Well, this is different, to say the least. A few days ago, we announced this mini-season with my friend Elyse Blennerhassett. The title of ‘From My Eyes’ will very much be about the lives and passage of time that Elyse has witnessed while working in Amman, Jordan, and the West Bank. This first episode you’re about to hear is a mixture of things, both an introduction to Elyse and the general “why” behind this project.

We mention it amongst ourselves, but as artists, as writers, as journalists, we have an innate duty to documenting the times we’re living in. To telling stories of those who are less capable of doing so and listening to those stories with open-hearts. This is the first of five conversations I had with Elyse (intro song is Pale Cerule by Ajwaa).

Welcome to From My Eyes, a new mini-season of the podcast featuring Elyse Blennerhassett. Elyse is a documentary and multimedia producer, writer, editor, and sound designer for radio, podcasts, film, and immersive spaces (she has worked with NPR, TED, BBC, etc.).

From My Eyes is a series of talks I’ve had with Elyse about her time in Amman, Jorda,n and the West Bank, where she documented the lives of Palestinian people who have been displaced by genocide. Our first conversation will be out on Thursday, January 9th.

Be sure to follow Elyse over on Instagram at betweenthebranches and to visit her website to learn more about her and her works (intro song is Pale Cerule by Ajwaa).

Even though season 8 has just wrapped, I do have one more talk to share with you this year and it’s with an old friend mine that deeply inspires me, James Vincent McMorrow. He was my season finale guest way back in season 1 and it’s funny, though he is a musician, it always feels silly to only call him that. Yes, he is a prolific songwriter, a producer and an esteemed performer, but James is also a deep thinker. That aspect of his character seeps into everything that he does, both on stage and off.

At the risk of sounding dramatic, it has become exceedingly more important than ever that we strive to learn from others. People who’ve lived different lives than us, people who’ve had different upbringings, people who have different points of view and aspirations in life. The vitality of learning from others is what has driven this podcast since day 1 and knowing that it’s connected with so many people around the globe….well that truly means the world to me.

In many ways, James journey as an artist evokes these sentiments; where the most important thing for him to do is to connect with people. For James, the best way to achieve that has been music and more importantly, crafting music in his own way; not in a way that’s dictated by algorithms. It’s obvious that this is what led to the creation of his latest album, Wide Open, Horses and in typical JVM fashion; it’s the kind of album you think you can put into a box, only for it to break the corners of that box in a ferocious fashion. It’s an absolute privilege getting to welcome him back on the podcast. Like he said the first time around “fuck these boxes that people try to place us in.”

Someone that comes up near the tail end of the talk is our dear friend Eoin French (aka Talos), who we sadly lost last summer. Eoin’s family are releasing the remainder of music that he made, with the recent release being a beautiful collection of songs called Sun Divider. You can find it on all streaming platforms. Suaimhneas síoraí, a chara.

I gotta say, this is an episode I’ve been dreaming about for a long while now. With the season finales, it’s always the hope that they’re a special send-off, and what could be better than a chat with the one and only AURORA? Among being an actual pop star, AURORA is one of my favourite people on earth. Throughout the years, I’ve been fortunate to have photographed and interviewed her for magazines, learning about how deeply she cares about the art she puts out into the world. It’s mentioned quite early on in this episode, but she’s one of my favourite people to talk to; specifically because how I always walk away from a conversation with AURORA thinking “I have a lot more to learn about life.”

Which is also what makes this talk a unique one, because that sentiment seems to be where AURORA has also found herself. Her latest album, What Happened to the Heart? features AURORA asking tough questions about herself and the world around us. It’s an exploration how even when we’re surrounded by darkness, we still need to explore it so that we can eventually reach the light. But what’s it like to ask difficult questions about yourself? What’s it like to then go and make art that reflects that journey for millions of people to hear? Those are the questions I sought to tackle with AURORA, along with having a chat about…well, life itself.

Also what a wild thing to think that this marks episode 100. All I can say about that is: thank you. This series is routinely streamed across 60+ countries a week and the continuing growth of that is something that’ll forever leave me gobsmacked.

