Headliner Radio

We chat to super talented singer-songwriter and blues guitarist, Cristina Vane. Hailing from Europe, she moved to the US to study, and started busking on the Venice boardwalk in California to build up a musical following before moving to Nashville to further pursue her craft. She hones in on country blues, delta blues, and American folk music, and her signature bottleneck playing and strong vocals...

In the first episode in our Music Culture series, we chat to Shingai (frontwoman of Noisettes and multi-talented creative) and Ryan Koriya, an extremely hard working and passionate musical entrepreneur. The two artists have proud Zimbabwean heritage, and have just collaborated on the first Zim film to hit Netflix - quite a moment. Ryan has done the score, and Noisettes music features in the movie...

We chat to London-based duo, Berne, whose silky tones and reverb-laden guitars are all self-produced and starting to fire on all cylinders. Their first single, Oceans, came out in September 2019, and is the expression of the struggle to understand why people are threatened by diversity - and the next release, 'Stay' is coming very soon. We chat through their musical journey so far, play...

We chat to rising star, Ebenezer, about his multi-faceted creative process: beatmaker, songwriter, producer, mixer, collaborator. A twist of fate kept Ebenezer from kicking music into touch just a few years ago when he was struggling financially, but it shows just how far self-belief, hard work, and faith in your art can take you if you focus at the highest level. We delve into the Ebenezer brand...

Revered British singer-songwriter, Jake Bugg, joins us for episode three of Live Sessions to chat about his musical journey so far, and tell us how he's been getting creative during lockdown. We chat Glastonbury (and Glastonbudget..!), BBC Introducing, organic recording and composition, before Jake treats us to a live acoustic performance. 

We chat to multi-instrumentalist and producer, Alex Thomas, whose work behind the drum kit for artists such as Anna Calvi and UNKLE is absolutely top notch, as are the drum sounds he gets from his own studio. We talk music production, driving the preamps, how you can never have enough compression, and using synths to create sonic textures.  

We chat to composer, Dave Porter, about the challenges and rewards that go hand in hand when scoring for TV & Film. Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and El Camino are all connected, but are standout pieces in their own right; Dave chats about his working relationship with writer, Vince Gilligan, on all three, and his approach to delivering dynamic, energetic, and emotional storytelling through...

We go behind the brand with JH Audio founder, Jerry Harvey, about how the company is adapting to lockdown, still manufacturing product, and making game-changing improvements to its workflow allowing for an even better customer experience. 

We chat to multi-talented creative Kevin Garrett - an accomplished independent artist and skilled producer whose original composition 'Pray You Catch Me' was picked up by Beyoncé as the opening track of her 'Lemonade' album. We talk composition, new music, and creativity during quarantine.

We chat to US country star, Eric Paslay, about his musical journey so far: making huge hit records (including record of the decade), recording a live album in Glasgow, making a podcast to help young people living with type 1 diabetes, and his brand new single 'Heartbeat Higher' which is out today (May 8th).  

We chat to multi-talented creative Alexander Wolfe about writing his latest record during lockdown, and staying in a positive headspace. Alex has also worked extensively in theatre, and has scored for TV. By a twist of fate, we go through some of his 'curveball' tracks with him, and chat all things music. 

We chat to multi-talented artist, Rookes, whose work in composition, songwriting, toplining and more has earned her a great reputation in the industry. And she has the songs to prove it, too. 

In episode two of Topliner we chat to Nashville-based songwriter, Maia Sharp, whose work writing with Bonnie Rait, Carloe King, and Art Garfunkel has seen her gain wide critical claim. We talk about her musical inspiration, heartfelt composition, and are treated to two live performances from Maia, one of which is a sneak peek from her upcoming record.  

We chat to super talented country music duo, Haley & Michaels, about their musical journey, making new music, and dealing with life during lockdown. 

We chat to revered front of house engineer, Jim Ebdon, about his journey from studio to stage, and his hints and tips for mixing live sound. Jim has worked with so many headline artists in a 30-year career from The Police to Maroon 5, and most recently Sam Smith, who Ebdon believes has one of the best voices he's ever worked with. 

We chat to two revered monitor engineers who are locked down in the US and Australia respectively: Karrie Keyes (Pearl Jam)  and Becky Pell (Westlife). We talk Sound Girls, live shows, artist relations, gardening, yoga, and much more..! 

We chat to multi-talented creative, Michael Fox, about his work in music, TV and film. Perhaps best known for his work on hit TV series, Downton Abbey, Michael has also appeared in a series of feature films and excellent theatre productions. And he's also a great singer-songwriter. We invite Michael to perform on Live Sessions for us, and share some thoughts (and even the odd amusing story) f...

We chat to super talented creative, AJIMAL, whose original music has been bubbling for some time, and has just seen him longlisted for Glastonbury's Emerging Talent competition, the prize being a slot at Glasto 2021. One to watch.  

We chat to Kaiser Chiefs bassist, Simon Rix, about the band's musical evolution, disciplined recording sessions, and putting a positive creative spin on this testing lockdown period. 

We chat to double Grammy-winning artist, Jason Mraz, who cut his teeth playing the coffee houses of San Diego. Then, he penned 'this little hippie song' which would become the diamond certified mega-hit 'I'm Yours', and go on resonate with 10 million Americans, and eventually the rest of the world. Jason has been busy recording a new reggae-infused album with production va...

We chat to Grammy-nominated psychedelic soul duo, Black Pumas, about their creative process, writing from the heart, the beauty of live performance, and recording their album as authentically as possible. 

We chat to LA-based singer-songwriter Katie Ferrara about her musical journey so far: from busking across California to recording and promoting her own music, using various social media platforms to get her message across, and the importance of subscribers over followers. Katie has a new record, and she performs two live tracks from it for us live on the show. 

In our first episode of Topliner - a show dedicated to the art of songwriting - we chat to multi-talented creative, Jamie Scott, whose writing and production skills have seen him achieve 65 million streams through writing alongside a huge roster of eclectic talent: One Direction, Niall Horan, Rag'n'Bone Man, and Adele - just to name a few. During lockdown, however, he's flipped the...

We chat to London-born rapper and songwriter, Nadia Rose, whose musical focus and dedication has led to a string of sonic successes, the latest of which is the launch of her new record label, Qwerky Entertainment. 

We chat to Jack Mercer - AKA VC Pines - whose Skully EP recently shot to the number one spot on the iTunes R&B/Soul Chart. We chat about his creative process, and invite him to perform live for us from his home studio. We're also joined by special guest, Max Helyer, from You Me At Six, who collaborated with Jack on his latest single, Cracks.