Born Zephani Jong, the 23-year-old rising talent who creates confessional, lo-fi DIY pop talks about her humble beginnings in Maryland before relocating to LA, her various artforms as an illustrator and recording artist, being upfront about anxiety, and more. The episode drops just before Zeph is set to release new music, with her single "like everyone else" arriving March 10.

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From humble beginnings in the Phillipines, to Arizona, to LA, Eyedress has managed to stay clique agnostic, moving through the world authentically with his laidback skater vibe. He and Joel talk about the challenges of trying to get his music career off the ground as a teenager in Manila, how it took 10 years to “go viral” and surpassing his school age ambitions to work in Starbucks. The conversation comes at an opportune time, as Eyedress dropped the lo-fi punk mixtape COMMITTING CRIMES earlier this year and recently announced his signing to RCA records, along with the release of the Eddie Huang-directed music video for his latest single “Flowers & Chocolate.” 

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In this episode, Joel chats with Josh Katz of Badflower about the song that propelled him out of acting like the cool, confident guy to going out on stage as himself for the first time, micro vs. macro dosing, finding your cheerleaders in life, and how emo music is a kind of meditation that helps people make sense of their own anguish and come out the other side. Katz offers a glimpse into what's in store for 2023, as Badflower prepares to release the follow-up to 2021’s sophomore album This Is How the World Ends and set out on the Asking For A Friend Tour with support from Des Rocs and Blood Red Shoes later this month.

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As Joel says, to know Awsten Knight is to love him, and in this episode we get a peek into the mischievousness and playfulness that has helped attract an epic base of unique and inherently cool Waterparks fans. In this episode of Artist Friendly, Awsten and Joel talk about sleepovers in haunted studios, catfishing as a crazy brunette in the back of the tour van, which meditation tools they rely on, and about whether being made to return a Linkin Park CD by his mom had a lasting impact on an eight-year-old Awsten. Waterparks' much anticipated fifth full-length studio album INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY will be out April 14, just ahead of a massive 30-date North American headline tour kicking off April 28.

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From being jumped into a gang at 13 to becoming the genre-defining cholo goth icon he is today, Leafar Seyer of Prayers, also known as Rafa, sets the bar on what it is to be an artist on your own terms. He exudes street-level confidence and a sense of invincibility that comes not just from surviving being shot at and stabbed, but from beyond conscious awareness. In this episode, Rafa and Joel explore the double-edged sword of manifesting, working with controversial musical co-creators, and the special kind of art that comes from emerging out of survival mode into a place of intentional creative expression.

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Join us for Episode 2, where Joel speaks with Carlie Hanson on the importance of art as therapy, the idea that every human is born creative and how growing up means figuring yourself out little by little. Hanson recounts her path from working at a McDonald’s drive-thru to moving to LA fresh out of high school, where she slept on her manager’s couch in pursuit of her musical aspirations—all while experiencing life outside of Wisconsin for the first time. Check out Hanson’s upcoming single, “Blueberry Pancakes,” coming out next Friday, February 3.

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Episode 1 is a raw and sincere conversation where Joel and De’Wayne unpeel layer after layer of each other’s lives, in the pursuit of learning how the artist, and human, was created — from the things that drive them creatively, how tough childhood dynamics shaped them, growing up without money, the hip hop entrepreneurs that lit their paths, and finding their own swagger. How at 24, De’Wayne knew he wasn’t ready but he kept showing up as a kind soul, working hard, being true to his creativity, and today, at 27, as he releases his second album My Favorite Blue Jeans he’s riding the wave as the world is finally ready for De’Wayne to unleash.

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Discover the biggest moments from Artist Friendly with Joel Madden—the music and culture podcast where today’s most influential voices open up like never before. This trailer brings together highlights from unforgettable conversations with legendary guests including Lil Wayne, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Cameron Diaz, Adam Levine, Zac Brown, Tori Kelly, Jay Pharoah, Paul Stanley of KISS, Wiz Khalifa, Joss Stone, Trixie Mattel, and many more.

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