UK indie pop artist Alfie Templeman got signed by his label at 15, and he's been with them ever since. But as he enters his 20s, he feels more pressure than he ever did as a teen. "I’ve never really had that sheer intensity that you get when you turn a certain age [until] I turned 20 this year," he told Flashlight. "It was this massive weight on me all of a sudden. As someone that's kind of known as a teenager making these songs, is it not as impressive now that I'm 20?"

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On this episode of Flashlight podcast, we chat about how your place in the music industry shifts as you hit your twenties, making dreamlike-folky music as Ariel Days, and managing ADHD and burnout while touring.

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This episode was recorded in New York and London in March 2023.

Graphic by Flashlight Podcast, Press Image by Lillie Eiger.

Infusing jazz and indie influences into her music, 20 year old singer and songwriter Wesley Preis has a sophistication to her sound that beautifully compliments the vulnerability of her lyrics. Hailing from San Diego, Wesley Preis currently studies at UCSD and has opened for the likes of Olive Klug at the Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles.

Preis has garnered a fair bit of TikTok fame — namely for her viral video beeping the introduction to Radiohead’s “No Surprises,” which received over 750k views on the app and almost 200k likes. It seems for Preis that the effortless videos are what simultaneously showcases her talent and humor. Most recently, a video of her creating a Mindcraft rendition of Lucy Dacus’ “Night Shift” gained over 160k views, and a creative mash-up of Dear Evan Hansen and Ice Spice accumulated over 650k.

Most notably, her song “Loose Fitting Bedsheet” struck a cord with listeners on the app, and has already received almost 200,000 streams on Spotify. On this episode of Flashlight Podcast, we break down the story behind the track, explore what makes a good or bad relationship, and talk a little too much about Richard Siken.

“When we know grief, when we touch loss, it just puts into relief even stronger what it means to feel joy and to feel love.”

Nandi Rose – who creates music under the name Half Waif – believes in the transformative abilities of art to give shape to the intangibility of sadness and loss. Writing from a place of solitude and self-reflection, Rose is able to pour the vulnerability and afflictions of the human experience into her music and turn this source of pain into a celebration of life.

Currently, the Hudson Valley-based artist is working on her sixth album, following the surrealist record ‘Mythopoetics’ (2021). Her new work is going back to basics, bringing in guitar and live performances while stepping away from more electronic sounds, and tapping into feelings of grief and loss brought to the forefront in Rose’s life after experiencing a miscarriage last year.

Rose's interest in making music stems in part from a place of needing to unveil her personal sadness in an encapsulated and isolated space, but even more so from the desire to celebrate the ability to share even our most painful experiences with the world and connect with one another through them.

On this episode of Flashlight Podcast, we explore the balancing of dichotomies in Rose’s creative processes, her upcoming album, and using the transformative powers of art to navigate grief, loss, and sadness.

Zachary Knowles released his latest EP 'Goalie' earlier in October, a project that narrates his mental health journey, exploring how oftentimes he was his own "goalie" when it came to personal growth. Flashlight spoke to Knowles ahead of the EP's release about the inspiration behind the project and the process of facing anxiety head-on and becoming more comfortable talking about your mental health. In this episode of Flashlight Podcast, Knowles breaks down songs on the EP and shares his hopes for the new album – that being open and vulnerable about mental health can encourage others to speak out on their own as well. (This episode was originally recorded and released in October 2022).

This week on Flashlight Podcast, we're joined by Nashville-based singer-songwriter Annie DiRusso, who recently released her new single "Call It All Off." In this episode, DiRusso explores the parallels between her most gut-wrenching song "Infinite Jest" and her empowering track "Nine Months," as well as the inspiration behind the new single. We talk about the process of leaving an unhealthy relationship – the before, during, and after – and how writing about these relationships can bring feelings of shame or guilt while still in them, but can also help make sense of your experience.

DiRusso is currently on tour with UK indie-rock artist Declan McKenna and opened for HAIM in Nashville in late-September. She'll be headlining a few dates this year as well as performing at Briston Maroney's Paradise Festival, also held in Nashville.

Cover Photo by Anna Koblish | Graphic by Flashlight Podcast

Hannah Cole grew up in a small town outside of New Orleans before moving to Nashville, where she now studies songwriting at Belmont University. In this episode, we talk about how her studies impact her songwriting process, and break down her debut EP, ‘Cradle' – delving into the complexities of friendship, grieving the loss of unhealthy friendships, and the need to be seen and comforted.

Kevin Patrick Sullivan – aka Field Medic, aka paper rose haiku – started out in metal bands in high school, before losing his scream at sixteen. Rather than leaving music behind, Sullivan pursued folk music under the moniker Field Medic, while still staying true to his emo roots under another secret persona, 'paper rose haiku.' In his latest single, "i had a dream that you died," Sullivan sings, "I woke up and realized / It was my subconscious showing me what it would be like." The upbeat track explores his own mortality and suicidal ideation by placing himself in the aftermath of what would have transpired after the death of a distant friend – still while using humor to tackle complexity. Sullivan's dream helped him recognize that dying by his own hand would be "a total bummer" and not the right choice to make.

On this episode of Flashlight Podcast, the interview feels like a conversation, which is probably the best part of chatting with Kevin. We discuss the differing emotional and creative processes of producing music within seemingly opposite genres, finding purpose in creating music that connects with listeners, touring as a solo artist, and how his poetry book series, 'Paper Frames,' aims to inspire his fans to foster their own creativity.

Nashville singer-songwriter Alicia Blue has released her new EP 'Inner Child Work - Part 1' – an ode to healing and growth as she uses music to work through overdue emotional reckonings. Without external tools like a therapist to help make sense of her emotions, Blue turned to writing as a way to organize the internal chaos she was experiencing throughout her childhood. 'Inner Child Work - Part 1' stays true to its name, and explores what growing up in the suburbs of L.A. was like for Blue, where she often felt stuck and limited by the judgements of those around her.

Laura Elliott is breaking into the "sad-girl," indie-folk genre by putting her feelings out in the open, and doing so unapologetically. Following the release of her debut album, People Pleaser, in April, the 22-year-old singer-songwriter has already toured with both The Walters and Prateek Kuhad, with dates across North America. In this episode of Flashlight Podcast, Laura breaks down tracks from People Pleaser, diving into the relationship and emotional reckonings that inspired the lyrics behind the songs. She discusses moving through your early twenties, grappling with self-doubt, playing intimate songs to an unfamiliar audience, and how to foster creativity when dealing with writer's block.

Flashlight Podcast aims to shine a light into all your favorite songs through conversations with artists on how music has helped them through dark times.

Music and writing can be a powerful tool to process difficult emotions and life events. In conversation with the artists themselves, Flashlight Podcast dissects how mental health themes are channeled into songwriting, and how the creation of music helps artists move through these emotions. Episodes will be available for streaming on Spotify and Apple Music, starting July 8.