Singer, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Emma-Jean Thackray joins Chrystal Genesis to talk about her new album, Weirdo , an ambitious, deeply personal project written, performed, produced, mixed, and arranged entirely by Emma-Jean in her South London flat. In this episode, they discuss how grief, neurodivergence, and resilience shaped the record, which blends elements of jazz, funk, soul, grunge, and pop. They explore her early path into musicianship, how isolation and creativity ca...
Apr 24, 2025•15 min•Season 4Ep. 70
Musician and artist Goya Gumbani joins Chrystal Genesis in New York’s East Village ahead of his live show to talk sound, style, Miles Davis, and his new album, Warlord of the Weejuns . In this episode, the Brooklyn-born, South London-based artist reflects on the cultural influences behind his dreamy, laid-back record, where the storytelling of New York hip-hop meets London’s jazz edge. Recorded just after soundcheck, their conversation glides through fashion, food trucks, friendship, and family,...
Apr 11, 2025•18 min•Season 4Ep. 69
Marie Mitchell joins Chrystal Genesis at home in Harlem for a cooking lesson and conversation, drawn from her debut cookbook, KIN: Caribbean Recipes for the Modern Kitchen. In this episode, Marie teaches Chrystal how to finally master a classic Caribbean staple while sharing the stories, memories and legacy behind the food. As the daughter of Jamaican-born parents, Marie’s approach to cooking is about bringing people together through flavor, history and conversation. Her debut book KIN goes far ...
Mar 28, 2025•38 min•Season 4Ep. 68
Stance visits London to explore the Tate Gallery show The 80s: Photographing Britain with campaigner Marc Thompson. The exhibition examines how photographers used the camera to respond to the seismic social, political, and economic shifts of the era, including the rise of Thatcherism, race uprisings, and the AIDS epidemic. It highlights photography as a vital tool for social representation, cultural celebration, and artistic experimentation, spanning landscapes, self-portraiture, and social docu...
Dec 19, 2024•20 min•Season 4Ep. 67
Stance is back with singer and dancer Moonchild Sanelley as we approach our 8th year on air! In Season 4, Chrystal Genesis explores the people, places, stories, and ideas shaping our creative world. And with that, we head to South Africa to hear about Full Moon, the upcoming album from Port Elizabeth-born, Jo’burg-based singer, dancer and businesswoman Moonchild Sanelly. Born Sanelisiwe Twisha, she was raised on dance routines and church choirs and has since created a sound that’s entirely her o...
Nov 13, 2024•28 min•Season 4Ep. 66
After seven years of Stance which has spanned over 64 episodes of arts, culture and current affairs, 8 insightful Stance Takes shows, the growth of Stance Studios, multiple awards, and over 30 in-person events across the globe, we present our final show from season 3! In this episode, Chrystal Genesis takes a look at creativity, storytelling and what it means to be human through literature, music, history and culture. We speak with musician and producer Kamaal Williams who chats about his latest...
Feb 15, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 4Ep. 65
On Stance, we explore the question: what does it mean to be a Jewish person of color in America today? We chat with a range of voices from this growing demographic, in the worlds of philosophy, pop culture, community organizing, and journalism. Plus, we cover music with Jazz Musician Enji to learn more about her mesmerizing new record, Ulan. At a Sukkot celebration, a few members of the Jews of Color Initiative team, Jade Groobman, Sarah Starks and Riki Robinson, discuss their hopes, dreams and ...
Jan 19, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Season 4Ep. 64
This show explores Harlem, one of New York City’s most historic and noteworthy places. Co-hosted by special guest, Vita, she joins her mum, Stance’s host and founder Chrystal Genesis to highlight some of their favorite places. As residents of the area, they visit a handful of their favorite spots, spanning film, food and nature to uncover what continues to make Harlem one of the most distinctive pockets of NYC. Through independent filmmaking at Maysles Documentary Center, we chat with lead educa...
Dec 01, 2023•58 min•Season 4Ep. 63
How do we tap into sources of hope, compassion and humanity during such turbulent times? This episode of Stance explores this question through the lenses of philosophy, poetry, and music. Professor Lewis R. Gordon is a philosopher, musician, and historian whose areas of focus include existentialism, Africana philosophy, social and political theory, theories of race, and philosophies of liberation and education. He speaks with us about compassion, politics and power during periods of uncertainty ...
Nov 01, 2023•44 min•Season 4Ep. 62
We’re back from our summer break to bring you a special show all about the seminal funk-punk dance band, ESG. Join us on this immersive musical journey through New York City exploring the 70’s, 80’s and beyond, following ESG and their unique sound and story. Starting in the South Bronx, sisters, Valerie, Renee, Deborah, and Marie Scroggins formed ESG with Tito Libran in the late 70’s. They went on to perform across the world and record dozens of records influencing artists in all genres, with th...
