The New Exchange with Ken Grand-Pierre

Gang of Youths are a band of misfit toys from Australia who’ve won the hearts of audiences all over the world. But what comes next after releasing two wildly successful albums, winning a bunch of ARIA Awards (the Australian equivalent of the Grammys), and touring with the likes of Foo Fighters, Mumford and Sons, and Sam Fender? Well, clearly it’s time to fuck things up, which is exactly what the b...

Today’s bonus episode is exactly what this series was made for. Creatives who’re not only making incredible art but people who are also pushing the boundaries of what we expect from artistic expression. Priya Ragu is a brilliant Tamil-Swiss artist who entered 2021 in a big way with her debut mixtape, damnshestamil, a true masterclass of melding your heritage with fierce passion and a curiosity tha...

What happens when a vision for yourself becomes actualized in real-time? It’s a wild thing to say, but I’ve witnessed this recently; with a friend no less. Her name is Orla Gartland, a singer-songwriter from Ireland who’s built a career that’s wholly reflective of who she is, which is…I mean how many people get to say that? Orla was one of the earliest adopters of YouTube in the UK and Ireland, bu...

Welcome to season 4 of The New Exchange podcast, a series that’s all about how everyone has a story to tell. My name is Ken Grand-Pierre and today’s premiere episode with Hrishikesh Hirway is something I truly can’t believe. In many ways, he directly inspired this very series you’re listening to now and it’s a true privilege getting to share this conversation with you. Hrishikesh is a talented mus...

Remember that time during the pandemic when we just couldn’t listen to music? Many of us found refuge in podcasts to help us feel connected to people during a time when doing so felt close to impossible. One of those podcasts for me was NYC is Dead, created and hosted by local NYC comedians, Drexton Clemens and Eitan Levine. Together, these two friends would roam the streets of New York and gueril...

What if we changed the way we viewed fear? That question rests at the center of the new Palace album, Shoals, which is out now. Across this body of work, the band explores the multitudes within fear and how they’re different textures that are present when we’re afraid. But they even take it a step further, by asking: what does it look like when fear becomes a companion? To make sense of this I cha...

Truth be told, it wouldn’t surprise me if it came out that today’s guest was a low-key Avenger. It’s such a privilege to welcome back Haviah Mighty to the pod, especially as part of our bonus episodes leading up to season 4. Haviah is a rapper/producer/businesswoman from Canada who made history when her album, 13th Floor, won the prestigious Polaris Music Prize. Last year was both a challenging an...

There are people in the world who don’t embody virtues, but rather show how we can live a different kind of life. Zambian-Irish rapper Denise Chaila is one of the bravest people I’ve ever met and it’s a massive privilege to have her as our finale guest for season 3. Winner of the RTÉ Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year in 2020 (for her debut mixtape Go Bravely), Denise is a once-in-a-li...

Isha Shah is a London-based photographer that’s challenging the way people view photography. Along with working closely with brands like Nike, Apple Music, ADIDAS, and artists such as Miguel, Mahalia, Lewis Capaldi; Isha has proven that her hard work knows no limits. But what makes her work truly stand out is her ability to convey an unmatched authenticity towards her immersion in culture. On toda...

Most of us have heard self-help gurus say that validation should come from within and not from external voices. But what does that actually look like? South London rapper/singer/producer Kay Young has done that work and the proof is in the music she’s released throughout the pandemic. Each song has been cleverly crafted to reflect Kay’s experiences with family, friends, self-doubt, and self-redisc...

The ability that movies have to transport us to other worlds is beyond remarkable. Just stop and think about the ways movies helped you take in an outside life experience you would’ve never conceived of and at the same time, entertain you in a joyous way. On today’s episode, we explore a variety of the emotional aspects of film with some of my closest friends; who funnily enough have never met eac...

A main component of this podcast is making sense of ‘why’ people do what they do; along with the ‘how.’ Out of all the paths a person can explore, what is it that leads them to their chosen profession? Today’s episode with journalist Joseph Darius Jaafari is a prime example of how even the most desperate of circumstances can lead a person to not only bettering themselves but also to their calling....

A tradition of this podcast is that every season we have at least one episode that could be called a “beautiful ramble.” To me, that signifies the magic of podcasting, where you can hear someone share their thoughts and processes in a way that bounces tangents in a way that real-life conversations do. My guest today is my friend Adrian Galvin (aka Yoke Lore, a singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentali...

