Creator Tales | K A J U Creative: Recent Episodes
Kaju Creative
A traveling podcast where we talk with creators and artists about getting their work out into the world, the successes and challenges, and how they survive and thrive.
Creator Tales is currently focused on creatives in South Asia.
Sashi Perera is a Sri Lankan Australian comedian, writer and recovering lawyer. In 2023, she was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for her debut show 'Endings' which sold out its runs in Australia and the UK. The improviser and yarn spinner was featured as 'One to Watch' at the UK Funny Women Awards and hits stages around the world in 2024 with her second show 'Boundaries'. She is one of Australia's fastest rising comedians with over 50 million views on social media. Links: https://www.instagram.com/sashbomb/https://www.instagram.com/dylanjprinshttps://www.instagram.com/kaju_creative/https://www.kajucreative.net/
Imraan Paleker is a songwriter, composer, producer and session musician based in London, UK. He primarily works as a session musician, co-writer and co-producer with UK based artists including Jordan Rakei, Barney Artist, Priya Ragu and a handful of others. As a session musician, Imraan has toured globally performing music he has written and produced for the past 15 years. He has also produced, released and toured his own music under his solo project "Street Rat", having released the self made EP "This Dance" and his debut album "Nothing As It Seems", demonstrating a powerful blend of modern soul and alternative rock with jazz and electronic sensibilities.Imraan was previously based in Brisbane, Australia where he worked non stop with many local artists as a session player and as a producer. He also worked as a session player for television composers and worked as a composer for a handful of contemporary art performances.https://linktr.ee/streetratmusichttps://www.instagram.com/streetratmusic/https://www.instagram.com/dylanjprins/https://www.instagram.com/kaju_creative/--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kajucreative/message
Nadiah "NfuZion" is Australia’s first and only internationally recognised freelance dancer, educator and choreographer who specialises in Dancehall, various styles from the Africandiaspora, and House, currently based between Australia and Europe.
Born in Naarm and raised in Malaysia in a South African & Malaysian household, Nadiah relocated back to Australia in 2005 and began her professional career in Meanjin in 2008.Since 2015 she has taken her career beyond its borders to acquire, share and exchange knowledge globally. In addition to being a movement artist, Nadiah is a creative entrepreneur having launched her own event production and talent management company, Nfuze Events, as well as aniche dance hub dedicated to African and Caribbean street dance styles called Rhythm and Roots Movement. Nadiah is also an emerging DJ. Nadiah is a member of Paris based house and all styles crew, Paradox-sal; and Pantsulacrew, Via Vyndal Pantsulas from Johannesburg.Nadiah is a passionate culture keeper and community ambassador constantly striving to inspire, empower, educate, elevate and foster collaborations. Her passion, generosity, and authenticity are palpable and shine through in every aspect of her profession.https://www.instagram.com/nadiahnfuzionhttps://www.instagram.com/nfuze.events/https://www.instagram.com/rnr_movement/
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Allirah Fisher is a proud Ewamian, Cobble Cobble, Birri and South-Sea Islander Woman, Sister and Mother. Born and raised in the outer suburbs of Meanjin, Allirah has always had strong passions and values within the social justice and the creative arts realms. Allirah has worked within the Indigenous health, community development and social service spaces while channeling her artistic expression through ceremony, performance, choreography and facilitation. More recently, Allirah is developing her own aspirations as a creative entrepreneur as the Founding member of The First Creatives and Co-Founder of Yir'un-Yalangi Womens Healing. Interconnecting her experience and passion in both social work and creative arts, Allirah creates safe-spaces for First Nations stories and experiences to be shared and explored at a grassroots level to develop artistic work that is transformative for both the storytellers and listeners. With strong values for breaking the cycle of intergenerational trauma, Allirah is using her purpose to empower First Nations communities to move to a place of healing through creative expression and re-claiming of our traditional practices.
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Sudhesh Somu is a proud Queenslander who arrived in Australia as an asylum seeker from Sri Lanka. His life experience and community development background drives his passion for supporting disadvantaged Indigenous youth, and combating family violence through men's behaviour change programs. Sudesh longs to have the love for his state of Queensland to be reflected back to him.
IG rollcall:
https://www.instagram.com/sudhesh_somu/https://www.instagram.com/kaju_creative/https://www.instagram.com/dylanjprins/
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French - Brazilian local artist, Melissa Cambon, is multilingual, not only in several spoken languages but also eloquently expresses herself through weaving, singing, writing, illustrating and dancing. Melissa’s artistic practices connects her to her French – Brazilian cultural roots, having been inspired by her grandmother’s many forms of arts and crafts and supported by her father throughout her studies in Art and Design in Guadeloupe (French Caribbean) and Textile Design in Nîmes (France). However, she found the industrial orientation of her formal studies suppressed her personal creativity.
