Straight Up

Hello huns, we were SO excited to go round for tea at Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s gorgeous London home the other week to chat all about her extraordinary experience of fame, from her initial “failed” start in a band as a teenager, who were dropped by their label before their second album, to the incredible success of her iconic hit Murder on the Dancefloor just a few years later (Europe’s biggest song of 2002 and our primary school selves’ FAVE). 

The queen of the kitchen disco was just as fun as we’d hoped, getting into everything from her most embarrassing showbiz fail and how she played the tabloids by making up her own stories, to her insane archive of vintage clothing and a retrospective on what the noughties music scene was really like. Plus, how fame can affect family dynamics, dealing with phone hacking, the paparazzi and a stalker, and what it’s like to be such a successful musician with five children. 

Welcome back to another cultural debrief gang! This week, Ellie interviewed the icon that is Kesha for the Telegraph ahead of her brilliant new her album Gag Order, out now, and gave us all the behind-the-scenes gossip and juicy talking points, specifically: did Kesha really have a vaginal ghost exorcism?  Plus we both reveal our own experiences with the paranormal, featuring Kathleen’s mum’s run-in with a hag at the end of her bed and Ellie’s unexplained sleep paralysis...

Then, we debrief on Lily Allen’s new show Dreamland, prompting all kind of existential questions, from whether you can ever innocently party with your friend’s partner, to what counts as an unforgivable betrayal, and why filming such scenes were so triggering for Lily, who cheated on her former husband with female escorts. 

Finally, we get into why everyone is watching Jury Duty right now, as well as all the ethical implications of Amazon's reality hit. And finally, our thoughts on Hailey Bieber’s interview with The Sunday Times Style, where she said that public hate makes her scared to have children, and whether she’s really as “calculated” as Selena Gomez fans would have us believe. 

Leave us a little review, rate us on Spotify and let us know what you think on Insta @straightuppod

Thank you so much to our amazing partners for this episode:

Buckle up huns because today’s guest is one of our all-time favourites: fellow Londoner and proper funny man Allan 'Seapa' Mustafa, the BAFTA-winning actor, writer and co-creator of hit crime comedy, The Curse, as well as the ICONIC People Just Do Nothing, the BBC mockumentary series – and feature film – where he played MC Grindah. 

In this hilarious chat, Allan tells us all about the inspiration for PJDN, from his work in a call centre (featuring retellings of some of his best pranks), to the pirate radio and raving scenes he loved, as well as his relationship with weed and partying, and how that has evolved now that he’s a 37-year-old celeb. 

We also get stuck into whether Allan has always been a natural-born performer, how he met his best friends and collaborators Asim, Steve and Hugo, why they never cared about being famous and how he learned to be a brilliant writer and actor, all on the job. Plus: harnessing imposter syndrome, his “celebrity regret” featuring Post Malone, the comedic tragedy of bravado, meeting fans when your persona is so well known and Allan’s top restaurant recommendations (as a bonafide member of food collective Taste Cadets).

Follow Allan on IG @seapa220 and @tastecadets. Watch both series of The Curse now via Channel 4. 

Thank you to our three partners for making this episode possible:

This week hunnies we have musician, The X Factor semi-finalist and Strictly finalist Fleur East on the show for a chat all about what it’s like to go through the often brutal churn of reality TV, and come out very much on top! She shared stories about how she almost pulled out of her big The X Factor audition, dealing with managers who wanted to lie about her age, and the wildest A-List party she ever attended. She also shared the cutest story about how she got together with her now husband Marcel, her secrets to a long and happy relationship, and what she’d like to set the record straight on.

We’re back with a thrilling culture debrief for you today, angels, and as you can hear from our unhinged giggling, we are really very excited to be reuinited with you all, gossiping about everything from Sofia Richie’s wedding at the infamous, ridiculously luxurious Cap Du Eden Roc hotel in France, to the explosive sex scandal gripping the cast of Netflix’s latest hit, Beef. We also get stuck into Lewis Capaldi’s Netflix documentary, How I’m Feeling Now, which highlights his struggles with Tourette’s syndrome, as well as the streamer’s latest surprise success, The Night Agent, a brilliant, pacy political thriller recently became its third most-watched show of all time, as well as, erm, it’s epic new series about chimpanzees. Also, why you need to read Curtis Sittenfield’s new novel Romantic Comedy about a famous male pop star falling for a TV comedy writer, inspired by Kim K’s hook up with Pete Davidson, as well as a deep dive into how Reese Witherspoon became the most powerful woman in Hollywood. Finally, for anyone planning a Mexico trip in the near future, Kathleen gives a very brief overview of her recent travels, from swimming with wild dolphins to street food hotspots. If you’d like to know more, be that on the route, AirbnB reccos or restaurants to book, shoot us a DM and Kathleen shall share! 

Hello darlings, have you missed us? Kathleen is back from Mexico so Straight Up is back to business and we have an excellent celebrity interview for you today: Ryan Hennessy, frontman of Picture This, the childhood friends turned Irish mega band who flew to the top of the Irish charts with their debut album in 2017. If you go weak for an Irish accent and swoon over gorgeous introspective songs about love, breakups and existentialism then you are going to absolutely love em. 

We met Ryan one sunny afternoon in Kings Cross and chatted all about why they're the most 'egoless band out there', why young female fans should not be patronised, and why he might be the only artist that never drinks before a show. And his anecdote about a mental house party in LA - which also inspired a song - might well be one of the craziest stories Straight Up has heard to date. 

Plus: why he wasn't offended by controversial Irish film Banshees of Inisherin, the song inspired by his big existential crisis and his thoughts on masculinity and fatherhood.

Leave us a little review, and rate us on Spotify, it helps boost us in the charts and then we can continue getting more fabulous guests and spending time curating juicy, informative content about all things celeb culture. And let us know what you think on Insta @straightuppod

Check out Song To Myself here: https://songtomyself.lnk.to/PictureThis

Hi gorgeous ones! Today we round up our mini celebrity journalism series with the fourth and final part (listen to parts one to three by scrolling back in our archive - they’re super juicy!). And it’s all about celebrity journalism’s uncertain future: in an era in which celebs increasingly hold all the power, and publications are losing their relevancy, who needs who?

After Ellie reveals a shock celebrity encounter that got her feeling all kinds of existential angst, we discuss why and how celebs are choosing to disrupt traditional media, from Dua Lipa's newsletter and podcast to the now ubiquitous A-List tell-all Netflix documentary. Whereas celebrity journalism used to be a highly calculated game paying dividends for both sides, today it seems to have become something a lot less strategic.

But it's not all doom and gloom for the media huns, as we make the case for why the traditional interview still holds an important place in our culture, and why celebrity journalism more broadly is important in holding the powerful to account.

Make sure you answer our themed question on Spotify! And let us know what you thin on Insta @straightuppod

Ps we're off for a two-week break after this episode but don't go anywhere, we'll be back on April 20 with a VERY fun interview. See ya then!

Jordan Stephens is in the studio today angels and this is defo one of our favourite chats to date – you are going to absolutely love this one! Jordan shot to fame as a teenager as one half of Rizzle Kicks, they disbanded in 2016 and he went on to pursue a super successful, incredibly varied career, from actor and painter to children’s book author (as well as still releasing music ofc).

