Mad Ice is a Ugandan singer, songwriter, and producer based in Helsinki, Finland. Starting his music career in his early teen years, Mad Ice has built a strong devoted following of listeners in East Africa, singing primarily in Swahili, Luganda, and English. As an instrumentalist, he understands the importance of sound quality and prioritizes perfecting the details of each individual track. In this episode, we discuss how to cope with the external pressures to follow a ‘traditional’ career path, the role of language in songwriting, passion as a driving force for producing music, and systemic barriers that African musicians often face, particularly in terms of media exposure.

"To dare is very important" - Elodie Sunn

Elodie Sunn is a singer and life coach based in Bali with roots in Cameroon and Benin. Born and raised in France, Elodie is an avid traveler who utilizes music as a universal language to form connections with people around the world. Elodie is a believer in ‘the sky is the limit’ and emphasizes the importance of pursuing what excites you, without compromising parts of yourself to fit into a box. In this episode, we discuss the influence of neo-soul and gospel on her music, her songwriting process, and her experiences in Bali’s music scene and other music scenes she has encountered during her travels.

“Consistency is Key” - MoYah

MoYah is an Afro-fusion rapper based in the UK. Born in Mozambique and raised in Portugal as a refugee, MoYah’s life experiences have shaped his identity and music. For him, music is a tool to educate and empower underrepresented communities. Through the Hip-hop Gardens project,  MoYah explores the connections between hip-hop and environmentalism. In this episode, we discuss his music, faith, and influences as well as his commitment to artistic activism. 

https://www.instagram.com/iammoyah/

Erin Corine Johnson is a musician based in Catalonia, Spain. Erin, who is originally from Chicago, is a classically-trained flutist with two degrees in classical performance and contemporary studio performance. She moved to Spain after her graduate studies at the Berkeley College of Music in Valencia and has established herself as a singer and flutist within the jazz music scene in Spain.

In this episode, we talk about her background and training as well as her journey and experiences from Chicago to Valencia, Madrid, and Barcelona.

Liana Weeks is a Dominican American multimedia artist and DJ based in South Korea. She is known officially as FAKEDEEPLEE in the Korean night scene and is a member of the Unbornsounds DJ collective. She has a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology and Film Studies from Smith College where she focused on documentary film making and hiphop/underground youth culture. While studying abroad in 2014, she started theYOUTH in Korea and has since continued to film and document underground youth culture through interviews, photography, videos, self published books, and exhibitions. She co-founded two companies, Abel in Korea and is now at her second called A MASS CULTURE as a creative director. I met Lee through Kirsten Keels, an alumna of Princeton University and a Fulbright scholar who studied Black music in Korea for a year. Lee's story is one full of adventure, gratitude, and a passion for music. In this episode we talk about the Black music scene in Korea, her life, and her experiences as a DJ in Korea.

DJ Papercuts is a British DJ based in Barcelona, Spain. He is the the cofounder of Amafest UK (the largest Amapiano festival in the world) and also the co-owner of Black Diamond Barcelona, a lounge in Barcelona that has quickly become a space for Afrobeats, Amapiano and HipHop. He is one of the few DJs creating an active Afrobeats and Amapiano music scene in Barcelona. Together with his partners, he organizes events such as the Neo parties, Waistline Sundays and Afrobeats brunch. These events have drawn out a host of music lovers that reside in Barcelona as well as visitors to the city.

In this episode, we talk about his passion for music, his influences, and tastes as well as his move to Barcelona from the UK and the difficulties as a Black man navigating the night music scene. His resilience and passion for music is evident in his experience and the stories he tells.

Award winning Zimbabwean musician Tina Masawi is on the show to talk about her career as a vocalist and an actress who has performed in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, Spain, and all around Europe. Her performance career started in 2010 in Zimbabwe and she is currently performing in Spain. I have watched Tina perform twice and every time, I am completely amazed by her stage presence, her voice and the way she captures the attention of the audience. No doubt, her strong theatre background and ample experience in live performance has given her the vocal maturity and incomparable versality she needs to be a top performer. In this episode, we discuss her perseverance, passion, family support, self-investment, motivation and influences as well as the difficulties she faces as she navigates two different music industries in her home country and in Spain.

Tina has released a few Afro-House songs such as "Fallen In Love", "Close to You", and "Sthandwa Sami" with popular producer and DJ, Reverb 7. Her other songs include "Secret", "Old School Love", "Issues", and "Cora De Hielo". Most of her songs are currently on rotation on Trace TV Africa and her debut E.P, 91 was released on all platforms in December 2020.

Currently based in Barcelona, Tina is fast becoming one of Spain's top singers. She is the lead singer in the duet "Tina & Joe" and in the groundbreaking "The Teasers' blues band performing and headlining festivals around the country. She sang in ad campaigns for global companies such as Freixenet and has performed in both of Spain's most prestigious theatres with a 60 piece orchestra in the Teatro Royale of Madrid, Gran Teatro Liceu of Barcelona, and most recently the Lluis Company's Olympic Stadium in Barcelona.

Tina's story is truly inspiring and we are excited to see what the future holds for this hardworking and talented singer.

Attih Soul is a Nigerian singer, guitarist and songwriter based in Barcelona, Spain. He has a Bachelor's degree in medical biochemistry and an MBA in Talent Management and Leadership. Although he sang throughout his childhood, he decided to become a professional singer in Nigeria after he lost his job in 2016. He moved to Barcelona in 2019 for his MBA and continued to perform in Spain. In this episode we discuss his music, his influences, the struggle for creative freedom and the difficulties he faces as an artist building his brand. This guy has a dream and he is not backing down. He just released his new music video for his song "Someday I'll Find You" and his music is on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.

This episode was truly inspiring and I am grateful to Attih Soul for coming on the show to talk about his music and journey.

Follow him on Instagram and twitter @attih_soul

Kissy Yohana is a Colombian A&R representative and Artivist residing in Barcelona, Spain. She is also the CEO of Roots Entertainment Latin - an artistic visibility platform specialised in the cultural management and public relations seeking to strengthen the musical and cultural scene of the Afro-communities in Colombia and the rest of the Black diaspora. As an A&R representative, she provides artists with the necessary tools and advice for the development and enhancement of their craft. 

Alex Lebron Torrent is a musician, actor and model living and working in Barcelona, Spain. Alex was adopted from Colombia when he was 1 and grew up in a small town in Sweden where he had no Black people around him. Through music and movies with Black characters, Alex developed a sense of belonging and has now dedicated his life to these Black forms of artistic expression that helped shape him and his career.