotify’s EQUAL day in Mumbai, summing up a day of performances, panel discussions and conversations about women’s visibility in music. “Such initiatives create more space for women in music, not just as singers or performers, but also as writers, producers, engineers and the many professionals working behind the scenes. It helps open doors, build connections, and create opportunities to share stories and perspectives from different parts of the world that might otherwise go unheard,” she added.

Agreeing with Meba, Nagaland-based musician Temsu Clover, shared why representation matters. “In an industry where many voices remain underrepresented, it does.”

Safety and inclusion in the workplace, career growth, mentorship, and work-life balance — these are among the key challenges Indian women in music face today. These themes shaped the conversations at EQUAL day. India was among nine global cities to host the event in 2026, including Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Paris, Johannesburg, Berlin, and New York.

Launched in 2021, EQUAL was created to address the challenges women in music often face — fewer opportunities, limited visibility and unequal access. “EQUAL was designed to promote equity for women in the industry,” said Amarjit Batra, managing director, India, and GM, SAMEA, Spotify.

“In the five years since it began, EQUAL has supported over 1,400 women ambassadors worldwide — from global superstars to emerging artistes — across more than 40 markets, including India. Further, EQUAL artistes have collectively seen more than 50 billion editorial streams on Spotify,” added Bel Aztiria, Lead, Global Music Programs, Spotify. To mark its five-year milestone, Spotify has also introduced Spotify EQUAL: The Podcast, a new artiste-led video series that extends EQUAL’s mission into deeper storytelling and cultural conversations.

The day-long event, comprising workshops, masterclasses, panel discussions and performances, had the crowd celebrating, learning with and listening to some of the incredible women who make up India’s music industry. The first panel discussion on ‘Women shaping India’s music industry’, had Shilpa Sharda as moderator and featured Raashi Sanghavi, Yama Seth and Shilpi Gupta. The discussion explored how women are influencing and redefining India’s music landscape across talent management, creative strategy, artiste development and culture. The second panel on ‘Safety of women in the music industry’, moderated by Akhila Shankar, had Kaushiki Chakraborty, Meghana Bhogle and Anushka Nain speaking about the importance of creating safer and more supportive environments for women across the music industry. This was followed by an informal networking session.

“When women artistes from different backgrounds, languages and cultures are given visibility on global platforms, it creates space for authentic stories, diverse voices, and reminds women that they do not have to fit into one idea of what an artiste should be,” shared singer and composer Rashmeet Kaur, who performed at the event.