Thai legend Jintara goes global in Times Square equality push
An image of Thai country singer Jintara Poonlarp towering over New York’s Times Square was praised by the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington on Saturday.
“The 53-year-old Jintara is a living legend in Thailand. She has released over 50 albums and 47 singles and been touring for 33 years,” said the Embassy in a Facebook post.
Jintara is featuring on the world’s most famous billboard as part of Spotify’s “Equal” campaign for women’s empowerment.
The embassy explained that: “Aside from her occasional forays into pop, her songs are mostly Luk Thung, which is Thailand’s version of country music, and Mor Lam, another rural style of song that is similar to rap in that the words are mostly spoken.” It added that she has also won fame in Thai films and TV shows.
Jintara revealed the news of her latest role in a Facebook post two weeks ago.
“Finally,” she wrote, in a post illustrated with her image towering several storeys high over Times Square. “Thank you, Spotify, for letting me be a part of EQUAL THAILAND, a great campaign to support women’s empowerment.”
US magazine Billboard wrote earlier this year: “Spotify launched EQUAL, a global music program as a part of its commitment to advancing gender equity in music. The initiative aims to celebrate women pushing the envelope and inspiring the next generation of artists, producers, and executives.”
EQUAL was launched in response to the music-streaming website’s findings that “only one in five artists on the charts are women. Yet we know how integral women artists’ influence has been on Spotify and the music industry at large. To begin to upend this disparity, we must amplify the work of women creators.”
Other artists featured in the campaign include Thai pop songstress Bowkylion, Saweetie of the US, Griff of the United Kingdom, Duda Beat of Brazil, and Gyakie of Ghana.
