Kenyan entrepreneur Melissa Kariuki, founder of music-tech startup Whip Music, has been selected to join the Recording Academy’s 2025 New Member Class, giving Kenya and Africa greater representation within the GRAMMYs voting body and the global music industry at large.
The Recording Academy, renowned as the world’s leading society of music professionals and the organiser of the GRAMMY Awards – music’s highest peer-recognised honour – welcomes Kariuki into its global community of creators and professionals. As a member, she will participate in the GRAMMY Awards process and champion initiatives that shape the music industry’s future.
This year’s invitation was extended to nearly 3,600 accomplished music professionals spanning diverse backgrounds, genres, and disciplines. The 2025 New Member Class comprises 49% women, 56% people of colour, and 60% under 40 – categories Kariuki embodies.
Her inclusion is both a personal achievement and a broader symbol of progress, reflecting the rising influence of African founders, women in tech, and innovative voices shaping the future of music beyond the stage.
Melissa’s professional journey spans product marketing and growth roles at Google and Meta, where she honed her tech-driven approach. Today, she applies data, automation, and AI to empower artists to expand their reach and fanbases globally.
“During university, I organised open mics, fashion shows, and art festivals purely out of passion and curiosity,” Kariuki recalled. “I never imagined it would lead me to starting a music company.”
Through Whip Music, Kariuki has executed over 200 campaigns across countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and the United States, promoting global stars like David Guetta, CKay, Ayra Starr, Fave, and The Cavemen.
“This is a milestone in my music journey,” she added. “I’ve been privileged to help artists get heard in new markets worldwide. Today, I celebrate a moment my university self couldn’t have imagined – being invited to the Recording Academy. Life’s best gifts often come while we’re already on the journey, and this is one of those gifts.”
In 2023, Whip Music became the first music-tech company accepted into the Google for Startups Africa Accelerator. The company has since forged strategic partnerships across Africa, including with Boomplay, the continent’s largest streaming platform boasting over 100 million users.
Founded to give African artists – especially emerging ones – a fair chance to be heard, Whip Music built a marketplace providing affordable promotional tools to grow real audiences and gain visibility in an increasingly crowded industry.
With over 100,000 songs uploaded to Spotify daily, standing out has never been harder. Whip Music leverages technology to make music promotion more data-driven, accessible, and effective, equipping artists to compete on the global stage.
As a Recording Academy member, Kariuki joins a powerful network of creators and innovators influencing GRAMMY outcomes, advocating for equity, protecting creators’ rights, and shaping the future of music across borders.
About Melissa Kariuki
Melissa Kariuki is the founder and CEO of Whip Music, a music-tech company focused on helping creators unlock their next one billion fans. Her career spans product roles at Google and Meta, with additional experience at Bain & Company, H&M, the Gates Foundation, and INSEAD across Asia, Europe, Africa, and the United States.
She graduated with First Class Honours from the African Leadership University in Mauritius and earned a Master of Management Science in Global Affairs as a Patrice Motsepe Fellow and Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University, Beijing, receiving a 99% distinction for her thesis on Blockchain, NFTs, and Web3 adoption and regulation.
About Whip Music
Whip Music is a music-tech platform enabling artists to reach and grow global audiences through services including distribution, editorial playlisting, TV placements, radio, press, influencer marketing, and social media advertising. Its mission is to empower artists – whether they have zero fans or millions – to monetise engaged fanbases using technology.
For more information, visit whipservices.com or contact [email protected].
About the Recording Academy
The Recording Academy represents performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and music professionals globally. It preserves music’s cultural heritage through the GRAMMY Museum®, MusiCares®, and the GRAMMY Awards® – music’s only peer-recognised accolade and highest honour.
For more, visit grammy.com and recordingacademy.com.