We sat down at Brixton Village studios to debrief on the rise of Rizzle Kicks and being thrown into fame overnight as a teenager, from the “delusion” that got him there in the first place, to the wild and ultimately unsustainable partying that came with such success.

Jordan gets into what his subsequent five years of sobriety have been like and his myriad talents, including  being an actor, and his views on everything from Penn Badgley's no intimacy rule for filming, to Andrew Tate and toxic misogyny.

Plus, why he absolutely loves how famous his partner, Jade Thirlwall from Little Mix, is, how they complement each other, their creative intimacy, and their plans when it comes to getting married and having children.

Welcome back angels! We’ve got a corker of a chat for you today, where first we quickly debrief on our favourite Oscar looks, before getting into The Whale, for which Brendan Fraser took home Best Actor, and Hollywood’s surrounding fat suit controversy. Is the portrayal of his character Charlie is ethical? And why are  weight and morality all too often confused? Plus Jonah Hill’s life-long struggle with his weight and self-image, as portrayed in his Netflix documentary Stutz.

Then, we pop the Paul Mescal hype after seeing his arthouse hit Aftersun, which we, unlike the rest of the world, unfortunately did not love. Also, the dreamy Austin Butler as Elvis in the new Baz Lurman film, Jennifer Lawrence’s comeback and Cara Delevingne’s recent renaissance post a much-documented ‘unravelling’. Plus, Kathleen’s favourite new bar discovery, a Mexican meets Japanese underground spot in Notting Hill, Viajante 87.

Recommendations:

Hi darlings, we’re back today with a chat with the man who got us turning our kitchens into dancefloors over the pandemic, and has just released one of the most disco-tastic albums of 2023, AudioLust and HigherLove. SG Lewis (or Sam, to his friends) is, as Kathleen says, a pied piper of the party! Makes sense that he’s also super-producer to some of the world’s biggest stars, from Mabel to Dua Lipa, and has worked with icons such as Elton John.

Sam Zoomed us from LA to talk about what his career spent working with some of music’s biggest stars has taught him about fame, money and success, as well as entertaining us with some excellent red carpet stories and revealing what the mysterious ‘songwriter camps’ are really like.

Plus we have got all our cocktail loving Huns covered with a review of what might be our top new London bar: SOMA, in Soho. And Ellie gives us the lowdown on her favourite new female comedians for International Women’s Day, while we also both get stuck into the juiciest controversy of the moment, the explosive fallout from HBO’s upcoming show The Idol, which has been accused of ‘male torture porn’. How did a show satirising fame become the very thing it was meant to satire? And what does this mean for its very famous co-creator The Weeknd?

Recommendations discussed:

First up today darlings is a whistlestop recommendation rundown for New York, where Ellie celebrated her 30th last week, followed by a blow-by-blow look at the car crash that is the Peltz-Beckham wedding lawsuit drama. Then, a further debrief on the unofficial first family of Britain, from whether we think Victoria Beckham is a nice person, featuring *alleged* intel from Kathleen, who once met one of the Beckham’s nannies, to Ellie’s experience of interviewing a rather handsy David.

Also on the topic of weddings, we cover the rise of the “couple podcast” and debrief one of Kathleen’s fave new discoveries, Jaime Laing’s Nearlyweds, plus, our new celebrity crush, the actor Mia Goth who is currently starring in Infinity Pool, the new horror dubbed “White Lotus for sickos” and is the lead in two of Ellie’s favourite horror films, X and Pearl (out now).

We also get stuck into Paris Hilton’s decision to use a surrogate because of her crippling phobia of childbirth, which was triggered, in part, by the abuse she experienced at boarding school, as well as the revelation that her sextape “One Night In Paris” was the first bit of porn either of us ever saw (we’re so sorry! We understand the ethics of this now!). Finally, a debrief of Selena Gomez’s documentary My Mind and Me, in particular the excruciating press day scenes and her incredible mental health advocacy.

Then a hilarious look at former Elle Editor Farah Storr’s latest Substack newsletter, where she gives “the world’s best restaurant” a brutally honest review that reads just like the amazing chef thriller we recently recommended, The Menu.

Recommendations discussed:

NYC recommendations:

Thanks so much to our amazing sponsors for this episode:

Hi gorgeous ones, this week we have the equally gorgeous Mae Muller in the studio, who many of you will no doubt recognise from her absolute belter I Just Came to Dance which was permanently on the radio just before Christmas, as well as her viral TIkTok hit Better Days which she even performed on Jimmy Fallon. Trust us when we tell you she’s gonna be a star!

Over her fave drink, an Aperol Spritz, we had such a fun chat talking everything from first unglamorous jobs to dating in the public eye and her (now broken) year long celibacy journey. Plus, how fame has impacted her body image, why she’s built an all-female team around her and her most memorable ‘don’t you know who I am?’ moment.

Another highlight was debating over the pros and cons of Stan culture, and we almost died laughing when Mae took the opportunity to beg her fans to change their fandom name from the.. ahem…Mullshitters.

Sorry about the hangovers, huns, because first up today we’re give you the full behind the scenes debrief on the Brit Awards, where we had a rather raucous evening on Saturday night, starting with drinks at the gorgeous Shoreditch bar Seed Library and culminating with the star-studded Universal Records party at Soho House’s 180 The Strand. We then get stuck into all the other biggest talking points of the past week, from Rihanna’s epic pregnancy reveal at the Superbowl, to the Chat GPT takeover, as well as our top TV and podcast picks right now, from HBOs’ zombie masterpiece The Last of Us, to Strippers In The Attic, a no-holds-barred series on what really goes down at strip clubs. Enjoy darlings and as ever please rate, review, subscribe and send this episode to a friend!

Gang we are so excited to have none other than RAYE on the podcast this week, one of our favourite artists and an absolute icon on the British music scene at just 25-years-old. The South London gal released her debut album independently on 3 Feb after a very public dispute with her label last summer – they’d stifled her and controlled her creatively for seven years – and now, is telling her story on her own terms and enjoying more commercial success than ever before (her most recent amaze single, Escapism, went to No1). Ellie was unwell for this one (*sob*) and so Kathleen sat down to talk to RAYE about her incredible journey and resilience, from surviving abuse at the hands of the music industry’s darkest figures, to thriving as an independent artist after calling out injustice. We get deep about forgiveness, standing up for artists, Black Mirror-worthy media events, the power of therapy and finally having your moment.

Hi darlings, this week we get stuck into some VERY juicy topics, starting with, is the new Amy Winehouse biopic doomed to fail? Plus, having watched the brand new Pamela Anderson documentary on Netflix, how much did her sex tape colour the public view of her? And can sex tapes ever be empowering?

Also, having both watched the very entertaining black comedy The Menu, about an acclaimed pompous (and murderous) chef starring our fave Anya Taylor Joy, we reminisce over some of our most absurd memories reviewing some of the world’s finest restaurants (it’s a hard life huns).

Finally, is there more to J Lo’s new marriage romcom than meets the eye, and why Miley Cyrus’s Liam Hemsworth revenge song Flowers is the latest savvy mood in celebrity meta marketing.