Season 9 of the podcast will be coming at ya early Spring 2025. However, throughout the winter months I’ll be releasing a mini-season of the podcast, which will feature talks I’ve recorded with a journalist friend documenting the lives of Palestinian people in the West Bank. Be sure to be following the podcast so you don’t miss out on those episodes.

Art that reflects a lived experience is more vital than ever. Beyond allowing us an opportunity to learn about others, it also gives us the chance to have something to believe in. I find it very important to have people that I can believe in when it comes to life, and today’s guest is someone I deeply believe in; the amazing Lana Lubany. She’s a Palestinian-American pop artist who makes some of the most compelling music I’ve heard in years, and her latest EP is a shimmering example of that. It’s called YAFA, and features Lana questioning her place in the world. How the internal turmoil of having to ask oneself “Where do I belong?” can be so intense and specific to one’s journey, and yet, also starkly universal. Throughout this last bonus episode of the season, I chat with Lana about each song off YAFA and the ways they reflect where she’s been, where she’s at, and where she’s going.

There’ll be a more in-depth announcement in December, but this is a good time to share that throughout the upcoming winter months, I’ll be releasing a special mini-season of the podcast. That season will contain conversations between me and a good friend of mine who’s a journalist covering the events at the West Bank. This is going to be a very different iteration of the podcast and I’m very much looking forward to you hearing it. Be sure to follow me on Instagram at @kenamiphoto and that you’re also following the podcast wherever you stream podcasts do you don’t miss out.

I mention it within the intro for this, but holy f*cking sh*t, Jamila Woods is on my podcast. If you’re unfamiliar with her, Jamila is a supremely talented singer, writer, poet, and activist. Musically she creates these worlds where you can safely pour your emotions into. Socially, she strives for a similar feeling with how she uses her voice, her platform, and the spaces that she commands. She’s an artist that feels one of a kind on so many levels, and we’re witnessing the growth of her artistry in real time. Her latest album, Water Made Us, is that deeply personal exploration that all artists have to make but the way Jamila’s gone about it is truly next level. Throughout our conversation, we discuss the universal themes of the album, the way relationships shape all of our lives, and one of my favourite topics: celebrating the messiness of life.

It’s been a while since I’ve had a fellow photographer on the podcast, and it does bring a massive smile on my face to finally introduce you to my friend Jennifer McCord. This bonus chat with Jenny is essentially a part 2 of the Half Moon Run pod that dropped earlier this week. Jenny is a photographer primarily based in London that takes the kind of photos that makes us go “damn, I wish I took that.” She has a signature perspective and approach to her work, which is conveyed by how she captures people in stark moments of emotional intimacy. A Jennifer McCord photo is the kind of photo where you can see someone bare, but never weak. Where you can see a person conveying conviction without ever feeling forced or contrived. Throughout her career, Jenny’s toured with incredible musicians has photographed numerous celebrities in portraiture, and has become the photographer for our recent guests, Half Moon Run, where she beautifully provided creative direction for their Salt album. We chat about all that and more on this very special bonus episode of the podcast, enjoy.

If this is your first time listening to the podcast, then know I’m very excited to hear that. In many ways this chat I had with Connor and Dylan of Canadian indie band Half Moon Run feels like how I want every episode of this podcast to feel: lovers of art talking about how life influences art. Don’t get me wrong, we tend to achieve that across our episodes, but Half Moon Run is unique in how those contemplations of art and life became very do-or-die for the band. Their most recent album, Salt, is the sound of three people fully surrendering themselves to pursuing creativity. Does that sound pretentious? Fuck yeah, it does, but the end result of them doing that is an album that’s both fun to listen to and massively transcendent. It’s easily their most complete body of work, and this episode centers around that journey; particularly how it was a transformative experience for the band.

Also a heads up, later this week there’ll be a bonus episode dropping with Jennifer McCord, my dear friend and the bands photographer. Be sure to be following the podcast so you don’t miss out on that release.