Oct 01, 2023•34 min•Season 4Ep. 61
We take you to Tribeca Film Festival celebrating creative storytelling from the heart of NYC’s lower Manhattan. Chrystal Genesis interviews actors and filmmakers on the red carpet and backstage to cover some of the most exciting films and TV premiering at Tribeca. We catch up with actors including Zazie Beetz, CCH Pounder and Claire Danes to find out more about the mystery thriller TV show, Full Circle, directed by Steven Soderbergh. Prolific actor Steve Buscemi chats about his directorial proje...
Jun 30, 2023•57 min•Season 4Ep. 60
Stance visits Toronto to cover Hot Docs, the largest documentary film festival in North America, known for its bold and outspoken programming. Founded in 1993 by Canadian filmmakers and producers, the festival now showcases over 200 films from across 72 countries. While at the festival, Stance views visually arresting, thought-provoking, experimental and investigative documentaries premiering in Toronto from across the world. Chrystal Genesis interviews makers of the films including Who’s Afraid...
May 31, 2023•50 min•Season 4Ep. 59
We visit New York City’s Chinatown with culinary historian, cookbook author, and campaigner Grace Young. The largest in the US, it is known for an abundance of markets, eateries, multi-generational businesses, and independent stores serving New Yorkers and tourists from all over the world. It is home to a predominantly Chinese Asian diaspora dating back to the mid-1800s and today this area includes communities from Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and more. On a tour through the area, Grace guides Chr...
May 01, 2023•54 min•Season 4Ep. 58
Stance delves into the spiritual realm and how it manifests through the visual arts, dance, music and poetry. An ever-evolving topic, we cover the power of spirituality through ancestral connections, imagination, movement, humor and joy. To start, we speak with surrealist blues poet, aja monet on the artistic movements shaping her writing and community organizing. We discuss her upcoming poetry collection Florida Water, and album When The Poems Do What They Do. We cover writer and journalist Emm...
Apr 01, 2023•56 min•Season 4Ep. 57
Have you heard of Caste? Whether you know it well or not at all, Caste in South Asia and around the world influences everything from politics, education, media, and family relationships. It’s a system which dates back centuries and today affects around 1.9 billion people. So how do we become Caste aware? We explore this and more through the lenses of literature, tech and the arts. We speak with Mumbai based author and journalist Anindita Ghose about her highly praised debut novel The Illuminated...
Feb 28, 2023•45 min•Season 4Ep. 56
Stance is back with its sixth anniversary episode, a celebration of all things Stance loves: culture, food, music and art. In this show, Chrystal Genesis travels to the buzzing, complex and vibrant capital of Ghana: Accra. An epicenter of creativity, innovation and youth culture. While in Accra, Chrystal meets Ghanaian music collective SuperJazzClub, made up of artists, producers, filmmakers and DJs to find out more about their alternative sounds of the city. In conversation with Sandy Alibo, fo...
Feb 01, 2023•47 min•Season 4Ep. 55
Stance celebrates the summer with a live show from Glastonbury. The most iconic music and performing arts festival in the UK. Stance takes in the sounds of the festival atmosphere and speaks with Lima-born, Berlin-based producer, DJ and vocalist Sofia Kourtesis before her show at Glastonbury’s Sonic Stage. Sofia chats about her bittersweet house music, her Peruvian roots, and playing Glasto for the first time. Her recent EP Fresia Magdalena features tracks influenced by family relationships, los...
Jun 30, 2022•16 min•Season 3Ep. 54
We examine sex, desire, and pleasure through visual art, literature, culture and musical critique to uncover how black women, and women of colour, navigate their sexual needs and wants. Stance hears from Ghanaian non-fiction author Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah on her book, The Sex Lives of African Women which shares stories of over 30 African women across the continent and its diaspora. We discuss sexual expression through poetry, performance and visual art with American poet and editor of erotica Sami...
Jun 01, 2022•59 min•Season 3Ep. 53
Stance explores Island Life through music, food, culture, and literature as well as where they sit within our imaginations. From representations on telly to Sicily’s diverse culinary food history, and Haiti’s culture and politics through sound, Stance attempts to get to the roots of Island Life. We hear the arresting music of Haitian American artist Leyla McCalla, as she speaks with Stance about her new album Breaking The Thermometer. We have an energetic conversation dissecting all things White...
May 01, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Season 3Ep. 52
In light of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, we examine how narratives of war shape how we see and experience conflict. Stance explores the tropes of war, racist media coverage, war as entertainment, and the current and future issues refugees fleeing Ukraine are likely to face. Plus, the impact this has on global politics and policy with Daemeah Karbeah, the co-founder of grassroots collective @BlackPeopleInUkraine, research professor of women & militarism Cynthia Enloe, and award winning journa...
