GLOW Program Announces Ambassadors for Pride Month Celebrations
The GLOW program, a global music initiative, supports LGBTQIA+ creators through marketing, editorial support, and partnership opportunities. Since its launch in January 2023, the program has supported over 130 ambassadors.
Program playlists have accumulated 451 million streams and resulted in 106 million artist discoveries.
Throughout June, GLOW Tapes will feature playlists curated by more than 10 LGBTQIA+ personalities, with new selections appearing weekly. A dedicated online hub will highlight LGBTQIA+ voices across various formats, including refreshed podcast selections—Queer Creators We Love and Spotlighting LGBTQIA+ Stories—and curated audiobook shelves focused on themes like memoirs, queer love, and science fiction/fantasy.
This year’s celebrations include live events. GLOW will participate in the Tokyo Pride parade on June 6-7, host a social event for LGBTQIA+ songwriters, producers, and artists in London on June 24, and hold a mixer for creators at its Stockholm headquarters on July 31.
Four artists—Deb Never (U.S.), Honey Dijon (U.K.), Guitarricadelafuente (Spain), and Tove Styrke (Sweden)—have been selected as ambassadors to represent the program’s annual “Free to Be” theme.
These artists have co-curated the GLOW global playlist, featuring music by LGBTQIA+ artists, and will be featured in promotional campaigns and on billboards in New York and Los Angeles.
Deb Never stated, “Being free to me means doing what you love, being who you are, and not letting anything or anyone else define you.”
Guitarricadelafuente added, “Right now, being free means allowing yourself to evolve without having to apologize for it. To change, to feel deeply, to contradict yourself, and not always have all the answers.”
Tove Styrke explained, “To me, it means trusting your own instincts before outside expectations. I think there’s a lot of pressure now to constantly explain yourself, brand yourself, or fit into categories that make other people comfortable. Freedom is staying connected to the weird, emotional, and intuitive parts of yourself anyway. It’s about allowing yourself to evolve publicly without apologizing for it.”
Deb Never also said, “If artists weren’t comfortable enough to push boundaries or experiment, I don’t think anything would move forward. It’s important to not be bound by anything, to be free and keep progressing.”
Guitarricadelafuente commented, “Culture evolves when people feel free enough to express themselves honestly. New ideas, aesthetics, identities, and ways of loving emerge when we stop fearing judgment and start showing ourselves as we truly are.”
Tove Styrke stated, “Culture moves forward when people dare to express something truthful before it’s fully understood. A lot of the art, music, and ideas that end up changing people first seemed strange, emotional, or too different. When people feel free enough to create from an honest place instead of a strategic one, it gives others permission to do the same. That’s usually where new movements begin.”