Returning to her cultural roots through drawing and music also reconnected to her own intuitive expression and became her medicine. Travelling Australia since her arrival in …. She fell in love with its First Nations people, its amazing landscapes and wildlife, guiding her unfurling life journey of art and connection which has her currently settling and creating in the Sunshine Coast hinterlands.
You will find Melissa performing solo or with her band Solua, performing roving with Circus tribe.
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Niyi Adepoyibi is a recording engineer/ producer facilitating audio creations from countless record labels, independent artists and media networks.
Not content just behind the scenes, he has also worked as a session musician with artists spanning the full spectrum of styles - partaking in domestic & international tours, in addition to performing for theatre shows and film soundtracks.
Safe to say, he likes...sound
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Sartika is an Indonesian-Australian vocalist who champions the warmest corners of R&B with her intimate, relatable songwriting. Relocating to Brisbane as an adolescent, she honed her skills by busking at festivals and markets, later working with producers and artsts like Nerve, JK-47 and Jay Orient as well as the local collectives SHOKU, Spare Time and NO.ONE NETWORK. As a solo artist and a member of supergroup BBTK, she has performed at Rabbits Eat Lettuce, Yonder Festival, and countless gigs across Queensland. Online, she has earned a healthy following for her live loop covers of classic R&B songs, where she flexes her additional skills as a producer and multi-instrumentalist. Through her emotive music, Sartika hopes to champion Indonesian culture while also healing and empowering women.
A podcast from Kaju Creative, Hosted by Dylan Prins
IG rollcall
@sartikamusic
@kaju_creative
@dylanjprins
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Janaki Gerard is an actor, writer and singer from Brisbane who has worked in London and New York City. Janaki was a top twenty finalist in the Stellar South Asian Women of 2022 Australia. At present Janaki is performing in “Proof” with Ad Astra Theatre Company. In August she will be part of the original cast for the world premiere of “Item” presented by Dance Masala & Metro Arts Theatre. Her mission for the future is to develop more platforms & projects for South Asian creatives in Australia.
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Growing up on an island population of 2,500 people, Sachém holds both ancestral ties to Noonuccal (Stradbroke Island) and African American with his family roots currently leading to Florida. His story, experience and approach to music are ones that the Australian community has not seen before - reflecting both front-line First Nation / African American perspectives within the Australian environment and a deep understanding of the hip-hop community and its culture.
In this conversation, Sachém shares challenges he faced growing up whilst always having to perform on the sports fields. He shows a lot of love here for his partner and creative communities including Tom Thum, Kyle, Nerve & No.One Network, Luka Lesson, Obscure Orchestra, Jimblah and his new home, Elefant Traks and their A+R Jannah.
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Sitting down today is SAIE - A DJ, producer, and musician from Meanjin. With strong classical, cultural and urban influences, he explores multiple genres of music and roles as a performer, producer and composer. Starting to learn the Tabla (Indian percussion instrument) at 8 years old, his passion for music grew stronger expanding to multiple eastern and western instruments. In High School he started producing music and since has worked on multiple projects as a producer / engineer. DJ’ing started as a hobby in his late teens, but eventually became a big passion of his and he has quickly grown into the Australian DJ scene. SAIE combines all of his musical roles and skills in the different projects he participates in. He is working on creating his own sound and planning to release his own original music in 2023.
We get into his creative upbringing, starting out DJing in COVID times and just how much music hustle this 20 year old has.
A podcast from Kaju Creative, Hosted by Dylan Prins
IG rollcall
@saiegram
@kaju_creative
@dylanjprins
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Aunty Chantay Link is a Gooreng Gooreng, Kabi Kabi woman and Australian South Sea Islander who has grown up in the inner-city suburbs of Meajjin/Brisbane, a proud Brisbane Black. She is passionate about women and family living in violent free homes and communities. Chantay has continued to practice and participate in healing circles on country and have shared this knowledge with other Aboriginal women in finding their pathway living with trauma. "I know there is so much more to learn, and this is a wonderful opportunity to share and learn".
She is among four grass-roots First Nations Women who have been invited to attend the 'Healing our Spirit' Global Indigenous Gathering in Canada. They are currently crowdfunding via the link below and Monday nights BAP class.
Gofundme First Nations Women travel to Healing Gathering
Book a Bring a Plate Class for Monday 17th April here
A podcast from Kaju Creative, Hosted by Dylan Prins
IG rollcall
@chantayella
@kaju_creative
@dylanjprins
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Aurora is a Meanjin based Arrernte-Afro-Carribean multidisciplinary artist. Her music (SOLCHLD), spoken word poetry, performance and playwriting explored the liminal space she occupies in her experience. Addressing themes such as identity, decolonisation, healing, home and relationships. Aurora maps the journey as she walks it, offering the lessons learnt along the way.
