Connected Sounds

Tom Aspaul is an independent singer/songwriter and producer from Wolverhampton. After writing songs for Celeste, Kylie Minogue and AlunaGeorge, in 2020, Tom released his debut album, 'Black Country Disco' - lauded as 'queer disco album of the year' by Gay Times, 'utterly luscious' by GQ, and featured in several end-of-year lists, including both The Guardian and Albumism. In less than a year, 'Black Country Disco' has been streamed nearly 3 million times as well as selling close to 1,500 physical copies - this was followed by 'Black Country Discothèque', a remix album including collaborations with Grammy-nominated superstar MNEK and 80s legend Kim Wilde, as well as several other up and coming queer artists. Tom embarks on his first-ever UK tour, 'The Revenge Body Tour' in July 2021 - with tickets selling out in under 15 minutes. Tom was awarded the PPL Momentum Prize last year to help fund his second studio album, the first single arrives later this year. Our host Maya Kally (she/they) is a genre-free singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist with jazz, indie and experimental influence. Maya's music includes, 'Fantastic new talent!’ - Amazing Radio {Another Time}, ‘Divine Single’ - BBC Radio 6 Music {Chose To Stay}, 'Incredible. Deep and intellectual soul-jazz music for modern day's issues.' - Esquire Thailand {We're Waiting}. Twitter - @MayakallyMusic Instagram - @mayakally Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mayakallymusic/ Podcast Host, Project Manager, and Editor - Maya Kally // Podcast Assistant - Conor Giblin // Artwork by Alysha Takoushian // In association with Come Play With Me Connected Sounds is made thanks to the invaluable support of the Social Enterprise Support Fund, distributed by Unltd, and the government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Thanks also to National Lottery players for making this possible.

From Self Esteem (Rebecca Lucy Taylor) to Kindness (Adam Bainbridge), Denai Moore, Quinn Christopherson, Chardine Taylor Stone, Erin Rae, and Tom Aspaul, we wanted to put together a complication of best bits from our season one episodes!  Our host Maya Kally (she/they) is a genre-free singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist with jazz, indie and experimental influence. Maya's music includes, 'Fantastic new talent!’ - Amazing Radio {Another Time}, ‘Divine Single’ - BBC Radio 6 Music {Chose To Stay}, 'Incredible. Deep and intellectual soul-jazz music for modern day's issues.' - Esquire Thailand {We're Waiting}. Podcast Host, Project Manager, and Editor - Maya Kally // Podcast Assistant - Conor Giblin // Artwork by Alysha Takoushian // In association with Come Play With Me Connected Sounds is made thanks to the invaluable support of the Social Enterprise Support Fund, distributed by Unltd, and the government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Thanks also to National Lottery players for making this possible.

Today's guest on 'Connected Sounds' is Erin Rae - a Nashville indie folk singer-songwriter gifted with a unique ability to fuse musical genres and influences to craft songs that feel fresh and wholly her own.  Both lyrically and sonically, she strikes a fiercely independent chord, proudly releasing a deeply personal record Putting On Airs that reflects her own upbringing in Tennessee, including the prejudices and injustices that she witnessed as a child that continue to impact her life to this day. According to Rae, "this album was born out of a need to do some healing work in my personal life, in order to address some fears and patterns of mine to allow my true feelings to come to the surface." In this episode, Erin discusses growing up in the southern United States, living with internalised homophobia, her aunt’s experience of losing a child custody battle in Alabama in the 1990s due to being LGBT+ and the importance of acknowledging the small steps of progress towards LGBT+ rights in the South. Twitter - @ErinRaeMusic Instagram - @erinraemusic Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ErinRaeMusic/ Our host Maya Kally (she/they) is a genre-free singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist with jazz, indie and experimental influence. Maya's music includes, 'Fantastic new talent!’ - Amazing Radio {Another Time}, ‘Divine Single’ - BBC Radio 6 Music {Chose To Stay}, 'Incredible. Deep and intellectual soul-jazz music for modern day's issues.' - Esquire Thailand {We're Waiting}. Twitter - @MayakallyMusic Instagram - @mayakally Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mayakallymusic/ Podcast Host, Project Manager, and Editor - Maya Kally // Podcast Assistant - Conor Giblin // Artwork by Alysha Takoushian // In association with Come Play With Me Connected Sounds is made thanks to the invaluable support of the Social Enterprise Support Fund, distributed by Unltd, and the government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Thanks also to National Lottery players for making this possible.

