The New Exchange with Ken Grand-Pierre

Hailing from Leicester, England, Easy Life are a fresh young band that flies the flag of genre-bending in a profoundly beautiful way. The evidence was clear across their first single, Pockets, which is this euphoric dance of instruments that meld in a way you wouldn’t expect. That ability to fuse sounds in a fun way is contrasted by the lyrics of frontman, Murray Matravers, who doesn’t shy away from depicting the nuances of mental health struggles that so many people can relate to. On today’s podcast, I chat with Murray about actualizing their debut album (Life’s A Beach), along with bringing Maroon 5 to award shows, headlining Brixton Academy, and what it was actually like to progress as a band during a global pandemic. Easy Life will be touring the states starting on April 8th at The Foundry in Philadelphia. Full tour dates can be found at https://www.easylifemusic.com/live/, don’t miss out!

The non-stop dominance of K-Pop is absurdly fascinating to me. I’m admittedly ignorant to this genre of music and interestingly enough, it’s that ignorance that rests at the center of today’s episode. I’m joined by fellow photographer/ridiculously impressive plant parent/my good friend, Wei Shi, a massive lover of K-Pop who came on to school me about what makes the genre special to not just her, but fans from all over the world. Together we talk about how Wei’s love for K-Pop began, the unique qualities of a K-Pop concert, and we also deeply discuss acts like IU, BLACKPINK, TOMORROW x TOGETHER, and yes of course; BTS.

The idea of spitting in the face of the expectations of life seems sexy, right? But what does that actually look like? What does it take to live that out? Northern English musician Rebecca Lucy Taylor lives that truth throughout Self Esteem, a subversive pop project that goes there. The songs of her second album, Prioritise Pleasure, highlights why trying to live up to societal expectations will always be unfulfilling and instead, we should aim to warmly embrace our “flaws.” A unique quality about Rebecca is how she both doesn’t give a shit and deeply gives a shit about what you think, and that duality beautifully comes across on this episode. We recorded this onsite at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn, and together we chat about women’s liberation, the slog of dating apps, periods and we even get into some word association (no really). If you’re in the UK, be sure to catch Self Esteem on tour, visit selfesteem.love for all tour dates.

I’m going to use Pokemon to describe today’s guest. Remember when we were introduced to Charmeleon and thought “man, can’t get better than this?” only for him to eventually evolve into a badass Charizard? In a weird way, that’s what happened with French disco-pop band, L’Impératrice. At the start, they were five friends who were cool as fuck, but then enters singer Flore Benguigui, whose vocals elevated the band to heights they only could’ve dreamed on. Their latest album, Tako Tsubo, is a beautiful example of what happens when serenity melds with experimentation. On today’s bonus podcast, Flore and Charles de Boisseguin join me to talk about how they craft such distinct sounds, the band becoming a family, and the experience of playing the Grand Palais in Paris.

Flora Fishbach is a musician/actor from France who isn’t afraid to follow the beat of her own drum. Her new album Avec Les Yeux (aka With The Eyes) is a glorious example of what a maverick she is in the music world. Lyrically, Flora forces listeners to ask uncomfortable questions about life and highlights the significant role our eyes play throughout our lives. All of this is discussed on today’s episode, along with life itself. Flora is a dear friend and getting to have such an intimate conversation was a true privilege. If you’re new to the podcast, I feel like this is a great episode to start with.

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 band has done on their third album, Angel In Realtime (which is out now). The album delves into frontman David Le’Aupepe contrasting his experiences with his late father with new revelations of who he used to be. On today’s episode, I chat with David and bassist Max Dunn about how fatherhood both expectedly and unexpectedly inspired the new album, along with the significance of crafting a third album.

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, building a loyal community through her quirky covers and heartfelt original songs. Last year she released her stellar debut album, Woman on the Internet (which is out now and nominated for the RTE Choice Music Prize). Within our chat, we explore how she tackles being a people-pleaser, imposter syndrome, and more within her songs, along with what it really takes to release music independently.

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 musician, producer, television host and has become prolific within the podcasting space due to his series, The West Wing Weekly, Home Cooking, Partners, and most famously; Song Exploder (which is also a critically-acclaimed Netflix series). Within our chat, we explore how Hrishikesh got into podcasting, how his unexpected success has drastically changed the course of his life and finding his voice again when it comes to music (with a little help from Yo-Yo Ma).

For information on how we can help Ukrainians in peril, please check out this Google doc with information on organizations who’re actively assisting in relief efforts, originally shared by Simon Green aka Bonobo: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15eTsCgyH8T3OJSka3UFnw5-XgMu40E74d6Sqg4IxRHw/mobilebasic

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 guerilla-style interview city residents about what it was actually like to be in New York during this unprecedented time; essentially shedding a light on the stark contrast between the New York on social media and the actual New York on the streets. Together we chat about their journey in comedy, along with what it was like to interview MTA workers, real estate agents, and other professionals about whether or not NYC is actually dead.

Speaking of NYC: the guys do a weekly show at Pine Box Rock Shop in Bushwick on Mondays called F*ck You Dad: A Punk Rock & comedy Show, don’t miss out! Also, season 4 of the podcast will be kicking off on March 1st, see you then!