Music Life

Cakes Da Killa, Nita Aviance, Rochelle Jordan and Eli Escobar discuss the current climate of dance music, being inspired by the nightlife of New York City, and how to turn painful experiences into music. Brooklyn-based rapper Cakes Da Killa’s music blends ‘90s grit with club beats, with witty, unapologetic lyrics that promote Black excellence and LGBTQIA+ visibility in the hip hop world. Nita Avia...

Poppy Ajudha, Maverick Sabre and Madison McFerrin discuss how much they try to cater to an audience when songwriting, the backlash that can come from political and social comment in songs, and the complexities of expressing their identities through music. Poppy Ajudha is a singer-songwriter from London, UK whose music fuses pop, jazz, soul and R n’ B with politically-charged lyrics. Her songs have...

Metal and hard rock stars Diamanda Galás, Lamb of God's Randy Blythe, Inger Lorre and Malevolence frontman Alex Taylor discuss balancing the emotion with the noise, recording in Charlie Chaplin’s studio, and how an artist's duty is to reflect the times. Alex Taylor is the lead singer of the heavy metal band Malevolence, from Sheffield in the UK. They’re known for their ferocious sound and live sho...

Jitwam, GAIKA, Elle Shimada, and Nabihah Iqbal discuss what it means for your music when the place you’re from can’t be easily described, why they like making music when they’re bored, how musicians don’t think about genre when they’re creating music, and why listening to their own music at the gym is an odd experience. Jitwam is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and vocalist creating music that...

You Me at Six's Josh Franceschi, Lynn Gunn of PVRIS, Cody Frost and A Day to Remember's Jeremy McKinnon discuss getting protective over their own original ideas, writing with people from different styles and genres, releasing music at 4am in the morning, and the importance of liking your own music. Josh Franceschi founded You Me at Six in 2006 with a group of school friends, and since then they’ve...

Tkay Maidza, Lolo Zouaï and Chiiild discuss why making music feels like having a superhero persona, the importance of sticking to the truth in lyrics, enjoying the search for inspiration, and why song writing is mostly just about talking to your collaborators. Tkay Maidza is a Zimbabwean-Australian multi-talented singer-songwriter and rapper. Born in Harare, Zimbabwe before moving to Australia whe...

Nandele, Batida, Turkana, and TYGAPAW discuss how the sounds of Africa, and the African diaspora, influence their music, as well as the links between music and movement, how they make music to connect to home and the country they were born in, and why being ‘okay’ with your music is not good enough. Nandele is a DJ and producer from Mozambique, whose journey has taken him from the city of Maputo t...

Ahead of the End of the Road festival in Dorset, England, Lynks, Xenia Rubinos, Bingo Fury and NewDad's Julie Dawson discuss the power of specificity when writing lyrics, how they find inspiration by writing from the perspective of fictional characters, and how the moment that you feel most creatively stuck is the moment just before you figure it out. Julie Dawson is the lead singer of the Irish a...

ANOHNI, Hannah Peel, Hayden Thorpe and Purity Ring's Megan James discuss questions including what their music might sound like in an alternate universe. Hayden Thorpe is the frontman from the now disbanded Wild Beasts, and has moved to the north of England where his solo albums are inspired by the nature that surrounds him. UK-born singer, songwriter, and visual artist ANOHNI has had an eclectic c...

Otura Mun, Matthew Halsall, Cécile McLorin Salvant, and Maria Chiara Argiró discuss how capitalism affects their music making, how the weight of history can alter their own creations, and the role of competitiveness has in the creative process. Otura Mun is a producer, percussionist, and band leader for the Afro-Caribbean ensemble ÌFÉ. He mastered the art of DJing, then got into west African drumm...

Baby Queen, Powfu, Mae Muller, and Dylan Fraser discuss why there’s always a little bit of “theft” in trying to sound like your heroes, why writing a song is multiple moments over extended periods of time, the snowball effect of starting in one place and ending in another, and how putting your phone down will inspire you. Music Life this week – once again – covers the musical spectrum in one show....

Rostam, Lykke Li, Hatis Noit, and Barrie discuss what their favourite sounds are, their favourite stages of the songwriting process, and why they dislike working with producers, preferring to go it alone. Born in Washington DC to Iranian parents, Rostam was a founding member of Grammy-winning indie-pop band Vampire Weekend, and is now an in-demand producer and musician. He has worked with the like...

FINNEAS, Maggie Rogers, Sigrid and Röyksopp's Svein Berge discuss sticking to one musical identity, how making songs is like preparing a meal, and how to navigate other people’s expectations of their music. Sigrid began playing the piano aged seven. She’s released two studio albums, including 2022’s How To Let Go, and is currently one of the most essential names in pop. Viral folk-pop sensation Ma...

