Welcome to our first ever podcast, Growing up with gal-dem. Over the course of season 5 Natty Kasambala and Niellah Arboine invite a different guest to respond to old diary entries, text messages, or letters from their younger selves – nurturing important conversations about growing up.

We’re back with season 5 of growing up with gal-dem, welcoming our new host Niellah Arboine!

This week, we’re kicking off with a bang with incredible artist Cat Burns, celebrating introspection, self-care and self-respect in the wake of her incredible new single Into You.

Looking back on an iPhone note recorded in lockdown, Cat, Natty and Nie discuss what it means to hold yourself to a higher standard, the strength we can draw from voicing your opinions, the sacred space that is the Notes app, and how we can treat ourselves as gently and carefully as we would our best friends.

If you haven’t already listened to Into You, listen through here or watch the incredible video released this week here.

S5 Ep 1 – Cat Burns Transcript

Welcome back to Growing up with gal-dem, this week we’re joined by Lila Iké, genre-bending artist whose work touches reggae, hip hop and R&B. Joining us from Jamaica, Lila’s extract reads from an old Facebook bio written when she was 15. Reflecting on the wisdom and foresight she shared as a teenager 12 years ago, Lila talks through existential teenage thoughts and feelings, grounding yourself as a musician, and the importance of mentorship, friendship and collaboration in creative practices.

Speaking from shared experiences as Existential Teens™, Natty, Nie, and Lila talk about growing up online, what it meant to post “into the void”, and what wisdom we can take from our younger selves – no matter how or where we shared it.

You can catch Lila Iké at City Splash in Beckenham this September, tickets via Eventbrite here. 

S5 Ep 2 – Lila Iké Transcript