Nigerian singer Skales has acknowledged the challenges women face in the Nigerian entertainment industry following singer Fave’s comments on the treatment of female artistes.
Skales reacted on Thursday, September 17, 2026, after excerpts from Fave’s appearance on the Afropolitan Podcast began attracting attention over her remarks about gender-based expectations in the music industry.
In the podcast episode, published on Wednesday, September 16, Fave discussed what she described as different standards applied to female and male artistes in Nigeria and Africa.
Fave argued that female artistes are often assessed not only by their music and stage performances but also by their clothing, bodies and perceived sex appeal.
“I think first off, I think we’re held to very different standards in the industry,” Fave said.
She added that female artistes are not always judged by the conventional measures of musical ability and stage presence but can instead face scrutiny over their physical appearance.
“We’re not measured by our talent or, you know, our stage presence or, you know, just the normal metric that you’re supposed to measure an artist by,” she said.
“We’re measured by what we wear.”
Fave further referred to online discussions about her own appearance, including speculation about her skin tone, as an example of the kind of attention female artistes can receive outside their music.
She argued that conversations about women in music can become focused on sexualisation and appearance rather than their artistic work.
“It’s never really about the music,” Fave said, adding that it can become more about “people’s sexual desires or their fantasies about you.”
According to Fave, the issue becomes particularly noticeable when audiences judge whether a female artiste is dressed appropriately before considering her music.
“But when it comes to the men, I don’t think they’re held by that same standards,” she said.
Fave also discussed performances and argued that female artistes often put considerable effort into their stage appearances while being subjected to different expectations from their male counterparts.
“I really think that when it comes to performances, I think the female artists do way more,” she said.
“They bring their best to the stage and they leave it all there before they leave.”
She said the difference in expectations creates pressure for female artistes to exceed normal standards simply to remain part of industry conversations.
Fave described this as a situation where female artistes may feel compelled to do “10 times more” to receive attention, a figure that represents her personal assessment rather than an independently established industry statistic.
The singer also raised concerns about unwanted sexual advances, saying such experiences could arise when female artistes are trying to gain access to studios or secure the attention of influential industry figures.
Fave further recalled encountering industry executives who, according to her, were reluctant to sign female artistes because they considered them difficult to manage.
“They would tell you, you know, it’s hard to manage a female artist,” she said.
She argued that the responsibility of changing such conditions does not rest solely with female artistes, calling on influential figures in the industry to help remove barriers affecting women.
“If the people who are the big ones, like the playmakers, don’t make that decision to break the barriers, how would it be easy for us to get to where we’re supposed to?” she asked.
Fave also reflected on the changing landscape of music distribution, noting that streaming and the internet have created opportunities for artistes to reach audiences outside Nigeria without first becoming established locally.
She said artistes can now break into markets in the United States, United Kingdom and Asia through digital platforms before receiving wider recognition at home.
The singer also spoke about her desire to support other female artistes who are still trying to establish themselves, while acknowledging that 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,” Fave said.
Fave also discussed the changing sound and visibility of female artistes in Afrobeats, saying she, Tems and Ayra Starr entered the scene with voices that differed from what she described as the traditionally expected feminine sound.
“When Tems, I and Ayra Starr came into the scene, we came with different voices that were different from the very feminine voice people were used to,” she said.
“Before us, female artistes used to sing in a very feminine way.”
That statement represents Fave’s interpretation of the evolution of female voices in the genre and was made in the context of her broader discussion about how women are perceived in Nigerian music.
Responding to the wider conversation, Skales praised women working across the entertainment industry and acknowledged the difficulty of navigating the sector as a woman.
“Big up all the females in the entertainment industry … it ain’t easy being a woman in this industry … big up to y’all for real,” Skales wrote on his verified X account on Thursday.
Skales’ response came as Fave’s podcast discussion continued to generate public attention, particularly around her argument that female artistes face appearance-based scrutiny and additional expectations that can affect their careers.
While Skales acknowledged the difficulty women face in the industry, his post did not independently verify every specific claim made by Fave about appearance standards, sexual advances, record-label practices or the amount of additional work women may need to put in.
The discussion has consequently placed renewed attention on the different experiences of male and female artistes within Nigeria’s music industry, with Fave calling for greater support from influential industry figures and Skales publicly recognising the perseverance of women working in entertainment.
