Hey friends, welcome to my podcast miniseries. I'm a massive fan of podcasts, even more so over the past year, and so I wanted to do something special for my new EP 'Secrets I'll Never Tell' and create this series of conversations to go alongside it. A companion piece you could say. Each week for the next seven weeks, I'll be chatting to different performers, creatives and inspiring people about stories in their lives, vulnerabilities, sexuality, identity, mental health and loads more. There'll be some live performances, some laughter, maybe a few tears, and hopefully some really valuable conversations for you to enjoy that focus on some of the themes of 'Secrets I'll Never Tell' and beyond.

This week’s guests are two incredible talents, MNEK and Leo Kalyan. MNEK is a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and producer who has written for some of the biggest names in pop, as well as releasing his own debut album ‘Language’ in 2018. Leo is also an incredible singer, songwriter and producer who co-wrote ‘Head & Heart’ with MNEK which went to number one last year, as well as releasing his own EPs ‘Outside In,’ and ‘The Edge’ which explore his identity as a gay Muslim musician. We spoke about how the pandemic has affected their work, being a queer musician in 2021, and loads more. I loved having this chat, and I hope you enjoy listening!

This episode was recorded during lockdown in London, April 2021

Leo Kalyan - Outside In & The Edge

https://open.spotify.com/album/1nqf27BW5Sxt6QCr6NttWL?si=grv5uxNbTcGAeI1je-PylA&dl_branch=1

https://open.spotify.com/album/3byA6p8V6wjD97v5xfgYGh?si=Cw0Q9Z-fSzGa6EIDPXsy4w&dl_branch=1

MNEK - Language

https://open.spotify.com/album/1Savte5xUnDV7zXpzpf4AR?si=p8syIJVgRHGwitDgJQLJ_w&dl_branch=1

Lil Nas X - (Montero) Call Me By Your Name

https://youtu.be/6swmTBVI83k

Artwork by Katie Cairns, Mixed by Ruby Smith, Music by Benedict Cork & Paul Stanborough