If you’ve been following me here on the Worldwide Underground, you know I’ve been planning to launch a podcast for the last several weeks. A place for long-form interviews and conversations with artists across all mediums, community members who inspire me on a regular basis, and pieces of my own story shared in a different way. I also think of it as an evolution of some of the work I wanted to do in my time at KEXP.
But with everything happening in Palestine these last few weeks, I haven’t wanted to share anything that takes attention away from what’s happening in Gaza right now.
So with that in mind, I reached out to a ton of artists who have spoken up in the last few weeks, to see if they can share their thoughts on just one question:
What does solidarity mean for us, as artists in this time?
Getting to hear everyone’s responses these past few days has been so encouraging, and I’m excited to share this first episode of the podcast with you. Whether you’ve been feeling isolated, burnt-out, confused, at a loss, or just could use some inspiration this week, this one is for you.
In true Worldwide Underground fashion, the artists featured here span several different genres, mediums, locations and generations.
Peace to Ladybug Mecca of Digable Planets, Tef Poe, Ijeoma Oluo, Jackie Venson, Kimmortal, Alsarah, Meklit, Nikkita Oliver, Calina Lawrence, Quetzal, Maya Jupiter, Favianna Rodriguez, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, and Khingz for all lending their voices to this first episode.
All of us share one thing: We want an immediate ceasefire and an end to the apartheid state. Free Palestine. Free Gaza.
What solidarity means for artists today