Can’t quite believe we’re saying this huns but we had the man, the legend AKON in the studio with us recently to celebrate his new TikTok EP TT Freak and it was all we hoped and more. We had the most amazing chat about everything from growing up between New Jersey and Senegal and how his time in prison inspired his major hit Locked Up, to discovering Lady Gaga, working with Whitney Houston and becoming TikTok’s most streamed star.

Plus Akon got real on our favourite topic of fame, revealing why so many stars are selfish, greedy and give nothing back to their communities. He also spoke honestly about why musicians like Kanye West need to care less about music, and why - controversially - he still stands by Michael Jackson. And, our favourite moment of the interview, he invites us to his favourite strip club! We shall attend and report back.

We read Prince Harry’s memoir so you don’t have to, huns, and good grief do we have thoughts. We trawl through the juiciest revelations (especially the ones that haven't made the headlines) and debate over some of Spare's most contentious points, from Harry's obsession with the press and the royal family's strange dysfunction, to whether he'll eventually regret going into such microscopic detail about his sibling rivalry with William. Plus, has online discourse around cutting off ‘toxic’ people done more harm than good, and is it leading to an ‘estrangement’ epidemic?

Happy new year huns! After a restful Christmas of pigs in blankets and Oatnog we’re suitably fattened up and raring to go for 2023 at Straight Up HQ, with plenty of juicy, eye-opening interviews about the murky world of celebrity.

In this episode we’re joined by the fabulous Baby Queen, the 25-year-old South African born, London-based artist who many new fans might recognise from Netflix’s Heartstopper soundtrack, for what is perhaps our most revealing interview to date – like, EVER!

Baby Queen, AKA Bella, spills the tea on just how twisted the music business actually still is, even in its green juice era, from toxic male managers and the prevalence of drugs, to abuse and manipulation, the sexism, the self-medicating and the mental health costs that are all practically part and parcel of being a performer. Bella digs deep into her own “bright lights syndrome” and the narcissism inherent in artistry, while talking through a recent identity-crisis, navigating ADHD, and her battles with depression, revealing how they are, for her, intertwined with being in the spotlight. Plus, we talk everything from therapy and why Bella says she is never, ever having children, to video games and why the name “Baby Queen” triggered an existential crisis.

Let us know what you think by replying with a comment on Spotify or sending us an Insta DM @straightuppod

Thank you to our gorgeous sponsors for making this episode happen:

Hello angels, today we are bringing you an episode full of festive cheer and (slightly tipsy) merriment! Over a bottle of Straight Up’s fave winter drink Oatnog, we reminisce about our best and worst Christmas rituals and presents, the highs and lows of seasonal cinema, and Ellie even whipped up a truly scintillating Christmas quiz for us all to enjoy, of which the first question is: ‘What is Ellie’s favourite ingredient on the Christmas Day lunch plate?’ (Kindly note Kathleen’s eye roll).

Also, we share our top celebrity moments of 2022, and why Billie Piper’s I Hate Suzie is THE show you all need to watch over the holidays. Plus we couldn’t resist debriefing the White Lotus finale too, obv.

We’re taking a little two week break now, so see you next year on the 12 January for an incredibly exciting guest interview. We really do have some absolute corkers for you lined up in 2023, so get ready for even bigger and better juicy celebrity stories, fascinating analysis around what it means to be famous in this day and age, plus your usual cultural recommendations to keep you entertained and in the know. Happy Christmas and see you on the other side! 

Hiiii huns, this week we have one of our fave bands on the show: First Aid Kit! The Swedish, Brit-nominated sisters Klara and Johanna are adored around the world for making the most beautiful country music, which had Ellie swooning into her wine last Friday at the Eventim Apollo. This episode is a cracker, with such fun, hilarious sisterly energy as Klara and Johanna recall their drunkest moments, touring together as children (with their dad in tow) and the most outrageous thing a journalist has ever said in an interview.

Plus, they share a very moving and spiritual story behind their amazing new album Palomino, and get candid about everything from the pressures of performing to pleasing fans.

Get ready for some rip-roaring recommendations this week angels, because we're debriefing on everything from infamous celebrity gossip IG account DeuxMoi's thinly-veiled new autofiction, Anon Please, to the second season of the bonkers, totally brilliant HBO series The White Lotus, set in a luxury hotel in Sicily. We get stuck into debates on privilege, power, hypocrisy, stalking and celeb privacy, plus lots of laughs on A-list lookalikes, astrology (and the legitness of it) and the inherent sexism in "icks". We also have a good old debrief on the alleged Maya Jama and Stormzy reunion (including our take on the incredible new album This Is What I Mean and the thorny question of whether you should ever take an ex back), the ethics of paparazzi and the tabloid story exchange game, plus why clickbait headlines simply reflect our own worst instincts.

Recommendations discussed:

Hi darlings, if, like us, you love peeling back the glossy layer of the celebrity machine and digging beneath the sparkle of the music industry, then you are going to absolutely adore this episode with Dublin megastar Dermot Kennedy. He’s sold out the O2, counts Taylor Swift among his fans and in 2019 released Ireland’s best-selling debut album of this millennium. Now he's just released an amazing new album, Sonder.

But, as Dermot told us in this very moving and honest chat over some gorgeous Oatnog from our new partner black-lines, he hates celebrity, and does everything he can to protect himself from the trappings of fame, from not checking what’s in his bank balance to keeping his dad on his payroll. Refreshingly down-to-earth, he offers some serious debunking when it comes to the music business, revealing how little money he makes when he’s on tour.

And of course it wouldn’t be Straight Up without some eye-popping anecdotes, from Dermot pranking his friends in front of Muse’s Matt Bellamy and being dared to drink his own piss (yes, really), to a quite frankly terrifying fan experience.

Hello darlings, this week's fabulous Straight Up guest is the radio presenter and DJ Roman Kemp, who has just released a memoir, Are You Really Ok?, and who opened up to us about everything from his lifelong struggle with mental health and losing his best friend to suicide, to his surreal celebrity upbringing as son to Martin Kemp (Spandeau Ballet) and Shirlie Kemp (Wham!).

It's a very inspiring chat that also peels back the layers of one of the UK's most famous faces, with Roman admitting that he actually hates attention so much he can't even stand friends singing him Happy Birthday. Plus, Roman talks about his difficult years spent in the fashion industry, and reveals what it's really like to work in radio, from disaster interviews to dealing with trolling.

Oh, and his extraordinary Harry Styles impression is NOT to be missed!

Enjoy!

Hi lovely listeners, this week’s episode is absolutely brimming with recommendations spanning everything from romantic autumn minibreaks to the memoir everyone’s been talking about – did you know that Matthew Perry (Chandler from Friends) almost died from drug addiction and once dumped Julia Roberts? 

We also deep dive into the sordid affairs of Britney Spears’s late grandfather, who, according to an incredibly juicy new New York Magazine article, is horribly relevant when it comes to questioning why Britney’s dad put his daughter in a conservatorship. Speaking of sordid things, there's a new serial killer film on Netflix starring Eddie Redmayne that's based on a true story – Ellie gives her verdict.

