Women in Charge: Sasha P on Ownership, Opportunity, and Shaping Africa’s Creative Future

From pioneering African hip hop to reshaping the continent’s live entertainment ecosystem, Sasha P has never followed a single lane. As a strategist, entrepreneur, and cultural architect, she is focused less on visibility and more on infrastructure, building systems, platforms, and pathways that allow others to thrive.

Few women have influenced African music and live entertainment as decisively and as quietly as Sasha P. What began as a groundbreaking career in hip hop has evolved into a legacy defined by strategy, advocacy, and institution-building.

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As the force behind Purplefire Entertainment and the Africa Live Entertainment Conference (ALEC), she operates at the intersection of creativity and governance, shaping how African artists move, tour, and scale globally. Here, she opens up about leadership without ego, softness without apology, and why the future of African creativity depends on ownership, clarity, and collaboration.

Glamour: You have successfully navigated music, media, live entertainment, and entrepreneurship. When you look at your journey so far, which version of Sasha P feels the most like home right now?

Sasha P: Right now, the version that feels most like home is the builder. The artist in me is still very alive, but I’m most grounded when I’m creating systems that let other people thrive, structures, partnerships, opportunities, and platforms that outlive moments. I’ve learned that visibility is powerful, but legacy is built in the quieter work: advocacy, strategy, and community. That’s where I feel most like myself these days.

Glamour: From pioneering African hip hop to building touring infrastructure across the continent, what personal experiences shaped your understanding of power, ownership, and longevity in this industry?

Sasha P: I came up in an era where talent alone didn’t guarantee sustainability. You could have an impact culturally and still have very little power structurally. Watching how deals were structured, how access was controlled, and how things really worked taught me early that ownership is not just a legal term - it’s a long-term survival plan.

Longevity comes when you understand the business model behind the applause: who owns the audience, who owns the distribution, who owns the data, and who owns the relationships. That’s what shaped my thinking ,and why I’m so committed to contributing what I can to building and supporting a proper touring ecosystem.

Glamour: Purplefire Entertainment and ALEC, sit at the intersection of creativity and strategy. How do you balance intuition and data when making big leadership decisions?

Sasha P: I treat intuition as the spark and data as the compass. Intuition helps you see what doesn’t exist yet, culture moves before spreadsheets do. But data keeps you honest: it shows you what the market is actually doing, what the audience is responding to, where the revenue is coming from, and where the risk lives.

The balance for me is asking both questions at once: “What feels true?” and “What can we prove?” Then I build teams that challenge me , people who can translate vision into operations and metrics without losing the soul. It is a muscle that needs strengthening daily, but we keep working at it!

Glamour: The Africa Live Entertainment Conference is redefining how African artists tour locally and globally. What gaps did you see in the industry that made ALEC necessary?

Sasha P: The gap is coordination. We have talent, we have fans, we have cultural influence but touring in Africa still too often feels like an exception instead of a system. I saw fragmentation across promoters, venues, ticketing, routing, visas, insurance, production standards, brand partnerships, all the things that make touring predictable elsewhere.

ALEC is necessary because we can’t keep building the continent’s live industry in silos. We need a place where decision-makers align, deals get done, standards are discussed, and a real touring circuit becomes possible,not just for global stars coming in, but for African artists moving across Africa and outward. ALEC is about strengthening collaboration.

Glamour: Winning the IATF SME Pitch in 2025 was a major milestone. What did that moment affirm for you about African creative businesses on a global stage?

Sasha P: It affirmed that African creative businesses are not “potential” , we are already viable. What we often need is the language, the structure, and the confidence to present our models in a way global capital understands without diluting our identity. That moment wasn’t just validation for me; it was proof that when we build properly , with clear unit economics, scalability, and governance the world pays attention. And it reminded me that creativity is not soft power only; it’s economic power. And so bridging that gap is where the heavy lifting lies.

Glamour: Live entertainment can be thrilling but also emotionally demanding. How do you protect your mental health while leading high pressure creative ecosystems?

Sasha P : I’ve had to learn that leadership without boundaries is a liability , to you and to the people counting on you. I protect my mental health by being disciplined about recovery: sleep, silence, and spacing out decisions so I’m not always reacting. I also have a rule now: I don’t try to be the hero. I build systems, I delegate properly, and I lean on professionals when I need to. And I stay connected to purpose - because when the “why” is clear, the pressure becomes more manageable and less personal.

