Features
Fadia Kader, Music Partnerships Manager, Instagram
– Fadia Kader
– Fadia Kader
The Engagers
Executives who are doing exciting things in fan engagement. People whose work makes for memorable events.
Fadia Kader
Music Partnerships Manager, Instagram
“Last night, D-Nice kept getting kicked off of Instagram Live and, literally and I had 15 DMs,” Fadia Kader says. “’Hey, can you help D-Nice fix his Instagram?’” This, mind you, was at 1:30 a.m. But for Kader, a supremely professional and talented exec who is the contact point for much of the music business and the wildly successful social media platform, it’s just another 24/7 day and night at the home office. “My role is a very 360 cross-functional role,” she says.
It makes sense considering Kader is a polymath baller whose expansive skillsets include digital marketing, branding, live events, artist management, trend forecasting, A&R, customer service and so much else. And it also stands to reason her well-rounded talents coalesced in the live space.
“Broke and Boujee was a party I started in Atlanta that set off this creative subculture and lifestyle scene,” Kader says. At the time she was also managing artists Proton and Bosco and the party allowed her to promote them, her friends’ music and up and coming musicians which led to bigger shows and one she says that changed her life.
“So we did Drake’s first sold-out show in Atlanta,” Kader recalls. “Our whole niche was bringing in artists who we felt had next, first to Atlanta. That show got so much press it set off this domino effect.”
For Kader, too, who subsequently moved to New York where her topnotch skills propelled her to gigs at Complex Media, Def Jam, Twitter, and finally Instagram. The Insta tentpoles she’s most proud of include creating the Instagram Women’s Brunch during the Grammys, her work with Billie Eilish as well her Put You On showcases. “I get to use my A&R skills and trend forecasting skills and identify artists who I think have next.” This has included Tierra Whack,Brent Faiyaz, Freddie Gibbs and Lucky Daye among others.
Instagram, these pandemic days, is operating at whole other level with events like Global Citizen’s Together at Home, which launched with John Legend and Chris Martin and the Verzuz battles Swizz Beats and Timbaland’s pioneered which has a stratospheric 1.9 million followers. “With COVID, artists miss connecting with fans,” Kader says. “so it’s just the perfect time now.”
HOT TAKES:
The show that changed your life.
“I would say doing Drake’s first Atlanta show. Professionally, the Drake show was definitely a big moment in my career, just the trend forecasting that went into that and just being ahead of the curve there. Personally, I really, really loved Feist and seeing her perform the full Pleasure album in full when it came out with a band was just phenomenal.”
Artists to watch breaking in the next year.
“Deb Never is a good one. She’s a great artist. Dominic Fike had a buzz last year, but his new album coming out, it’ll be really good to kind of keep an eye on him. Billie Eilish’s brother, Finneas, is really, really dope. Orville Peck is pretty amazing. He’s a personal favorite. Omar Apollo, Snoh Aalegra. Those are all artists that have been bubbling in the scene and in culture, but I think they’re going to start making their big-time debuts.”
Technology most impacting your daily work or personal life?
“Oh, my phone. I have to have my phone at all times. It drives myself included crazy, along with my husband and everyone else around me. But the phone is crucial to what I do.”
Best, worst career-related advice you’ve received?
“Best advice I ever got was was more like an affirmation. It was just like, “Sometimes what you’re good at chooses you, you don’t choose it.” I think that put a lot of things into perspective as far as what I wanted my career to look like long-term. Worst career advice is someone just telling me I use Instagram too much at the time, and I’m like, “Okay, but here I am working at Instagram.”
The best live show you saw this year?
“The last show that I can remember that I saw was in Vegas, Babyface. I don’t think I saw anything since then. But yeah, Babyface is it. I’m a huge Baby Face fan, so– Oh, amazing. He’s always good, every time I’ve seen him he’s just phenomenal.”
Your favorite venue to see a show at and why?
“I’m new to LA but I really like the Troubadour because you can break artists there and then it’s always a nice story to say, “I saw Orville Peck there. I’ve seen some really cool stuff, intimate stuff that happens there. It’s nice and intimate and the sound is really great. I like it gritty and grimy and it’s pretty cool.”
The role of live streaming going forward?
“I think it’s going to get better and better, the more this new normal it becomes our regular normal, we’re going to be doing more things at home in more intimate settings. So I foresee a future that is going to be extremely lucrative to artists in the live-streaming space for sure. And I’m excited to see what we create as a platform or what other platforms pop up in the process to help artists during these times because I just don’t see us doing any big, big events until 2022 honestly. People are getting creative. Megan Thee Stallion, here in LA, just did an event where they took over a carwash and they take over your radio and that’s a live event. People are going to really dive into really intimate lives, super fandom moments and tap into live streaming and try to bring both worlds together. So it’s exciting to see where we all end up.”