Adia Victoria Invites Spotify to Think About Their Role in an Unjust Music Industry

Victoria shared some thoughts about the streaming giant on the heels of her recent single “Magnolia Blues.”
Adia Victoria Invites Spotify to Think About Their Role in an Unjust Music Industry

Victoria shared some thoughts about the streaming giant on the heels of her recent single “Magnolia Blues.”

Words: Margaret Farrell

photo by Huy Nguyen

August 06, 2021

A couple days ago, Adia Victoria announced a new album A Southern Gothic—which is coming out September 17 on Canvasback Records—with the single “Magnolia Blues.” It’s a chilling track with slow-building percussion that seethes with resolve. At times, there’s a shiver to Victoria’s vocals that’s incredibly cool. In a statement, she revealed the origins of the song saying, “The magnolia has stood as an integral symbol of Southern myth making, romanticism, the Lost Cause of the Confederates and the white washing of Southern memory. ‘Magnolia Blues’ is a reclaiming of the magnolia.”

A skilled songwriter, elegant singer, and evermore an eloquent writer, Victoria took to social media to discuss the complicated honor of recently becoming the cover image of the Spotify’s Roots Rising playlist. “A Southern Gothic is a celebration of the Black southern folk whose labor, creativity, and numberless contributions to the culture were unacknowledged and undervalued,” reads a typewritten note posted to her IG. “Before they were paid pennies for their labor they were paid dust.”

She transitions to talking about Spotify and the inequity amongst musicians from streaming payments. Further, she expresses gratitude and acknowledges the difference between her adversity and those of her ancestors. “I recognize that it is because they spoke out and challenged power that I am even able to write this letter today.”

Victoria also mentions the discomfort that her statement might bring to some readers. She tells them to lean into, to sit with the uncomfortable reality. I really can’t do it justice summarizing the whole thing, so you should check it out below.

 

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