Glamour: You have consistently used your platform to advocate for women in creative spaces. What barriers do you still see women facing in African entertainment leadership?

Sasha P: Two big ones: credibility politics and access to capital. Women are still expected to “prove” themselves twice and then still get questioned in rooms where their male peers are assumed competent. And even when women have great ideas, funding and networks don’t flow as easily. There’s also the burden of being likeable. Women are asked to lead, but not too boldly; to be ambitious, but not intimidating. I’m committed to changing that by building rooms where women are not guests,but architects and the new Women in Live Africa Network ( WILA) is positioned to do just that!

Glamour: As someone mentoring emerging talent, what skills do you think creatives underestimate but desperately need to build sustainable careers?

Sasha P: Negotiation, financial literacy, and relationship management. People focus on craft - which matters, but sustainability comes from understanding contracts, knowing your numbers, pricing your value properly, and building trust over time. I also think creatives underestimate operations: being on time, delivering consistently, respecting process. Talent opens doors; professionalism keeps them open.

Glamour: Your work bridges the continent and the diaspora. How do you ensure African narratives remain authentic while scaling globally?

Sasha P: I think of it as shared stewardship. Authenticity is strongest when African perspectives are central and the diaspora is actively part of the building process, not brought in after decisions have already been made. My focus is on creating rooms where people with different proximity to the culture can contribute responsibly, with shared context and mutual respect. Scaling globally works when it’s collaborative. When African voices, diaspora partners, and industry stakeholders are aligned early, stories travel with integrity and depth. The goal isn’t to protect narratives from the world, but to build them together in a way that honours where they come from and where they’re going.

Glamour: Style and image have always been part of your public identity. How has your relationship with fashion evolved as you have stepped more fully into executive leadership?

Sasha P: Fashion used to feel like an expression first! Now it’s expression and intention. As an executive, I’m more aware that people read you before they hear you, especially as a woman in leadership. So I use fashion as a kind of visual language: confidence, clarity, cultural pride, and softness when I want it. I don’t dress to be taken seriously , I dress because I already am! And hopefully the choices communicate the energy before I speak.

Glamour: Reflecting on your early days in hip hop, what lessons from that era still guide how you build businesses today?

Sasha P: Hip hop taught me community, resilience, and ownership. It taught me how to build from nothing, how to create culture with limited resources, how to move people with storytelling, and how to stay distinct. It also taught me the importance of controlling your “masters” in business terms, controlling your intellectual property, your audience, and your distribution. That DIY spirit still guides me: build the table if the room won’t make space- the people will come!

Glamour: What does success look like for you now compared to when you first started making music?

Sasha P: Before, success looked like visibility, charts, recognition, the moment. Now, success looks like infrastructure and impact: companies that run without me being in every meeting, artists who can tour profitably across Africa, teams that grow into leadership, and partnerships that shift the industry. I still value the art, deeply- it is my home. But now I measure success by what remains standing when the applause fades.

Glamour: If the African live entertainment ecosystem were fully built the way you envision it, what would artists experience differently?

Sasha P: They would experience ease and most importantly clarity! Touring would be structured, not chaotic -predictable routing, reliable venues, fair ticketing systems, safer shows, better production standards, clearer contracts, and real business support. Artists wouldn’t have to choose between going global and staying connected to the continent , they could do both!

Glamour: When things get overwhelming, what rituals or routines help you reconnect with yourself outside of titles and achievements?

Sasha P: Most people raise their eyebrows when I say this but- Silence is a big one ,no phone, no noise, just being still. I journal, I pray, I take long walks, and I spend time with people who knew me before the achievements. I also return to music, not as work but as medicine. It reminds me that I’m human first. Everything else is just what I do.

Glamour: What advice would you give to young African women who want to lead boldly without losing their softness, creativity, or sense of self?

Sasha P: Don’t let the world convince you that softness is weakness. Softness is sensitivity, and sensitivity is intelligence , it helps you read people, build culture, and lead with empathy. Lead boldly, but don’t abandon yourself to do it. Build boundaries early, learn the business deeply, and keep your circle honest. And remember: you don’t have to become hard to be powerful. You just have to become clear.