The New Exchange with Ken Grand-Pierre

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RAKEL on a different kind of yearning

May 26, 2026

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a musician retreats to a remote area to write songs that are deeply emotive and pierce through the veil of urban modernity? You’d be forgiven for mistaking today’s guest for following that path, but it’s quite startling how much she’s actually carving out her own. RAKEL is an award-winning singer-songwriter from Iceland, whose debut album, A Place To Be, is truly unlike anything you’ve heard before. Throughout the album's 10 songs, RAKEL is reflect...

Pillow Queens & Faye (of Soda Blonde) on the friendships that brighten your life

May 19, 2026

This is without a doubt the most selfish episode of the season. Pillow Queens and Soda Blonde are my two favourite bands from Ireland, and getting an excuse to catch up with them both is a treat too good to pass up. Though they sound massively different, both of these bands have a shared ethos of human connection being paramount, along with the responsibility of facilitating spaces where that can even happen: human connection. On this episode, I’m joined by Pamela, Sarah, and Cathy of Pillow ...

Sharone Halevy on painting being a vessel for human connection (Bonus)

May 15, 2026

OK, so the intro to this episode runs the risk of being a soapbox of sorts, but when you have an artist that’s so steeped in intentionality…it’s next to impossible not to reflect on the current state of things. Sharone Halevy is an abstract expressionist painter (based here in New York) that has gone on to deeply inspire me not just from her work, but also from what that work means to her on a personal level. You see, when it comes to painting and creating art for Sharone it’s very much tied ...