Plus, we debate our fave Julia Roberts film after Kathleen reviews her new romcom Ticket to Paradise and we assess the controversy around Billie Eilish’s boyfriend. 

Dig in and let us know what you think!

Recommendations

Gorgeous ones, are you ready for one saucy lil episode from none other than the extraordinary, Grammy-nominated, Platinum-selling star Tove Lo? And we really do mean saucy: Tove might just be one of the most sexually liberated women in pop, with a vagina tattoo on her arm, a history of flashing her lucky fans at gigs, and lyrics to make a grown man blush.

Not only did the Swedish pop queen open up about her marriage, being queer, living communally in LA with her husband and friends, freedom and female pleasure, she even shares a cheeky sex tip. Plus, expanding on some of the themes in her amazing new album Dirt Femme, we dig right into the pressures and contradictions around motherhood, womanhood, and romantic love, from ambivalence around having children, to being a "floating free spirit" by nature.

Tove was also very inspiring about her experiences navigating the music industry as a woman who won’t take any shit, from body image struggles to lewd music execs and disbelievers who told her she was too ‘intelligent’ to make it as a musician.

And of course, it wouldn’t be Straight Up without some highly nosy questions about fame, and what she gets up to when she isn’t being famous, from her favourite cocktail to her must-watch TV.

A huge thank you also to our partners for this episode:

Hello gorgeous ones, this week’s guest is the wonderful podcaster, musician and author Caggie Dunlop, whose dulcet tones some of you might already have heard on her own podcast Saturn Returns, which makes sense of our chaotic lives using astrology and amazing interviews with experts across everything from dream therapy to tarot.

Caggie tells us all about how she became sober-curious after realising she had an addictive personality and was using alcohol as a way of masking vulnerability, and dives deep into what she calls her “cosmic coming of age” after her life fell apart in unpredictable ways. She also reveals how her stint in reality show Made in Chelsea contributed to self-destructive behaviour, with producers “puppeteering” her life.

Get ready for another cultural debrief gang, because this week our guest once again cancelled at the last minute. Celebs, ey? Don’t fear however, hunnies, because to make up for it we have an extra fast-paced and fun one for you all. First up, we chat Industry, the HBO drama about young, ruthless bankers that has arrived on BBC iPlayer for a second season. As big fans of the first season, we  just have to ask: why are the characters suddenly so predictable? Why is Harper so unlikable? And why have they gone so hard on the sex scenes? The New Statesman called it “ porn posing as prestige TV” and we think they’ve got a point (although that’s not to say we didn’t really quite enjoy it).

Then, Ellie fills Kathleen in on Triangle of Sadness, the new, absolutely hilarious, pitch-black comedy from celebrated Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund about a yacht that sinks, leaving the super-rich survivors – including a fashion model celebrity couple – trapped on an island. It’s Östlund’s English language feature film debut and El’s is calling it the funniest thing she’s seen this year.

Finally, we turn our attention to the murky world of true-crime, as Netflix’s Dahmer, a dramatisation of the life and crimes of serial killer Jeffery Dahmer, continues to stir up controversy. Is the genre as morally indefensible as the journalist Anna Leszkiewicz argues? 

Recommendations discussed:

Sorry for the late episode this week hunnies… the kitten ate our homework. Ok, not quite – though Kathleen does have a new kitten – but actually we had our celeb guest reschedule last minute. And, instead of leaving you all in the lurch (because obv you can’t get through the weekend without us), we did recorded a spontaneous deep dive into the topic EVERYONE is talking about this week: Kanye’s disastrous Paris fashion week, in which he wore and presented a White Lives Matter T-Shirt.

And then, because Kathleen is actually a Kardashian academic (ok, not really, but almost), we thought we would also  treat you to a thorough dissection of the Kardashian Klan: from Kimye's twisted mythology (ft an excellent The New Yorker piece on why their trajectory is modelled on The Incredibles by @Kardashian_Kolloqium's MJ Corey) to Kourtney’s work ethic and Khloe’s body positivity. Plus, important questions: is Kim a good role model? Is money her main motivator? Are Kanye & her in a secret business partnership? And was her relationship with Pete scripted by Hulu? Dive in! 

This week we’re rolling out the red carpet for queen of the internet Amber Rose Gill, the 2019 Love Island winner turned TV personality, podcaster, content creator and now debut author, with romance novel Until I Met You having been published by saucy fiction titans Mills & Boon earlier this summer. We had the best time over at her place drinking Ginger Strawberry Cow cocktails courtesy of our fab partner Black Cow, covering everything from her childhood in Newcastle, choosing beauty over uni and being approached by Love Island, to finding her purpose, navigating the public eye (including *those* Jack Grealish headlines and her recent “coming out” tweet), the importance of representation, reiki, property, owning being an “average” influencer and why women get cancelled more than men. Not to mention, of course, the juiciest behind the scenes look at Love Island, from how it’s actually all filmed and why for Amber it was really just a fun free holiday, to what she spent her prize money on and the therapy provided afterwards. We also dig deep into the problem with the reality TV bimbo stereotype and the quarter life crisis, as well as laughing like loons about red flags, the ick-factor, and why Amber is not a girl boss!

Hi angels! We're so happy to be back with another cultural debrief for you all, covering the absolutely wild new doc on controversial Hollywood actor Armie Hammer, House of Hammer; an original debut story collection by 80-year-old Jane Campbell, Cat Brushing; Sharon Horgan's brilliant new Apple TV show, Bad Sisters; the best erotic novel, Insatiable, by Daisy Buchanan; and finally House of Dragon (the Game of Thrones prequel). We also chat about why men don’t find women funny, murderous dreams, polyamory, and what we've been up to recently – from Lost Village festival to a v v special proposal! 

Ladies and gents, check your prudery at the door, because we have one hell of a cheeky little episode for you this week, jam-packed with stories about sex, sex and...more sex. 

First up, a peek behind the curtain of what it's really like to be dating as a Gen Z in London right now, from vows of celibacy to sex positive sex parties and Feeld threesomes, as Ellie reveals alllll the juicy research she recently did for a Vogue article on whether young people are in the grips of a "sex recession".

Then Kathleen gives us the lowdown on her favourite racy show right now, Uncoupled, which fans of Sex and the City are going to absolutely love – though does it revisit the same problematic tropes as And Just Like That?

Plus, the brilliant book no one is talking about but absolutely should be: Trouble, by Marise Gaughan, who writes viscerally about the sexually destructive behaviour she experienced in the wake of her father's suicide, which included sleeping with older men for money.

Ok, then the Netflix J Lo documentary Halftime isn't about sex at all, but it DID prompt a very lively discussion between us about J Lo's motivations: cynical branding or pure hearted sob story?

And finally we both vent our ancient millennial bafflement at the "ironic" trends sweeping fashion right now, from Ketamine chic to coastal grandma.

Ps: we are now taking a two week break as we go off and record with some amazing new guests, but we'll be back on September 8th, so don't go anywhere!

Yes huns, you read that correctly, we have got Aitch, man of the moment and one of the UK’s most adored musicians, on the show!

