My annotated Outside Voice playlist
I’m proud to kick-off the new season of Outside Voice, the annotated-playlist series from Spotify Advertising highlighting creative people of color.
But before I tell you about the playlist, let’s talk about my manifestation game. In early 2020, I tweeted that I wanted to design the cover art for a Spotify playlist.
Fast forward a couple of months and Spotify Advertising reached out to me to design the cover art for the new series of Outside Voice that was kicking off at the Cannes Lions Film Festival featuring curators Jemele Hill and Joan Baker. You can check out the project here.
After completing the Outside Voice art, they reached back out to ask me to curate an annotated playlist all my own. I was excited but also nervous! I wanted the playlist to be objectively good, but for it to also represent who I am and my experiences. Ultimately, I curated a playlist of music that I love to listen to and that I feel truly reflects me. It’s part indie mixed with neo-soul and r&b, a sprinkle of old school, and some rap mixed in.
I talk about my background, how I got into the design industry (shout out to Neopets), how it’s up to allies to create more space for diverse voices, and how more of us need to use our unique gifts to make us stand out and be successful instead of trying to be like everyone else. I put my favorite songs in this playlist and I stand behind it!
“There are so many interesting and unique voices in the world. If more people were to put (themselves) into their work, they would be a lot more successful.”
— Sophia Yeshi