Music Life

Sonic Youth founder Thurston Moore is joined by Brix Smith, Stephen O'Malley of Sunn O))) and Rachel Aggs to discuss staying creative in lockdown, connecting to their audiences, and the link between politics and their work. Thurston Moore is a songwriter, guitarist, vocalist, and founded the band Sonic Youth. Joining him is Stephen O'Malley, a guitarist, producer, composer, label boss, and visual...

Bebel Gilberto welcomes Martha Wainwright, Sam Amidon and Martin Hayes to talk about the influence of their musical families, their most memorable live shows, why improvising is so essential, and walking the creative tightrope between doing something new and following traditions. Brazilian singer and songwriter Bebel Gilberto is the daughter of Bossa Nova star Joao Gilberto and singer Miucha. Mart...

If you don’t know Paul Epworth’s name, you’ll certainly know his music, as he’s produced for the likes of Adele, Florence and the Machine and Rihanna. He asks 100 gecs, Arlo Parks and Dave Okumu about working with analogue equipment in a digital world, studio disasters, ideas that evaporate as they take too long to capture, and the difference between making your own music as opposed to making it f...

Songwriter, keyboardist, percussionist and Dirty Projector Felicia Douglass chats to Sly5thAve, Leon Michels, and Tiana Major9 about their desires to become musicians, skills and hobbies they’ve acquired during quarantine that have fed into their work, and how they start a new piece of music. Tiana Major9 is an up-and-coming singer-songwriter who has been praised as a “singular voice in British Bl...

Singer and cellist Kelsey Lu is joined by Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Lotic, and Fatima Al Qadiri to discuss how their ancestral backgrounds influence the stories they tell, the use of nature as a metaphor, and if they ever feel alone being an artist. Fatima Al Qadiri is an experimental Kuwaiti music producer and artist, currently based in Los Angeles. Last year she received a Cesar nomination for Bes...

A very exciting show this week, featuring the best artists from west Asia and north Africa. Turkish singer and saz player Derya Yildirim from Grup Simsek chats to Yousra Mansour, Hasan Nakhleh and Merve Erdem about how they work in the studio, what their songs tell us about tradition, and their biggest inspirations in the development of their work. A very exciting show this week featuring the best...

Témé Tan welcomes Nick Hakim, Raquel Berrios and Ela Minus to discuss the purpose of the work they make, whether they imagine their albums as one piece or a playlist of songs, and the importance of travelling and meeting other creatives from around the world. Témé is an artist from the Democratic Republic of Congo, now based in Belgium, who mixes pop, soul, hip-hop and Afro elements in his music....

Rina Sawayama, Angel-Ho, Shamir, and Mykki Blanco talk about where they get the inspiration to create when they are not performing, trying to be original or not, and the role resistance plays in their music. Mykki Blanco is an internationally renowned musician, performing artist and LGBTQ+ activist who defined the queer rap genre with their mixtapes Cosmic Angel and Gay Dog Food. This year alone t...

An absolutely fascinating discussion this week sees Nitin Sawhney welcome Norah Jones, Anoushka Shankar and Soumik Datta to discuss the differences between being a solo artist versus being part of a band, the importance of playing with heart over technique, and how collaborating and working with different musicians changes their sound. Nitin Sawhney grew up studying the piano, guitar, sitar and ta...

A stellar collection of musicians and songwriters this week, and who better to lead the discussion than somebody who has sold in excess of 85 million records? Singer, songwriter, presenter, DJ, and Spice Girl Melanie C asks the group candid questions about creativity, including the importance of dynamics in a songwriting team, what is it that informs the sound they want to make, and the thing they...

Singer, pianist and producer Reuben James started playing the piano from the age of three, so in terms of the percentages of a life spent in music he’s right at the top. In this episode of Music Life, he asks Izzy Bizu, Scribz Riley and Gracey about the best song they’ve written, what they would change if they could go back in time and alter a piece of work, and the thing that they erase the most...

South African musician and dancer Moonchild Sanelly is joined by Bryte, Cuppy, and Etuk Ubong. Together they discuss if there are there things they can’t say in their music, what sounds and lyrics are inspired by their environment, and how successful women are viewed in the male-dominated industry. Sanelisiwe Twisha, better known as Moonchild Sanelly, is the ‘future ghetto punk’ star from South Af...

Experimental hip-hop artist Ishmael Butler hosts this edition of music life - he's a member of Shabazz Palaces, and was also part of Grammy-winning hip-hop pioneers Digable Planets. He’s also worked with the likes of Flying Lotus, Thundercat, and Animal Collective. He’s joined by IAMDDB, a songwriter and vocalist based in Manchester, UK, who is very much the artist in demand right now. Her perform...