Gwenno, Lleuwen, Adwaith's Hollie Singer and Lloyd Steele discuss how they’ve been welcomed by the Welsh language community in the UK, why Welsh music needs an image change, and how they use language to express themselves through music. Gwenno is a Welsh singer, songwriter and electronic musician who started her career in the retro indie-pop group the Pipettes. She has three albums to date, and si...

Poliça's Channy Leaneagh, Erika Dohi, Real Estate's Martin Courtney, Twin Shadow and Bessie Turner discuss the creative process during the pandemic, learning to not put too much pressure on themselves, and what dream concept album they would make if they had infinite time and resources Channy Leaneagh has played violin in folk-rock bands, played as part of 25-piece Minnesotan indie-rock group Gayn...

Branko, Rita Vian, Dino D'Santiago and ZenGxrl discuss creating music in post-pandemic Lisbon, the balancing of new and traditional sounds, and loving the flaws of the voice. DJ and producer Branko draws inspiration from the music and the people across the Portuguese-speaking world, first as part of rap group Buraka som Sistema and then as a standalone artist, fusing techno and global club sounds...

Natalia Lacunza, Birdy, Matt Maltese and Silvana Estrada talk about the importance of being your own friend, out-of-body experiences when playing live, how being in the studio is like being a child again, and how they find the middle ground between self-doubt and ego. Spanish singer-songwriter Natalia Lacunza's music career was kickstarted by her appearance on the TV singing competition Operación...

Bonnie Banane, HSRS, Sébastien Forrester, Photay and QuinzeQuinze's Tsi Min discuss downloading ideas, why music is like a dish with an infinite number of ingredients, and the importance of not drowning in words. Tsi Min formed the French-Tahiti group QuinzeQuinze with a bunch of close friends who met at art school in Paris. Their music is electronic in nature, but draws on the sounds and traditio...

Nova Twins, Cassyette, Dream Wife's Alice Go and Theresa Jarvis of Yonaka discuss how their music is like a lair full of poisonous frogs, writing in windowless rooms, how laptops have been an intimate sketchpad for the way they write music, making unusual sounds with smashed glass, and why a song doesn’t have to be personal to be meaningful. Nova Twins are one of the most exciting bands of the las...

Jessie Ware, Meshell Ndegeocello, Dave Okumu and Eska discuss why you shouldn’t appease anybody with your music, loving the souls of your audience, keeping in your mistakes, why music is an essential part of existence, being a jack of all trades, and why finishing a song isn’t necessarily a process of letting go. The legendary Grace Jones curates this year’s Meltdown Festival at the Southbank Cent...

Elvis Costello, Marisa Monte, Jorge Drexler and Leo Sidran discuss how to create emotional lyrics, shouting to make yourself heard, arriving at the idea of a song through its title, competing with the scale of music, and working in multiple languages. Elvis Costello is a singer, songwriter, and producer who has sold millions of records both as a solo artist and with his amazing bands. His diverse...

Eyal El Wahab, Ana Kravanja, Kees Berkers, and Bex Burch discuss being in love with an instrument, not really knowing what you’re doing, moving sounds through your body, and using instruments made out of pumpkins. Eyal El Wahab is a Yemeni-Israeli musician who leads the four-piece folk jazz group El Khat, based in Tel Aviv and featuring musicians from Iraq, Poland, and Morocco. Slovenian musician...

Country music stars Scotty McCreery, Tenille Arts, Matt Stell and Hailey Whitters discuss scrapping all of their work after the pandemic, trying to fit in to country radio, relating to fans who go through the same struggles, and being true to yourself in your writing. Scotty McCreery is a singer-songwriter from North Carolina, USA, and he loves those mountains. And his truck. He started playing gu...

Two of this year's Eurovision hopefuls, Cornelia Jakobs and MARO, meet three former contestants - SuRie, Dami Im and KEiiNO's Alexandra Rotan - to discuss how writing music in rooms with strangers is like speed dating, the expectation that fans have of their sound, why there’s no formula to win the competition, and the strength in simplicity. Susanna Marie Cork, better known as SuRie, was the 2018...

Spanish musicians Carlotta Cosials, Depresión Sonora, NAVXJA and BERNARDA discuss why the best ideas happen when you’re happy, improvising lyrics, understanding different ways of writing, getting into music because of heartbreak, washing dishes and riding your bike to get ideas, and living like a vampire. Carlotta Cosials is the lead singer of the Spanish group Hinds. Depresión Sonora's dark brand...