We've got another culture fix for you this week gang, from why LSD and magic mushrooms are good for you (they could have even stopped the Vietnam war!) to the novel everyone is talking about, and Hollywood's latest controversy. Have you seen or read Where The Crawdad's Sing? Well hunnies, strap in for a wild ride covering the unfortunate miscasting of Daisy Edgar Jones, the real-life murder allegations surrounding the publication, and, in all honesty, the quite frankly sickening corniness of the tweeting eagle. Also, the novel of 2022, I'm Sorry You Felt That Way, by British author Rebecca Wait and how we much we loved it – despite it being fairly triggering to say the least. We hope you enjoy and please do let us know if you have any recommendations for us, we absolutely love to hear from you and would ask that you please keep the fans art  coming.

This week’s guest might just be our most favourite ever, not least because he carried our mics for us after this interview – how cute is that?! You guys are going to LOVE Bradley Simpson, frontman of The Vamps, as much as we do, as we dig deep in this wide-ranging chat covering everything from what it was like to become famous as a teenager in one of the biggest bands in British pop history (fun fact: they were the first band to headline the 02 Arena five nights in a row), to their frustration with female fans getting a bad rep, the wildest thing their fans have ever done and how he really struggled with the band going on a break. 

The Vamps embark on a 10 year anniversary tour later this year and so we looked back on some of Brad’s fave tour moments:, from the advice they were given by Taylor Swift’s mum when they supported Taylor back in 2014, to how living on the road for the best part of a decade has shaped him and the other boys. Plus Brad revealed why, for all four members, The Vamps will always be “the mothership” — no matter their solo projects. 

We also talk about his bar, his upcoming gin and the last time he had a little bit too much to drink (let’s just say it was a mortifying model-filled LA gig), having no “Plan B”, how toxic the music industry can be (especially for teenage artists) and why having a manager who was also a guardian was the best thing that ever happened to the band. 

Plus, what it was like to go on Celebrity First Dates and what he’s currently looking for in a life partner (not to mention the juicy details on his recent house renovation). As you’ll hear here, Brad called this the most interesting interview he’s ever done! Just sayin’, gang... Enjoy!

As promised gang, we've got a third instalment of our chat covering what it's really like to be a celebrity journalist – there were, after all, just too many hilarious, ridiculous stories (and actual analysis!) left out of the first two parts. From liaising with celebs directly via text to today’s thorny issue of copy approval, we look at how celeb journalism has changed since we burst onto the scene in 2015 as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed interns, starting with our first ever interviews, and the time El harassed Emma Watson with a cat (yes you read that right), all the way to stans, cancel culture and why writers are so scared these days. Expect trademark absurdity covering what it’s like to direct Brooklyn Beckham’s attempt at reading cue cards, interviewing Burna Boy while he has a pina colada in one hand and an unidentified lady friend in the other, buying Sienna Miller a sea bass on behalf of Vogue, the worst day of our professional lives, being trolled by Nicki Minaj's entire fandom, spying the fear in One Directioners' eyes and being told you're intense by none other than Wiley (LOL), having turned up an interview after a rather disorientating introductory spliff experience. As always, time totally ran away with us while we were recording this episode, so keep your eyes peeled for the fourth and final part! You asked, and we shall deliver. 

It’s another glorious sunny Thursday and we have singer songwriter extraordinaire James Bay in the house! He has a brand new album out, Leap, which is all about his journey overcoming imposter syndrome and mental health struggles – despite his eight billion streams.

He opened up to us about how he was affected by the more toxic aspects of fame and social media, and *cuteness overload* how his partner Lucy, whom he has been with since they were both 16 and with whom he now has a baby daughter, has been his North star throughout. No, you’re crying.

It wasn’t just the deep stuff though, as we also got all the goss on what it’s like to attend the Met Gala and speak to our Queen and Saviour Beyonce, the one thing James takes on tour (clue: he got the inspo from Mick Jagger), and his favourite restaurant in London. Plus, we ask James to set the record straight on one thing that’s been bugging him, and whether he has ever had therapy.

Hello gorgeous listeners, this week we’re taking you to the Maldives! And, guys, it’s not just any private island hotel, it’s The Standard, our absolute fave for fun with friends, strong cocktails and enticing dancefloors (if you’ve not yet been to the Kings Cross outpost then consider this your PSA). 

Recently we took ourselves away for a best friend baecation and we feel it is our public duty to tell you all about it. For one, it’s really quite affordable, as far as the Maldives goes – this isn’t a trip to save for your honeymoon, nor is it one you need a lover for! 

We had the BEST time together and we’re going to share every juicy detail about this gorgeous, once-in-a-lifetime, Instagram-perfect trip, including how to save your £, the food, the fish and allllllll  the fun. 

Plus, our beach reads, Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason and At The Table by Claire Powell, not to mention our plane picks: these two gals spent the entire 24 hour journey watching House of Gucci and J Lo’s Marry Me. Heaven! 

Hi huns! This week we caught up with one of the UK's best-loved rappers and one of our fave musicians Krept, half of duo Krept & Konan, to talk about his incredible journey from making chart-topping rap songs to launching his game-changing baby skincare range Nala's Baby, stocked across 400 Boots stores and valued at £15m. Yep, rappers do babycare!

Named after his ADORABLE two-year-old daughter Nala, the business is in partnership with his co-parent, influencer Sasha Ellese Gilbert, who became concerned about how toxic so much of the babycare on the market was while she was pregnant. Amazingly it is now the first 0 rated clean baby skincare range on cosmetics ratings app @thinkdirty and the products are so good even adults are lathering themselves with them... (yes, those adults are us...)

We interviewed Krept quite a few times while working at GQ together so it was so nice to look back on his success and chat all about how his life has changed over the years. He made us laugh so much with his hilarious stories about Nala playing dead and one memorable poo explosion, plus we were left speechless at some of his wildest showbiz moments.

We also asked him for advice on how to go into business with a friend, and got him to spill the beans on everything from the weirdest thing he's read about himself on the internet to the biggest misconception about him and what it's like to date as a single parent.

Catch our lifestyle recommendations at the start too, from the books we've been reading to fun nights out in London and Ibiza, and let us know what you think!

Back by popular demand, this week we embarrass ourselves once again by sharing more of our juiciest stories about the fame game, from the time we accidentally made a top Hollywood actor cry and how one wilts in Naomi Campbell's presence, to herding Richard Branson around Soho Farmhouse and how you navigate a phone call from Lady Gaga. There's also plenty of intel on how the celebrity machine actually works, including getting kicked out of Netflix press junkets (and what that even is), what publicists do and what glitzy press trips are like, wrangling ridiculous freebies, stalking stories, and just generally laughing until we cry. You’re going to love all this hilarious gossip hunnies, we ran out of time recording it all for you so promise to bring you a part three later this season! If you haven't head Part I, then just scroll on back a bit and take a listen too.

Honeys, we’re home!!! Did you miss us? We had not forgotten you – in fact over the last few months we’ve been working SO hard to bring you the biggest and best season of Straight Up yet, fuelled by our spiciest trademark margs, obv.

