The New Exchange with Ken Grand-Pierre

Something I secretly aspire to be is a lifelong student. Specifically, the type of person that can lose days, weeks and months to the pursuit of knowledge; along with the integration of that knowledge into their lives. That’s one of the many traits I’d use to describe my latest guest, Gwenno. She’s an accomplished Welsh-Cornish musician that’s just as interested as writing a densely layered song as she is a pop banger. Her latest album, Utopia, showcases that in spades. It largely centers around the time that Gwenno spent living + working in Las Vegas, a time she found herself thinking “wait did that ever happen?” The end result of those ruminations is a body of work that again, wants to make you sweat and dance in equal measure. Easily one of 2025’s bests, this is my chat with Gwenno.

Authenticity has become a word that most of us groan at. It’s a word that’s long plagued conference rooms & dating apps to (nearly arriving at) the point of losing all meaning. But once in a while, an artist comes around that reminds you of the magic of that word & the beautiful multitudes it can carry. Singer-songwriter Ben Abraham is such an artist, a musician who writes songs that are crafted to make your heart flutter. To hear Ben chat about it, the way of doing this is second nature to him, but the road to becoming the musician he is today was far from an easy one. A journey of highs and lows, Ben’s north star has always been “how to write the best song?” and this is all about how he goes about just that.

The full name of that comedian from the Broadway show ‘ta-da!’ is Josh Sharp.

The fact that many people still view pop music as a “guilty pleasure” is absurd. They say you shouldn’t start any piece of writing with a declarative statement, but similar to today’s guest; I couldn’t give a f%£k less about the rules. Miso Extra is a British pop artist (by way of Japan) that hates to be bored. For the last few years she’s released music brimming with colour, style, and most importantly: substance. Her debut album, Earcandy, is one of 2025’s finest, a masterclass of pop songwriting that understands that the rules of any genre are meant to be broken and skewed. It’s not that Miso solely colours outside of the lines, but rather that she understands the lines are there to be danced around; that she can operate within the confines of pop songwriting as easily as she can blend multiple genres to her will. Part of how she’s able to achieve that is by creating within the Misoverse. What is that exactly? You’ll have to hear this latest podcast to find out.

Energy. Authenticity. Soul. These are words we all know, but it’s so rare to come across an individual who not only reminds us of those words but also truly embodies them. That’s how I’d describe Caleb Kunle, though, like all great things, it feels comical to attempt to reduce him to words. Caleb is a singer/songwriter/performer from the UK (by way of Nigeria and my second home of Ireland), and his mission is to make you feel. His music blends the best bits of R&B, soul, jazz, and funk into this sound that‘s fresh and immediate. When Caleb puts a song out into the world, he wants you to move, to sweat, and again: to feel. This episode is all about introducing you to what Caleb is about, why he does what he does, and getting you to know your next favourite artist.

(Hey, this is required listening before or after today's episode. You're welcome). Finding quiet moments in life feels more high-stakes than ever, doesn’t it? With what a dumpster fire the world is (both politically and societally), you could be forgiven for retreating into a feedback loop of escapism. But what’s your soundtrack for those moments? And could the soundtrack for those quieter moments actually leave you feeling more connected to people? The Londoner who is Catching Flies says yes, and he’s my latest guest on the podcast. A next-level DJ / producer, his music has been a constant mainstay in my headphones throughout this year. He has a unique approach to blending the tones of trip-hop, jazz, and soul that reminds you of the humanity you can feel on a dancefloor. He’s become vigorously prolific, and though he’s been releasing music for a minute, in many ways, he’s just getting started.

Somehow in 2025, the act of being unabashedly oneself has become a rebellious act. Arguably, it always has been, but it is baffling how speaking your truth in this modern age feels life and death. That said, my latest guest tackles this brilliantly, largely by being mindful of what they give a f%£k about. Nxdia is an alt-pop punk artist from Manchester (by way of Egypt and Sudan), and they relish in being an anomaly. Though they clearly appreciate a hooky melody, there’s more of a fascination with pivoting and bulldozing right into expectations of any sort. Their body of work, I Promise No One’s Watching, is a flag-planting moment; one of those examples of an artist making it clear that they’ll never seek approval or understanding. No, Nxdia is here to share deep stories of chaos and disarray, all while sporting a mischievous grin in the process.

It’s not just me that finds that the most impactful moments in life tend to be the quietest ones, yeah? Those moments where your perspective is forced to shift in ways you couldn’t have imagined and you can feel yourself changing in real time….yeah, moments like those. Someone who clearly feels similar is my old friend Gordi, a supremely talented singer-songwriter from Australia who’s released one of 2025’s strongest albums. That album is called Like Plasticine (out now), which is a body of work that traverses the beauty of life and death, queer identity, heartbreak, and, ya know, the fun stuff! But in all seriousness, where Gordi shines as a songwriter is in making us feel less alone by sharing her own experiences, along with those she’s observed, and in doing so, the multitudes of the human condition. A word that is the guiding light of this episode is ‘perspective’ and how crucially we need to find, nurture, and adapt to it across other people. We chat about all that and more (along with the occasional laugh, because again, fun stuff).

I’d be hard-pressed to think of an episode that’s more personal than this one. Which is (sort of) ironic, because it’s a talk full of laughs and gets off the rails a fair bit, but on that note, I wouldn’t change a thing. Tim Wheeler and Keith Murray are the frontmen of two of my favourite bands, Ash and We Are Scientists. We’re also old friends, and both of their bands have significantly impacted how I enjoy music. This marks both of their returns to the podcast, but the first time chatting together on a pod (I think); and in addition to the obnoxious amounts of laughs in this episode (sorry, not sorry), we also chat about how both bands have reached album number 9. Those albums are We Are Scientists Qualifying Miles (which is out now) and Ash’s Ad Astra (which is out this Friday).

It feels a bit silly trying to introduce today’s guest, because it largely feels like she needs no introduction. But let’s give this a go: Dorothy Miranda Clark (aka dodie) is a singer-songwriter from the UK who’s truly like no other. Most of dodie’s songwriting is emotionally thoughtful and open in sharing the contours of humanity, how oftentimes the most fulfilling thing we can do is also one of the hardest: being vulnerable. Her second album, Not For Lack of Trying, is out on October 3rd, and to kick off season 10, dodie’s joined me on the pod to chat all about it.

The New Exchange is a podcast about how everyone has a story to tell. Throughout the series, Ken Grand-Pierre interviews musicians, writers, comedians & entrepreneurs from all walks of life. Season 10 begins on September 23rd, 2025.

Past interview snippets are from the episodes with:

Denise Chaila (during season 3)

AJ Haynes of Seratones (during season 5)

Hrishikesh Hirway (during season 4)

Marc Fennell (during season 7)

Eoin French aka Talos (between seasons 7 and 8)