Joining us on the podcast today is Denai Moore - a British-Jamaican genre-free artist who rose to prominence as a guest vocalist on SBTRKT's 2014 album ‘Wonder Where We Land’. Moore was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, where she started to learn to play keyboard from her father. Her family moved to Stratford, London when she was 10. In 2020, Denai Moore returned with her third studio album Modern Dread, encapsulating the anxiety-inducing state of the world in recent years. In this episode, Denai discusses being inspired by Lauryn Hill and Michaela Coel, the anxiety-inducing nature of social media and much more… Twitter - @DenaiMoore Instagram - @denaimoore Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/DenaiMoore/ Our host Maya Kally (she/they) is a genre-free singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist with jazz, indie and experimental influence. Maya's music includes, 'Fantastic new talent!’ - Amazing Radio {Another Time}, ‘Divine Single’ - BBC Radio 6 Music {Chose To Stay}, 'Incredible. Deep and intellectual soul-jazz music for modern day's issues.' - Esquire Thailand {We're Waiting}. Twitter - @MayakallyMusic Instagram - @mayakally Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mayakallymusic/ Podcast Host, Project Manager, and Editor - Maya Kally // Podcast Assistant - Conor Giblin // Artwork by Alysha Takoushian // In association with Come Play With Me  Connected Sounds is made thanks to the invaluable support of the Social Enterprise Support Fund, distributed by Unltd, and the government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Thanks also to National Lottery players for making this possible.

Today’s guest on the podcast is Rebecca Lucy Taylor (she/her) - an unapologetic pop star hailing from Rotherham, UK, who has been releasing music as Self Esteem since 2017. In this episode, Rebecca talks candidly about female pleasure, relationships, the fears that come alongside being a woman, navigating personalities in a band and so much more....  Her critically-acclaimed debut album ‘Compliments Please’ was released in March 2019. Prior to this, Taylor was one half of the duo Slow Club, who released four studio albums between 2009-2016. In April 2021, Taylor released ‘I Do This All The Time’, giving us the first taste of her upcoming sophomore album, due for release in the summer of 2021.  Twitter @SELFESTEEM___  Instagram @selfesteemselfesteem  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RLTSELFESTEEM  ‘I Do This All The Time’ by Self Esteem © 2021 Universal Music Operations Limited ℗ 2021 Universal Music Operations Limited Our host Maya Kally (she/they) is a genre-free singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist with jazz, indie and experimental influence. Maya's music includes, 'Fantastic new talent!’ - Amazing Radio {Another Time}, ‘Divine Single’ - BBC Radio 6 Music {Chose To Stay}, 'Incredible. Deep and intellectual soul-jazz music for modern day's issues.' - Esquire Thailand {We're Waiting}. Twitter - @MayakallyMusic Instagram - @mayakally Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mayakallymusic/ Podcast Host, Project Manager, and Editor - Maya Kally // Podcast Assistant - Conor Giblin // Artwork by Alysha Takoushian // In association with Come Play With Me Connected Sounds is made thanks to the invaluable support of the Social Enterprise Support Fund, distributed by Unltd, and the government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Thanks also to National Lottery players for making this possible.

This week's guest on the podcast is Chardine Taylor-Stone from the band Big Joanie. In this episode, she talks about being inspired by the Afropunk documentary, punk's roots as a working class subculture, gender roles in the punk genre and much more... Big Joanie are a Black feminist punk band whose passionate live shows and punk rock ethos have led to them becoming one of the most talked about bands on the UK live scene. The band formed in the heart of London’s DIY punk scene in 2013 and acts as a space where its members (singer/guitarist Stephanie Phillips, drummer Chardine Taylor-Stone, and bassist Estella Adeyeri) can be completely themselves as black women. Big Joanie released their debut album Sistahs in 2018 to wide critical acclaim on Thurston Moore and Eva Prinz’s label Daydream Library. They have since toured with acts like Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney, and Gossip, and are currently working on their second album. Chardine Taylor-Stone is an award-winning cultural producer Black feminist activist and writer. She was featured in The Voice newspaper as one of the Women Who Rocked the World in 2015, Diva Magazine’s LGBT Power List 2016 and Buzzfeed’s ‘The Most Inspiring British LGBT People Of 2016‘. A regular on the Pride Power List, in May 2017 Chardine won the British LGBT Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to LGBT+ life’. In 2018 she was nominated by Diva Awards for LGBT Activist/Campaigner of the Year and has again been nominated by Diva Awards in 2020 for “Unsung Hero”.  A committed trade unionist she is vice-chair of the Musician’s Union Equalities Committee and newly elected member of the London Regional Committee. Chardine is also a newly appointed trustee of London Black Women’s Project, a specialist and dedicated organisation for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic women and girls who have experienced violence and abuse. Songs featured from Big Joanie ‘Sistahs’ (Daydream Library Series) ©️Copyright and publishing BIG JOANIE administered by Kobalt. Twitter @ChardineTaylor / @Big_Joanie Instagram @chardinetaylorstone / @bigjoanieband Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bigjoanie Our host Maya Kally (she/they) is a genre-free singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist with jazz, indie and experimental influence. Maya's music includes, 'Fantastic new talent!’ - Amazing Radio {Another Time}, ‘Divine Single’ - BBC Radio 6 Music {Chose To Stay}, 'Incredible. Deep and intellectual soul-jazz music for modern day's issues.' - Esquire Thailand {We're Waiting}. Twitter - @MayakallyMusic Instagram - @mayakally Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mayakallymusic/ Podcast Host, Project Manager, and Editor - Maya Kally // Podcast Assistant - Conor Giblin // Artwork by Alysha Takoushian // In association with Come Play With Me Connected Sounds is made thanks to the invaluable support of the Social Enterprise Support Fund, distributed by Unltd, and the government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Thanks also to National Lottery players for making this possible.

