Afrobeats star Fave calls out double standards, says female artists are judged by looks, not talent

• Fave says female artists face more scrutiny over their appearance than their music.

• She pointed to online speculation about her skin tone as an example of the pressure women face.

• The singer says female artists often have to work harder to get the same attention and support as men.

Nigerian singer Fave has spoken out about what she describes as a persistent double standard in the music industry, saying female artists are often judged by their appearance rather than their talent.

Speaking on the Afropolitan Podcast, Fave, whose real name is GodsFavour Chidozie, said women in the industry are held to a completely different standard than their male counterparts. "It's harder for female artists to blow. Female artists aren't measured by talent but by what they wear," she said.

She said the scrutiny extends to physical appearance in ways that rarely apply to men, pointing to ongoing online speculation about her own skin tone as an example. "If your tummy isn't flat, you know, if your skin is... because now there's this new saga, people think I bleached," she said, adding that conversations about female artists online are "never really about the music."

According to Fave, the focus often shifts entirely to how a woman looks or dresses before her music is even considered. "It's more about people's sexual desires or their fantasies about you. And I think that right there is a problem, because then it's more about how decently are you dressed before I get to listen to you," she said.

She argued that male artists aren't held to the same expectations, and said the imbalance pushes female artists to overperform just to stay in the conversation. "I think the female artists do way more. They bring their best to the stage, and they leave it all there," she said, adding that the industry's double standards leave room for men "to just be okay, as opposed to being exceptional."

Fave also touched on the difficulty of breaking into the industry as a woman, describing encounters early in her career with label executives who were reluctant to sign female artists, citing them as harder to manage. She said the imbalance often means women have to work far harder than men to receive the same level of attention or industry support.

Despite the challenges, Fave said she tries to use her platform to support other female artists still trying to break through, while acknowledging she is still building her own audience. "I'm still trying to get people to focus on the music that I have to give you, as opposed to everything else," she said.

Fave is known for songs including 'Baby Riddim' and 'Kante,' a collaboration with Davido. She previously signed to Atlantic Records before going independent, saying she wanted more investment in marketing her music rather than simply financial backing.

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