And doing the launch honours for us today is none other than the ICON that is Sean Paul, one of the world’s most successful artists who has billions of streams to his name. I mean, if Temperature and Get Busy didn’t have a defining moment in your teens, then where TF were you??

Over his fave drink, a Guinness Foreign Extra, Sean had us both in stitches with stories about getting arrested and accidentally getting his 90-year-old grandmother high, the weirdest gift from his most adoring fan, his most surreal showbiz moment and the $25,000 freebie he still can’t believe he got away with…Plus, we talk about everything from cooking and travel to love and friendship, with some, ahem, interesting life lessons from Sean along the way. 

Sean also reveals a whole new side to him by getting candid about the dark side of fame: how rumours circulated by the press have caused him angst, how the weight of always creating another hit can be so overwhelming, and why he’s needed marriage counselling. 

Enjoy gorgeous listeners! And for anyone new here… allow us to introduce ourselves. Hosted by best friends and noseyest pop culture journalists on the planet Kathleen and Ellie, Straight Up goes behind-the-scenes with some of the world’s biggest celebs to hear what being famous in 2022 is really like. Are showbiz parties really as wild as we think? Do famous people ever embarrass themselves in public? How big are the freebies and how crazy are the fans? Plus, how does fame affect everything from your romantic life to your mental health? And are celebrities…normal? 

We get our guests to answer all of this and SO much more, over their favourite drink (because the first rule of journalism school is to get your interviewee drunk….right?) Which basically means subscribing to Straight Up is like eavesdropping on the juiciest cocktail debrief with your favourite A-Listers. 

Let us know what you think of the new episode and don’t be shy, leave us a little review, or DM us on our brand new Insta @straightuppod . See you next Thursday!

Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @MarlonPercy 

It’s the last episode of S2 and, as sad as we are, we’re SO excited to be ending on a high with  this very special chat with one of our favourite artists, Mahalia. Fuelled by some gorgeous Whitley Neill gin and tonics, the 23-year-old, who was signed at 13, gets candid about everything from the myth of the overnight success story, to reframing the “crazy ex-girlfriend” trope and being friends with your first love. We also chat about her weekend rituals, what she likes to spend her money on (spoiler: globally successful artists aren’t as wealthy as you think) and the one thing she’d like to thank her therapist for.

No guest again this week, gang, but what we’ve got in store might just be even better! Instead, we chat all about the hottest cultural gossip of the year so far, from music, TV and film, to the biggest talking points that have had the internet in overdrive over the past week. Covering *that* Molly Mae interview on Steven Bartlett’s podcast, The Lost Daughter (Netflix’s most exciting new film) and why having children can be a huge, life-defining regret; we also get deep into The Weeknd’s excellent new album and one of our most mortifying, joint professional faux pas ever.

Recommendations discussed:

Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast
The Lost Daughter (Netflix)
Magpie by Elizabeth Day
“This is what I tell friends who are torn about having children” by Hadley Freedman (Guardian)
White Lotus (HBO)
Euphoria S2 (HBO)
Dawn FM by The Weeknd

Max Martin on Table Manners podcast

We've got a real Christmas treat for you this week: a hilarious, insightful, thought-provoking interview from Dan Smith of Bastille. Eased along by some red wine, Dan spills the beans on what it's really like to be the frontman of one of the world's biggest bands – 11 million records sold and counting – while also having made the conscious choice to keep as far from the public eye as possible, ever since the four-piece broke through with "Pompeii" back in 2013. Highlights include the time he got spiked at the Brits and embarrassed himself in front Frank Ocean, a hilarious Guatemalan backpacking trip up a volcano, Dan's top culture picks (he's a big film fan) and where he likes to go out in London, plus how much he enjoys having songs that are far more famous than he is. Dan also opens up about his experiences with therapy, including his struggles with performance anxiety and imposter syndrome, as well as giving us a sneak-peek of the band's upcoming, sci-fi wonderland-set album Give Me The Future (out in Feb).

Our guest today is HRVY, the 22-year-old pop sensation and former Strictly semi-finalist who is basically the British, Gen-Z answer to Justin Bieber. HRVY (real name, obviously, Harvey) has been in the music game since 13 and has amassed a crazily dedicated following of more than 4 million fans on Instagram and 4.4 million on Tik Tok. He, is as you might suspect, a big hit with the ladies, lusted after by everyone from the nation's population of teenage girls, to Strictly-watching nans. He recently switched record labels, having had the exact realisation so many young stars do, where he decided to take the reins and change his musical direction. Now, he's given up being a "yes man" and is doing it for himself. His new single "Talking To The Stars" is out NOW so make sure you go and check it out. We love it and you will too. HRVY made for the most hilarious, honest and vulnerable guest, opening up about everything from being a new-gen sex symbol and why he 100 per cent believes in the Strictly curse, to how the school-days mortification of being Facebook-famous has helped in finding the humour in hate comments, plus his thoughts on male objectification, cancel culture, toxic masculinity and what it's like to be on MTV Cribs.

We’ve got another departure from our usual format for you this week, where this time we chat culture recommendations, from the book everyone’s talking about to Netflix’s latest hits. Strap in for our thoughts on Emily Ratajowski’s collection of essays, My Body, and the furore around it, as well as Maid (starring Margaret Qualley and her mother Andie McDowell), Squid Game and Sally Rooney’s latest novel, Beautiful World, Where Are You?. Over some spicy margaritas from Tom Savano, we cover how Emily’s book captures our own feelings about our younger-selves, looking back at the gendered power dynamics that shape teenagedom, how status and beauty intersect, the utterly brilliant gossip from one of the world’s biggest models, plus the male gaze, motherhood (hello, Maid), The Harry Potter reunion and why John Legend really needs to confiscate Chrissy Teigen’s phone.

Our guest today is Pandora Sykes, the author and podcaster who also happens to be one of our absolute *favourite* journalists ever (top fangirls over here). Pandora got her first big break at The Sunday Times Style magazine and has been one of the most beloved voices in the UK since – you’ll likely know her from No1 podcast The High Low and more recently, her BBC Radio 4 podcast Pieces of Britney. She’s written for everywhere from Vogue and GQ to The Cut and The Observer, her book How Do We Know We’re Doing It Right? Is a Sunday Times bestseller and she also hosts podcasts The Missing and Doing It Right, as well as IRL book events.

We sat down for a fascinating, wide-ranging chat about everything from friendship, motherhood and anxiety to Britney, how she and Dolly made The High Low so successful (including the possibility of another joint project!) and what her working day looks like.

Over some insanely delicious lychee martinis from Bottle Bar and Shop, Pandora also spoke about balance, her flute phase, first heartbreak, how she’s grown from an anxious child to a contented adult and carving out her own space, plus musical bluffs, The Spice GIrls and why she doesn’t do spon con.

Thank you so much to our two amazing sponsors for this episode:

Tanya Burr, who first found fame uploading makeup tutorials to YouTube in 2009 that reached millions of views and made her one of the UK’s very first “influencers”, comes on Straight Up to talk to Kathleen and Eleanor all about her pivot to acting and the launch of her lifestyle brand Authored.

As well as recommending her favourite beauty products and explaining their sustainability, Tanya also reveals how her anxiety as a teen stopped her from pursuing her love of drama, but how hours of therapy gave her the confidence to take up acting classes in her mid-twenties and become a professional actress across theatre, TV and film.

