By Oluchi Omai
Johannesburg, 14 July 2025 – Kenyan entrepreneur Melissa Kariuki has been selected for the Recording Academy's 2025 New Member Class, giving Africa stronger representation in the Grammy Awards process.
Kariuki, founder of music-tech company Whip Music, joins nearly 3,600 music professionals chosen this year by the organization behind the Grammys. The 2025 class is 49% women, 56% people of color, and 60% under age 40 – demographics Kariuki represents.
Her selection signals growing recognition for African tech founders and women leaders shaping music's future. "This is a milestone in my music journey," Kariuki said. "University-me couldn't have imagined being invited to the Recording Academy."
The former Google and Meta product marketer applies data and AI through Whip Music to help artists grow global audiences. Her company has run over 200 campaigns for stars including David Guetta, CKay, and Ayra Starr across Africa and the U.S.
Whip Music addresses industry barriers by providing affordable promotion tools for emerging African artists. "Standing out has never been harder," Kariuki noted, referencing Spotify's 100,000 daily new uploads. Her platform helps artists cut through noise with data-driven promotion.
The 2023 Google for Startups Africa Accelerator alum has partnered with Boomplay, Africa's largest streaming service. As a Recording Academy member, Kariuki will now help determine Grammy outcomes and advocate for creators' rights worldwide.
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| Melissa Kariuki |
About Melissa Kariuki
Melissa Kariuki is the founder and CEO of Whip Music, a music-tech startup on a mission to leverage technology to unlock creators’ next one billion fans. She has worked in product at Google and Meta, and brings experience across Asia, Europe, the U.S., and Africa at organizations including Bain & Company, H&M, the Gates Foundation, and INSEAD. Melissa holds a First Class Honours degree from the African Leadership University in Mauritius. She earned her Master of Management Science in Global Affairs as a Patrice Motsepe Fellow and Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University in Beijing, where she received a 99% distinction for her thesis on Blockchain, NFTs, and Web3 adoption and regulation.
About Whip Music
Whip Music is a music-tech company on a mission to help artists unlock their next one billion fans. The platform leverages technology to give artists access to a wide range of services, including music and video distribution, editorial playlisting, TV placements, radio, press, influencer marketing, social media advertising, and more. Whether an artist has zero fans or one million, Whip helps them grow and monetise an engaged fanbase. For more information about the Whip Music, please visit whipservices.com or contact us at hello@whipafrica.com.
About the Recording Academy
The Recording Academy represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our cultural heritage, the Academy supports music creators through the GRAMMY Museum®, MusiCares®, and the GRAMMY Awards®—music's only peer-recognised accolade and highest achievement.
For more information, visit grammy.com and recordingacademy.com.
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