This week, we’re celebrating artists that have close ties with the German city of Berlin. Ellen Allien is a globally renowned DJ, electronic musician, producer and label boss based in Berlin. Her label, B-Pitch Control, has shaped the sound of the city over the last decade, and she’s constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s achievable with music and a dancefloor. Catnapp is an experiemental, se...

A huge episode of Music Life this week sees one of the most versatile composers working today, Max Richter (Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror, Ad Astra, Mary Queen of Scots), ask renowned creators of music for film, TV and the stage how they got their starts in the music business, their creative processes, how they convey emotion through their work, and how it’s actually quite difficult to create somet...

Jehnny Beth, frontwoman of noise queens Savages and now a solo artist, leads the discussion with three thought-provoking and inspirational musicians. Kelly Lee Owens is one of the most exciting DJs and electronic producers right now, a Welsh musician who’s collaborated with the likes of St. Vincent, Bjork, Jenny Hval, and Jon Hopkins. Jessy Lanza is an an electronic songwriter, producer, and vocal...

Jurassic 5 founder Chali 2na welcomes Rodney P, Skye Edwards from Morcheeba, and Omar to the show. Ever wondered what the first step in the creative process is for musicians? What kind of obstacles do they face in achiveving success? These are just some of the questions that Chali will asking the group. Plus there’s some hilarious anecdotes and gentle ribbing along the way. Chali 2na has one of th...

Legendary electronic artist Suzanne Ciani welcomes Marie Davidson, Sui Zhen, and Lorenzo Senni. Suzanne is based in San Francisco and has been nominated for five Grammy Awards. She was the first woman to score a major Hollywood film, and was the first female voice to be used on a computer game. Marie Davidson is a French-Canadian musician, and one of the world’s most exciting electronic producers....

Nigerian-born songwriter, producer, and musician Azekel welcomes Yukimi Nagano from Little Dragon, Kwesi Arthur, and Shab. Together, they talk about why it’s tricky writing with people you don’t know, what it’s like working with big names, and how important it is to express identity in music. Azekel has collaborated with the likes of Gorillaz, Massive Attack, GAIKA, and Grammy-winning producer Om’...

Saxophonist, MC and poet Soweto Kinch talks to Charlotte Adigéry and Jordan Rakei about pop music inspirations, writing to fit in a genre, and the role ego plays in their art. Charlotte Adigéry is a Belgian-Caribbean musician, born and raised in Ghent to parents from Martinique and Guadeloupe, and she’s hard to define by genre. She also performs as electro-punk alter ego WWWater. When making music...

Music Life digs out some of the highlights of the series so far for its 50th episode. The first musician to ever host an episode of Music Life was John Grant, and he’s back to guide us through some of the highlights that have happened on Music Life since the show began last year. Through 50 unbelievable episodes we’ve heard from the likes of Billy Cobham on playing for Miles Davis, Souad Massi on...

Canadian guitarist Melissa Laveaux welcomes Flavia Coelho, Maya Kamaty, and Angelique Kidjo. Melissa gets to the bottom of issues within the industry, the importance of asking questions rather than finding answers, and themes in their music that they keep returning to. All of this while being completely in awe of the legendary Angelique. Angelique Kidjo is a four-time Grammy award-winning Beninese...

This week, Music Life brings together four of the best West African young producers and trend setters for the first time. Rvdical the Kid is from Nigeria and Ghana, raised in Benin, before moving to Accra. In 2015 he released the genre-defining album Carte Blanche, and is due to follow it up later this year. Joining him is Gafacci, one of the most exciting Ghanaian music producers, DJs, and songwr...

Stereolab founder Laetitia Sadier chats to Mabe Fratti, Peter Zummo, and Zooey’s Marie Merlet. French singer, keyboardist, percussionist and trombonist Laetitia Sadier has worked with the likes of Blur, Luna, Deerhoof, Common, Mouse on Mars, and Tyler, The Creator. She’s asking the guests how they overcome hurdles, how they define originality, expanding musical ideas, and what sparks the creative...

On hosting duties is Olushola Ajose, a.k.a. Afrikan Boy, a London-born rapper and producer of Nigerian heritage whose music blends hip hop, grime and afrobeat. His track One Day I Went To Lidl caught the attention of MIA, who invited him to collaborate and tour with her. He’s since worked with the likes of Damon Albarn’s Africa Express, DJ Shadow, The Noisettes, Lady Leshurr and Nneka. He’s joined...