Over some gin cocktails from Lockdown Liquor, Tanya also talked battling body image issues and why she never reads reviews, as well as finding love in her thirties after going through a divorce at 29. Plus, the music that reminds her of her best memories with friends as well as of her new relationship.

Thank you to our two amazing sponsors for this episode:

What's it like to quit a seven-year medicine degree to chance it on a music career? Over some spicy margaritas, the lead singer, writer and producer of psych-pop band Glass Animals tells Straight Up all about how he swapped a career as a neuroscientist to launch a No1 band with a record-breaking one billion streams for their 2020 single Heat Waves.

Also in this episode, Dave busts some myths around life as a musician, including how the band had to wash their own underpants while on a major tour, how he spent the band's minimal advance from their record label, and his escape strategy for when fans recognise him in public.

Plus, Dave recalled his funniest drunken story, his strangest conspiracy theories and the one internet black hole he always falls into.

Thank you to our two amazing sponsors:

What do you do when you're about to embark on a world tour but are suffering from burnout? London Grammar frontwoman Hannah Reid sat down with Kathleen and Eleanor to trace her journey from the band forming at Nottingham University to coping with a chronic illness and industry misogyny all the while going to No1. 

Hannah spoke powerfully about her experiences of sexism in the music business (from getting her lyrics called "vacuous" by critics to being dismissed as "irrational"), as well as the problematic adoration of the complicated male genius and how macho culture can also corrode men in the music business as well as women. Straight Up also drilled into why some male critics write about women’s music so patronisingly, and how Hannah felt pressured to desexualise her image to be taken seriously.

Plus, Hannah revealed what she blew one of her first paycheques on, the one person she stalks religiously from the London Grammar Instagram account and the career she secretly fantasises about if she ever calls it quits on music. And of course, as always, shares the songs that have soundtracked her highs and lows.

This episode of Straight Up is supported by two brilliant sponsors:

How do you keep your privacy when you're one of the most famous YouTubers in the entire world, and have shared your entire life online? One of the first YouTubers to make his name on the platform (where he has 23 million subscribers) KSI spoke to Kathleen and Eleanor about the pressures of being in the public eye from such a young age. 

Over Bacardi rum cocktails, KSI also talked through the songs that have soundtracked his life's highs and lows, from the song he wrote for his first romance (and which he has tried to scrub from the internet) to the songs he associates with heady nights of success. Plus, KSI spills the beans on how he met his girlfriend of three years – and how he has managed to keep her identity from prying fans – his reflections on getting cancelled for using a transphobic slur, and whether we will ever see him come offline completely.

Also in this episode, KSI reveals his favourite cryptocurrency, whether he will let his kids use social media and the songs he loves to sing in the shower.

Thank you to this episode's two brilliant sponsors:

Should women pay on the first date? Should men date women with more money than them? In this very juicy episode, South London RnB musician Ray BLK chats to Kathleen and Eleanor all about dating do's and don'ts ahead of her debut album Access Denied.

Ray also shared hilarious anecdotes around first paycheques, her very first experiences of success and her craziest moments from the last few years (including her funniest drunken night out in Ghana).

Plus, Ray reveals how the music industry forced her to make pop music at the expense of her true self, and Ray shares for the very first time a traumatic X Factor audition that happened when she was 16, and a song from a few years ago that she regrets making today.

One of the world’s most adored film directors Zack Snyder comes on the brand-new second series of Straight Up to talk all about the music that made him: from the songs that soundtracked his childhood and his first romance to the song that always makes him cry.

Zack also chats to Kathleen and Eleanor all about his favourite songs from across his films, as well as getting stuck into topics around being a provocateur, reading reviews, vulnerability and the power of fandoms.

Plus, Zack picks his favourite character from Justice League and Army of the Dead, gives us a sneak peak at the Army of the Dead TV series and what‘s happening with Fountainhead.

Thank you to our three amazing sponsors for this episode:

What's it like to tour the world with Harry Styles, capturing some of the most intimate and symbolic moments of his life and career? Paris-based photographer Hélène Pambrun talks to Kathleen and Eleanor all about how she first met Harry, and why her interest in his fans is the reason she was hired by his team.

Also in this episode, Straight Up and Hélène talk all about the power of seduction in photoshoots, as well as her most striking memories shooting everyone from Lenny Kravitz and Ed Sheeran to Tom Hanks.

Plus, Hélène reveals what she wants to do next. Have a listen!

Thank you to this episode's three wonderful sponsors: 

Chic co-founder and super producer Nile Rodgers, along with his longtime manager Merck Mercuriadis, joins Straight Up to chat about how they’ve made a decades-long professional partnership work, what they love most about each other and why they’ve never had an argument (except a small one in this episode).

They also told us all about their new business venture, Hipgnosis, which is essential to anyone who loves music and cares about the fair treatment of performing artists and songwriters. It is completely changing the way the music industry works by challenging the power of the big record companies, redressing an uneven power balance that has been corroding the music industry for decades. 

How? By buying some of the most famous songs in the world, because Hipgnosis believes that songs are just as valuable as gold and oil, completely unaffected by economic cycles, and basically just about the safest investment you can make. By buying up these songs and "actively managing" them, they are giving these old songs a new lease of life, protecting their cultural legacy, while giving songwriters more money.

Merck and Nile also chat about why songwriters are so undervalued, how it feels to disrupt music industry from the inside when its top execs are the people they go on holiday with, and the UK artists they love right now.

Thank you to our three wonderful sponsors:

From the first record she ever bought and song that soundtracked her first dance with a boy to her anthems for success and the song that defined 2020, Maya Jama talks to Straight Up all about her most formative songs.

Maya also revealed the pressures of imposter syndrome and finding a work life balance after three years of no holidays, her ambitions to get more women behind the camera, her funniest radio fails and her top tips for success. 

How do you bag the only interview with Drake, and get Kanye to open up to you?

DJ Semtex’s interviews are the stuff of legend, so over a bottle of Semtex’s favourite drink – Ruinart champagne – Straight Up quizzed him on how he gets the biggest names in music to open up to him and nobody else, his most amazing behind-the-scenes anecdotes with everyone from Travis Scott to J Cole, and his surprising interview fails.

Semtex also revealed who from the UK rap scene throws the most iconic parties, how he’d pulled together a Drake interview at a DM’s notice and what he thinks of cancel culture, including which artists and songs he no longer feels comfortable playing in his sets. In this episode, Semtex and Straight up also discuss the damaging impact of fame on artists’ mental health, and the complicated and corrosive nature of artistic genius.

What do you do when you're at your first-ever Grammys, sitting next to Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, but too high to speak? In this eye-opening chat with Straight Up, the Grammy and Oscar-winning collaborator to Sam Smith, Taylor Swift, Stormzy and Dave reveals some of the most unforgettable moments of his career, from his hilarious Grammys blunder to penning the Oscar-winning Bond song Writing's on the Wall for 2015's Spectre.