Mar 31, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 51
Stance speaks with Summer of Soul Director Questlove and highlights the innovative musicians making their mark on music right now. We discover how the arts, introspection, sound, society, and heritage influence these artists and their crafts. Grammy winner, Oscar and BAFTA nominee, director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson discusses his spellbinding and vital documentary Summer of Soul, highlighting the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. Stance speaks with London-based multidisciplinary artist Joviale abo...
Feb 28, 2022•1 hr 25 min•Season 3Ep. 50
Stance Podcast goes beyond the studio in conversation with world-renowned sculptors Antony Gormley & Nari Ward. From London and New York, they share unique, considered opinions on their own practices and each other’s work, and highlight themes at the forefront of their creativity. We cover the subversive nature of art, architecture, fatherhood, the human body, the island nations they’re from, and the role of community within their practice. It’s a powerful discussion between two visual artists w...
Jan 28, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 49
Stance Takes is back with a special show taking you around Montreal’s creative scene. Known for its independent and eclectic music and visual arts, Montreal is a striking and dynamic French speaking multicultural city. In this immersive episode where music and art collide, Stance profiles Haitian Canadian musical artist, programmer and DJ Gayance. She invites Stance into her home for pancakes and a chat about her latest EP No Toning Down, and the cross-cultural influences behind her nostalgic an...
Dec 16, 2021•51 min
Stance Takes is back covering MFest, a multi-arts festival of Muslim knowledge and creativity with Maslaha with The British Library. We bring highlights from the festival, sharing an immersive glimpse from its programme, and speak with award-winning Somali-British author Nadifa Mohamed. The Fortune Men, covers the true story of the wrongful imprisonment and execution of Mahmood Hussein Mattan, a Somali seaman, in Wales. The book is a reimagined version of Mahmood Hussein Mattan's real life. We c...
Jul 19, 2021•40 min
Stance visits The Bronx to spotlight its rich history and contemporary landscape to dissect how it’s one of the city's most unique and overlooked boroughs in New York City. Through visual art, global cuisine, and music, Stance uncovers just some of the individuals, scenes and places that make up The Bronx. For generations, The Bronx has been a point of entry for people from all over the world from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico call The Bronx their home. The birthplace of hip hop, The Bro...
Jul 01, 2021•55 min•Season 3Ep. 48
On Stance, Chrystal Genesis is joined by award-winning journalist and writer Ismail Einashe to explore the people and stories of East Africa. Inspired by migration, culture, music and history, the episode traverses through Kenya, Sudan, and Somalia, examining the contemporary hubs and ancient histories of East Africa. Starting in Kenya, we chat with political analyst and author of Travelling While Black: Essays Inspired by Life on the Move, Nanjala Nyabola about her experiences and observations ...
May 31, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Season 3Ep. 47
In this episode of Stance, Chrystal Genesis is joined by film programmer and cultural researcher Jemma Desai. T ogether they examine the practices of (Un) learning for Liberation as they h ighlight the many forms of abolitionist thinking through literature, music, activism and film. We speak with London based artist, writer and political organiser Joshua Virasami about his book How to Change It from #Merky books and Penguin, an accessible step by step guide to activism and campaigning work to pr...
Apr 30, 2021•1 hr 41 min•Season 3Ep. 46
Marking the 40th anniversary of the 1981 Brixton Uprising, Stance explores the moments leading up to the uprising and the activism that inspired it, their connections to the Windrush scandal, and the 2021 Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill and subsequent #KillTheBill protests in Bristol. Looking at the uprising through film, academia, literature, and music, we explore political activism through poetry with globally renowned Jamaican poet, Linton Kwesi Johnson. Stance delves into Soundsyst...
Mar 31, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Season 3Ep. 45
In Stance, Chrystal Genesis is joined by actor and activist Alix Wilton-Reagan to unpack pregnancy and birthing experiences right now. Bringing to the forefront women’s voices from around the world, we explore what it means to be pregnant during the pandemic with Doula Maiysha Campbell Kramer, and Positive Birthing Movement Founder and Author Milli Hill. We exchange views on pregnancy while living with a visible or invisible disability with Tania Akbarali on anxiety, on autism and neurodiversity...
Mar 01, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Season 3Ep. 44
Come with Stance to Jamaica to explore the old and new currents shaping the shifting arts and cultural scene. We speak with musicians, creatives, artists, and activists to discuss the Jamaica of today We head to the National Gallery of Jamaica to explore Jamaica Jamaica , a touring exhibition highlighting the islands fascinating and storied celebrated music history from mento to dancehall. Iconic reggae singer Judy Mowatt, a member of Bob Marley’s I-Threes, chats with us about her life’s philoso...
Feb 01, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Season 3Ep. 43