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Sitting down this week is Rudy Matoy - a being who’s dedicated his life too healing through many forms but mostly through singing and song writing. From the guidance of his old people Rudy has found himself travelling whilst weaving together language to help him communicate to a broader audience of people and their experiences. Through his music he hopes to apply these lessons and reflect in people the importance of healing through love and innerstanding. We go deep and wide in this episode and have some profound reflections. Rudy's debut single, LOST is out now.
Stream LOST here.
A podcast from Kaju Creative, Hosted by Dylan Prins
IG rollcall
@rudymatoy@kaju_creative@dylanjprins
Navin Kirubairajah was uprooted from Malaysia as a 16 year old and dropped into Pauline Hanson era South East Queensland along with his family. Despite this, he experienced a warm welcome in Logan where multiculturalism was still new and novel at the time. After going down the conventional south asian path in finance, he took a turn into startups then a COVID pause led him into Sustainable Transport and Micro Mobility.
A podcast from Kaju Creative, Hosted by Dylan Prins
IG rollcall
@navinrk@kaju_creative@dylanjprins
Huda the Goddess is the 2022 Australian Poetry Slam Champion and the subject of the Kaju Creative Documentary "Black Word Rising" which is currently in post production. In this episode, we get a sneak peak into how she never planned to win and deep dive into some of the journey of being on tour and the challenges portrayed in the film. This episode largely plays out as a monologue, as sometimes the only response you can have is finger snaps or a smile. We end things with an incredible improvised poem that sums up the themes of the conversation.
A podcast from Kaju Creative, Hosted by Dylan Prins
IG rollcall
@hudathegoddes@kaju_creative@dylanjprins
Today we sit down with Aleea Monsour, a Lebanese Australian artist and community theatre practitioner from Meanjin (Brisbane). She is passionate about the power of theatre and the arts as an agent for change and being able to engage with people from all walks of life. Her work includes:Brown Church, The Neighborhood, The Time is Now and Remembering Palestine.A podcast from Kaju Creative, Hosted by Dylan PrinsIG rollcall@aleeamonsour@kaju_creative@dylanjprins
Today we sit down with Chris Jay - a Reggae Soundsystem founder, community event organiser and facilitator who moved here from the UK many years ago. Chris talks me through a history of soundsystem culture, reggae music, and spins a few vinyls in the conversation including the first record he ever made, back in 1994.
A podcast from Kaju Creative, Hosted by Dylan Prins
IG rollcall
@championsoundaustralia
@kaju_creative
@dylanjprins
Today we sit down with David Raj Lawrence, a Drum and Bass DJ and mixed media artist based here in Meanjin. We find out what the mixed heritage diasporic experience was like for him in three different countries and what I enjoyed about this conversation was that we got to challenge each other's comfort zones. A content warning, discussions of racism here include the use of racist slurs, in the context of retelling experiences and examining internalised racism.
A podcast from Kaju Creative, Hosted by Dylan Prins
IG rollcall
@davidrajlawrence@kaju_creative@dylanjprins
Today we sit down with Kalpana Prasad, a Dancer and movement facilitator based here in Meanjin, we learn about the depths of creating a major work for Brisbane Festival, we dive deep into whitewashing and brown identity - she teaches me about snapchat, and Kalpana shows that us brown dudes - we’ve got a lot to answer for.
A podcast from Kaju Creative, Hosted by Dylan Prins
IG rollcall
@kalpanabanana
@kaju_creative
Today we sit down with Siki Daha, an artist largely know for his music, but who wears many hats with ease. We find what it’s like to not find yourself represented in an industry which wants to put you in little boxes to make you palatable for mass consumption, and also tap into the challenges of doing it your own way. We have a special guest in this episode, which is a neighbourly angle grinder that popped up just after we hit record. Enjoy.
A podcast from Kaju Creative
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@sikidaha
@kaju_creative
Welcome to the Creator Tales podcast Episode 1 featuring Marta Del Grandi in Kathmandu, Nepal.
We talk about relocating yourself halfway across the world, representation in music, the deep music scene here in Nepal and setting up your own booking agency to support local and touring musicians.
We also talk about being an Artist in Nepal and Europe, Sofar Sounds, Producing music independently, She Said So India, Photo KTM Festival and some of Martas Projects : WASP (We All Should Play) and The Fossick Project.
This episode was recorded at Kaalo 101 in Patan and features a few growling cats somewhere in the middle for your enjoyment.
To see the video version of this Podcast head to www.kajucreative.net
Marta's Photo Credit - Leon De Backer