Also in this episode, over some delicious Old Fashioned cocktails, Jimmy talks about how he first met Sam, and what it was like to co-write their first big hit, Latch, going from singing at empty North London pub nights to becoming world-famous. Plus, Jimmy reveals some of him and Sam's strangest songwriting sessions, why hangovers are brilliant for creativity, and what it was like to work with Dave on Lesley and Stormzy on Crown. 

Jimmy, Kathleen and Eleanor also get deep into one of the biggest talking points in the music industry right now: the way that Spotify treats musicians, and what needs to change.

Songwriter, producer and singer KAMILLE is one of the most in-demand collaborators in pop, having crafted four number one hits for the likes of Mabel, Little Mix and The Saturdays, as well as working with everyone from Headie One and AJ Tracey (yes, that's her on the hook to Ain't it Different) to Clean Bandit.

Here, over some bottled cocktails, KAMILLE talks to Straight Up all about how she went from working in the city as a stockbroker to writing some of the UK's catchiest songs, what it was like to submit tracks for queens Beyoncé and Rihanna, her experience of working with Simon Cowell as a vocal coach on the X Factor (including a sneak peak into his insane house) and launching her own successful solo artist career.

She also chats about how hard it was starting out as a black woman in the music business, the difficulties of getting your songs rejected by huge artists, and why there aren't more women in music production.

What do you do when your entire life's work gets deleted from the internet? Koby 'Posty' Hagan founded GRM Daily while studying law at university in 2009, and it went on to become the most successful youth platform in the UK, hosting thousands of rap and grime videos from a generation of black British talent and playing a part in the careers of everyone from Giggs to Stormzy. But in 2011, YouTube deleted the channel, losing 2,000 pieces of archive content – content Posty has never seen again. 

Here on Straight Up, Posty talks about how he coped during one of the most testing times in his career, building the channel back up again to what it is today, as well as launching everything from the RATED Awards to his record label, and, partnering with YouTube again for his new documentary about GRM Daily's come-up, Together We Rise. 

He also chats to Kathleen and Eleanor how GRM Daily runs day-to-day, the real reason Wiley isn't in the documentary, which stars he knew were going to blow up after seeing their first videos, and his tips and secrets for a successful business. 

How to find yourself a mentor that could change your life? How can women take charge in male dominated spaces? And how can we ensure black female executives are getting top level jobs? 

In a special live record from women's members club The AllBright in Mayfair, Straight Up speaks to two of the most important women working in music today, Taponeswa Mavunga, Head of Publicity at Columbia Records, and Claire Coster, Head of Publicity at Atlantic, about their inspiring journeys to the top of the music industry. 

Between them, Tapi and Claire have worked with everyone from Ed Sheeran and Jay Z to Wizkid, Charli XCX and Koffee, and they first met after Claire interned for Tapi, and subsequently became her mentee. 

Packed full of career advice for women across all industries, as well as insider analysis on how the music industry is adapting post MeToo and Black Lives Matter and where change is still crucial, this episode of Straight Up is a must-listen for creatives of all levels.

Stay listening until the end to hear Kathleen and Eleanor chat about their major artist interviews this month, which include Headie One, Nile Rodgers, D Double E and rising star Kamal. And, to get a sneak preview of our exciting upcoming guest!

This episode of Straight Up was sponsored by Beija London, a beautifully inclusive and empowering lingerie and swimwear brand for all cup sizes from AA up to 36H. Fans of Straight Up can get 15% off your first order by entering ‘straightup’ at checkout. Their website address is www.beija.london

Loved this episode of Straight Up? Have any suggestions for our next episode? Are you a brand wanting to chat to us about sponsorship opportunities? We'd love to hear from you: hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

What strange clauses does Ed Sheeran insist are in his management contract? What is the one unexpected item he asks for on his rider? And what really happened at Russell Crowe's house in Australia? (Clue: it involves a field of snakes.)

Stuart Camp, longterm manager to the world's most successful male recording artist, talks to Straight Up about what it's like to be Ed Sheeran's right-hand man. Stuart, who cut his teeth managing James Blunt, Lily Allen and The Darkness, is so close to Ed the star calls him dad, and even lived with him for several years.

Stuart reveals how he got his first job in the music business despite being told by his careers advisor that he should become a binman, the one skill you need to be a good manager, how he deals with mad fans and the emotional toll of looking after the physical safety and mental health of one of the world's most famous people.

Loved this episode of Straight Up? Have any suggestions for our next episode? Are you a brand wanting to chat to us about sponsorship opportunities? We'd love to hear from you: hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

What's it like to spend weeks on the road with Drake (with your nans in tow)? How to react when Fredo buys you a gas mask as a present? And what is it really like to DJ for the King and Queen themselves, Beyonce and JAY Z? 

Most importantly, how does it feel to be one of the most in-demand and respected DJs in the world? Tiffany Calver, the 25-year-old, Shropshire-born host of Radio 1Xtra's Rap Show talks to Straight Up about everything from first jobs and career disasters to owning her presence as one of the few women shaping UK rap. 

Over a couple of glasses over prosecco, Tiffany also chatted about how she overcame her imposter syndrome and why she blacklists certain lyrics from her radio show. Plus, where is really good to go out in London, which celebrity throws the best parties and what's it like to live down the road from Maya Jama?

Loved this episode of Straight Up? Have any suggestions for our next episode? Are you a brand wanting to chat to us about sponsorship opportunities? We'd love to hear from you: hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Fraser T Smith witnessed Stormzy's tug of war between the light and dark while the rapper recorded Gang Signs and Prayer, went with Dave to meet his brother in prison while recording Psychodrama, and was a shoulder to cry on for Adele while she recorded Set Fire to the Rain. Having been at the side of the UK's most successful musicians during their most vulnerable moments, Fraser shares them with Kathleen and Eleanor in this episode of Straight Up.

Over a couple of gin and tonics, Fraser also talks to Straight Up about the one song he regrets producing, the thorny issue of freedom of speech in his studio and his craziest memory with Craig David – who hired him as a backing guitarist and was then best man at his wedding. Listen in to learn all about Fraser's signature style, his favourite songs and how he became producer to the stars. 

Kathleen and Eleanor also discuss Adele's rumoured new album, the just-announced Sound of 2020 list, interviewing Wiley and Lizzo's killer chat-up line to Niall Horan.

What does a festival organiser do when there's a bomb threat beneath the main stage and a royal in the crowd? How to cope when Madonna's manager is shouting at you down the phone, when JAY Z threatens to pull out of your event, or when Eminem starts being a diva? 

What makes an artist blow up and what happens when they fall? Do artists still need press, how much do their music videos cost and who tells them off when they step out of line? 

Austin Daboh almost lost his very first job in music at the BBC, yet now he's one of the industry's most respected voices. Previously at Spotify, then Head of Editorial at Apple Music, and now Executive Vice President at Atlantic Records UK, Austin chatted to Straight Up all about his life changing career moves, what he has learned from failure along the way, and advice for all aspiring creatives.

Over his favourite drink, a Hennessy and coke, Austin also spoke to Kathleen and Eleanor about how he created Spotify's game-changing Who We Be playlist, his thoughts on cancel culture and the controversial word 'urban', meeting JAY-Z, and his most surreal career moment to date.