Throughout today's episode, Quinn Christopherson speaks about winning the 2019 NPR Tiny Desk competition, his Indigenous heritage, and his experiences as a trans man in today's society.  Quinn Christopherson is an Ahtna Athabaskan and Iñupiaq songwriter born, raised, and based in Anchorage, Alaska. He is the winner of the 2019 NPR Tiny Desk Contest and has since self-released two singles ‘Raedeen’ and ‘Erase Me’. Twitter @BucketHatQuinn Instagram @quinnchristopherson Facebook Quinn Christopherson Snippets of ‘Raedeen’ and ‘Erase Me’ used with permission from Distance Management © ℗ 2019 Quinn Christopherson Our host Maya Kally (she/they) is a genre-free singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist with jazz, indie and experimental influence. Maya's music includes, 'Fantastic new talent!’ - Amazing Radio {Another Time}, ‘Divine Single’ - BBC Radio 6 Music {Chose To Stay}, 'Incredible. Deep and intellectual soul-jazz music for modern day's issues.' - Esquire Thailand {We're Waiting}. Twitter - @MayakallyMusic Instagram - @mayakally Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mayakallymusic/ Podcast Host, Project Manager, and Editor - Maya Kally // Podcast Assistant - Conor Giblin // Artwork by Alysha Takoushian // In association with Come Play With Me Connected Sounds is made thanks to the invaluable support of the Social Enterprise Support Fund, distributed by Unltd, and the government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Thanks also to National Lottery players for making this possible.

Throughout today's episode Kindness speaks about everything from working as a producer and collaborator, their experiences being mixed race, non-binary, pansexual, and South Asian, and their grandmother's life as one of the longest-standing political prisoners. Kindness is a non-binary DJ, Producer, and Songwriter. With over 20 years of experience in the music industry, they have collaborated with the likes of Solange, Robyn, Blood Orange, and many more brilliant artists. Throughout today's episode, Kindness speaks openly and honestly about corruption within the music industry, being an independent artist, their gender, South Asian heritage, and much more. Twitter @Kindness / Instagram @kindnessmusic / Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Kindness Our host Maya Kally (she/they) is a genre-free singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist with jazz, indie and experimental influence. Maya's music includes, 'Fantastic new talent!’ - Amazing Radio {Another Time}, ‘Divine Single’ - BBC Radio 6 Music {Chose To Stay}, 'Incredible. Deep and intellectual soul-jazz music for modern day's issues.' - Esquire Thailand {We're Waiting}. Twitter - @MayakallyMusic Instagram - @mayakally Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mayakallymusic/ A Connected Sounds episode will be released EVERY TUESDAY, with occasional Friday episodes for extended episodes.  **Disclaimer: the views expressed by our guests are their own and their appearance on the podcast does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity that they represent on behalf of Come Play With Me or our funders. Songs from 'Something Like A War' used with permission from Adam Bainbridge © ℗ 2019 Female Energy Podcast Host, Project Manager, and Editor - Maya Kally // Podcast Assistant - Conor Giblin // Artwork by Alysha Takoushian // In association with Come Play With Me Connected Sounds is made thanks to the invaluable support of the Social Enterprise Support Fund, distributed by Unltd, and the government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Thanks also to National Lottery players for making this possible.

Kindness (Adam Bainbridge) is a non-binary DJ, Producer, and Songwriter. With over 20 years of experience in the music industry, they have collaborated with the likes of Solange, Robyn, Blood Orange, and many more brilliant artists. Throughout today's episode, Kindness speaks openly and honestly about corruption within the music industry, being an independent artist, their gender, South Asian heritage, and much more. Twitter @Kindness / Instagram @kindnessmusic / Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Kindness Our host Maya Kally (she/they) is a genre-free singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist with jazz, indie and experimental influence. Maya's music includes, 'Fantastic new talent!’ - Amazing Radio {Another Time}, ‘Divine Single’ - BBC Radio 6 Music {Chose To Stay}, 'Incredible. Deep and intellectual soul-jazz music for modern day's issues.' - Esquire Thailand {We're Waiting}. Twitter - @MayakallyMusic Instagram - @mayakally Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mayakallymusic/ Connected Sounds is made thanks to the invaluable support of the Social Enterprise Support Fund, distributed by Unltd, and the government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Thanks also to National Lottery players for making this possible. **Disclaimer: the views expressed by our guests are their own and their appearance on the podcast does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity that they represent on behalf of Come Play With Me or our funders. Part 2 of our chat with Kindness will be released on Friday 21st May 2021. Podcast Host, Project Manager, and Editor - Maya Kally // Podcast Assistant - Conor Giblin // Artwork by Alysha Takoushian // In association with Come Play With Me Connected Sounds is made thanks to the invaluable support of the Social Enterprise Support Fund, distributed by Unltd, and the government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Thanks also to National Lottery players for making this possible.