In more ways than one, it’s a massive privilege getting to bring you today’s episode. Alex Lahey and Sophie Payten (aka Gordi) are two Australian singer-songwriters AND multi-instrumentalists who’re not only leaving their mark in the world of music but they’re also carving their own paths in the process. Within our chat, we explore their experience in collaborating with each other on the affection...

Northern Irish musician Jordan Adetunji, could be best described as a wild card; a true shock to the system. To call him a “genre-bender” doesn’t do his eclectic approach to music justice. It’s still the early days of Jordan’s career but if his first few singles are anything to go by; he’s an artist that’s here to stay. On today’s special bonus episode, we chat about his journey in music, how Jord...

Let’s be honest, most of us tend to proclaim to our friends that “social media is evil” at least once a week. But what if it’s not? And what if the very way we look at social media is flawed? Those are some of the questions I tackle with today’s guest, Katy Leeson, Managing Director of Social Chain UK and host of the stellar podcast, I Shouldn’t Say This, But. Within her podcast, Katy does a brill...

Dan is affectionately known as “America’s only music writer” and when you glance at his impact, it’s easy to know why. Throughout the years he’s told brilliantly human stories about artists like Jimmy Eat World, Laura Jane Grace, and PUP, while also gracing publications like VICE, Noisey, The Guardian, Billboard, etc. On today’s special bonus podcast, I chat with Dan about both REPLY ALT, his succ...

I won’t bullsh*t you, this is my favourite episode of season 3. DC-based artist/producer Bartees Strange made me feel seen with his debut album, Live Forever, an album that continuously asks “why not?” Why can't a black dude not love 50 Cent as much as he loves Bat For Lashes? In a lot of ways, this is the most vulnerable I’ve ever been on a podcast, largely due to how much Bartees and I were able...

What if I told you that throughout 2020-2021, there was a band that safety played stadium shows while we were all locked in our homes? You’d probably ask “was this was in New Zealand?” and I’d reply with “Yes, duh” but the important bit is the band at the center of that; Six60. They’re homegrown heroes who’ve ascended to stadium status by writing authentic songs that have won the hearts of people...

Can universal emotions erode language barriers? It sounds like a trick question, but the answer becomes obvious as you listen to the music of Prateek Kuhad, a singer-songwriter from India who’s winning the hearts of people all over the world (including former US president, Barack Obama). Prateek’s latest body of work, Shehron Ke Raaz, is a beautiful example of how you don’t need to know a language...

How do you reconcile with the fact that an established way of doing things just doesn’t work for you? This question is exactly what Israeli producer/musician Noga Erez had to ask herself as she worked on her sophomore album, KIDS. The end result has been an album that’s both critically and commercially acclaimed worldwide; largely due to Noga’s bravery in challenging both herself and listeners. On...

Welcome to the pilot episode of Real Exchanges! Basically, think of this as a series within a series (thank you, Inception). These talks will be looser than the usual podcasts, with an unfiltered approach towards passionate conversations where we’ll explore a variety of topics. The first episode had to be about music and it brings me so much joy that I’m joined by my peers in music journalism/phot...

How does someone become one of the most beloved photographers on earth? Well, if Pooneh Ghana is to be trusted, the best approach is to be a fan above anything else. Throughout the years, Pooneh has been busy with clients like NME, Apple, and Pitchfork, as well as tours with Foals, Courtney Barnett, Glass Animals (the list seriously goes on). Within that time she’s become a massive favourite among...

What happens when you take an unapologetic set of lyrics and mesh them with a love of indie rock and pop-punk? Well, you might get something cool, but it’ll not be as badass as PRONOUN, the music project of my friend Alyse Vellturo. On her latest EP, OMG, I MADE IT (out now), Alyse has solidified her sound as PRONOUN, with a searing passion that feels like a pure shock to the system. On today’s bo...

How do you add a flash of color into a grey world? It has to be a difficult task, especially as the remnants of 2020 are still around us in 2021. Luckily for us, We Are Scientists are pros at injecting joy into people’s lives, with the proof being in the form of their latest album, Huffy (out now). The songs of the album are full of this pent-up energy that leaves you wanting to run outside with t...