On this special episode, the After Hours team make a trip to the TwinstarZ studio. The twin brothers - DJ Starama and DJ Thunder - are pioneers in the Tamil Remix game, starting their venture in this genre in the late 90s. They brothers touch on how different music was in the early 2000s and the obstacles they came across when delivering this unique genre of music that was not widely accepted at the time. Their newest project EE-DEE-EM is available now on all streaming platforms. 

This episode, the team head over to St. John's, Newfoundland to speak with the author of "The Boat People", Sharon Bala. "The Boat People" was Sharon's debut novel, which is a fictional story surrounding a group of refugees from Sri Lanka who survive a perilous ocean voyage to reach the shores of British Columbia, only to face threat of deportation and accusations of terrorism on where they hoped could soon be called home. The boat quickly gained traction after being featured on CBC's Canada Reads and became a National #1 Best Seller. Sharon talks about what influenced her to write "The Boat People", how she was able to relate to it on a personal level, and obstacles she faced when writing the novel.

This week, the team chats with the founder of the ONCanadaProject, Samanta Krishnapillai. Samanta began this project shortly into the pandemic as she was frustrated with the lack of information regarding COVID-19 that was available for Millennials and Gen Z. The instagram page began as the On COVID-19 Project in June 2020 to focus on providing guidance and education on best practices and access to assistance. The page instantly gained traction and currently sits at over 115k followers on IG. Samanta felt that it was only right to continue being a platform for Millennials and Gen Z followers and converted the page to the ONCanadaProject, which aims to provide valuable Canadian information that this generation requires to compassionately disrupt the status quo.  

The After Hours team go international again for this episode to speak with Usha Jey from Paris, France. Usha is a Hip-Hop Dancer and Choreographer, representing the Tamil culture through her style of #HybridBharatham. She has gained immense popularity over the last year and has even caught the eye of some big named celebrities like DaBaby and M.I.A. Her most recent project involved her choreographing for M.I.A. and Virgil Abloh for an Off-White fashion show. Usha talks to us about how she got started, how social media has helped her get connected to big names, and what she has in store for the remainder of 2021. 

On this episode, the team speak with Keerthana Rang and Nedra Rodrigo - who are members of the board of directors for the upcoming Tamil Community Centre in Scarborough. Keerthana and Nedra speak about the why we need a Tamil Community Centre, why this location was chosen, and the numerous amount of background work that needed to take place in order for a project of this caliber to get approved by the government, and when we can expect this project to open its doors to the public. 

This week, the team sits down and chats with Ravi Ravindran, CEO of BLUMEx (@blumex.io) and Host of the fast growing community "The Disruptor's Den" on Clubhouse. Ravi is a serial entrepreneur and advocates for business, technology, and innovation. Ravi breaks down his journey in building start-ups at a young-age, speaks about the immense amount of overlooked resources that are available at post-secondary institutions, and provides some valuable tips for current and future entrepreneurs.

On this episode, the After Hours team chat with Jarin Alab, an up-and-coming rapper from the Flower City. Jarin stands out from the rest due to his unique craft of incorporating kollywood movie dialogues in his raps. Jarin speaks on how he got into rap, his early influences, and what he has in store for the upcoming year. Jarin drops an insane freestyle at the end of the episode so be sure to listen all the way through!

On today's episode, the After Hours team sit down with Thad Jayaseelan, better known as Thaddeus (@thaddeus.10). Thaddeus is a professional barber or rather a Hair Architect. He had a strong passion for art and fashion at a young age and was given the opportunity to cut hair at an established barbershop at 17. Thaddeus has since evolved to cut many famous celebrities and athletes. Join the conversation as he emphasizes the importance of hair education to master the craft. Check out his own platform of products at www.gradientworld.com

Yanchan is back with the After Hours team to talk about his brand-new beat tape just released today, the Scarborough Beat Tape. Yanchan talks about how Scarborough had a big influence on his music style and wanted to create a beat tape for the city's most iconic spots. Join us on this trip around Scarborough as Yanchan breaks down what each location means to him. 

On this episode, the After Hours team touch on a very important subject regarding the on-going struggle in Tamil Eelam. Mario from PEARL speaks about the importance of education on these topics, what he experienced in his travels to the motherland, and what our generation can do to help the cause.