Podcast Summary: All Of It with Alison Stewart – Yazmin Lacey Previews 'Teal Dreams' (Listening Party)

Date: October 7, 2025
Guest: Yazmin Lacey, vocalist and artist
Host: Alison Stewart
Podcast: All Of It (WNYC)

Episode Overview

This episode of All Of It features British vocalist Yazmin Lacey as she previews her new album Teal Dreams. In a relaxed "listening party" format, Yazmin discusses the creation process, artistic inspirations, and personal stories behind the album’s intimate and soulful tracks. Listeners are treated to exclusive plays of both released and unreleased songs, as well as insights into Yazmin’s evolving artistry, collaboration, and her roots in Caribbean and British musical culture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Making of Teal Dreams

• Fastest Record to Date: After her 2023 debut Voice Notes, Yazmin dove quickly into making Teal Dreams (02:22–02:56).

  “This is the quickest that a record has ever come together for me.” – Yazmin Lacey (02:22)

• Refined Process:

  “Before I was like writing the songs and then recording it almost straight away on my... by myself. But this time I was like learning the songs a lot and really pushed my writing this time and like refined stuff a lot more.” – Yazmin Lacey (03:00)

• Collaborated closely with producers who challenged her to improve her writing and storytelling (03:38).

2. Inspirations and Themes

• Late-Night Realizations: Many tracks grew from ideas that surfaced just before sleep—reflective moments of privacy and vulnerability (04:05–04:52).
• Danielle McKinney’s Art: Inspired by the work of painter Danielle McKinney, especially a painting of a Black woman in a teal room that resonated with Yazmin’s own bedroom and creative space (04:11–04:46).
• The album’s 14 tracks are shaped by this dreamlike, introspective nightly energy.

3. Culture, Roots, and Lovers Rock

• "Rubbing off the wallpaper": This lyric references old Caribbean blues parties held by Yazmin’s family, evoking memories and culture from the Windrush generation (06:07–06:44).

  “If you were like, whining against the wall with your lover that, you know, it's like the phrase means that, you know, maybe you were dancing so hard against the wall that the wallpaper started to come off.” – Yazmin Lacey (06:29)

• Lovers Rock Genre Explored: Yazmin pays homage to the British/Caribbean genre that shaped her musical upbringing (08:08).

  “Lovers Rock is an amalgamation, actually... A lot of Lovers Rock was made in London, but it's also from Jamaica.” – Yazmin Lacey (08:08)

• The Wallpaper music video was directed by Yazmin herself, featuring real-life couples to capture authentic intimacy (08:53).

4. Songwriting and Collaboration

• Testing Music in the Car: Yazmin always listens back to her masters in her car to mimic hearing it on the radio (09:40–10:07).

  “It's like I want to, you know, cheat myself into thinking that it's come on the radio and see how I feel about it.” – Yazmin Lacey (09:42)

• Knowing When a Song is Finished:

  “I think sometimes you just have to let go.” – Yazmin Lacey (10:11)

• Chose a chronological track order to preserve the lived sequence of each song’s story, rather than for sonic flow (10:52–11:38).

5. Vulnerability and Female Friendship: “Water” ft. Tyson

• “Water” is described as the most vulnerable song on the album, reflecting on aging, expectations, and the support of female friends (11:50–13:08).

  “I turned 37 this year, and in my mind, I was like, you know, I had this, like, wobbly moment of, like, thinking I would be in this different place. A partner and a house and all, and all these things and a baby. And I felt really lonely and isolated about it.” – Yazmin Lacey (11:57)

• Tyson, a close friend and featured artist, joined Yazmin in expressing personal truths about life changes and friendship after motherhood (14:13–15:55).

  “I think that the best music you can make comes from this, this, this bond. Right.” – Yazmin Lacey (14:50)

6. Roots in East London and Nottingham

• Yazmin’s journey from East London, through creative discovery in Nottingham, and her eventual return to London is recounted (16:02–16:53).

  “Nottingham is special... it was the place that gave me a safe space to create.” – Yazmin Lacey (16:20)

• Live performance at Brooklyn's Café Erzoul to mark the album's release, with many new songs being performed live for the first time (17:06–17:40).

7. Visuals and Artistic Expression

• The album cover's teal setting and butterfly reference both Danielle McKinney’s art and Yazmin’s dreamy, late-night creative “safe space” (18:42–19:32).

  “It's just inviting everybody come sit on the couch for me. Do you know what I mean? Me and my dreamy little world. Come, come share this with me.” – Yazmin Lacey (19:20)

8. Humorous and Personal Moments

• End of “Love is like the ghetto” includes a voice note candidly dropped into the final track as an inside joke (“the ting set”)—a nod to Caribbean slang and the relaxed friendship with her producer Mellow Z (20:00–20:27).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments with Timestamps

• “I did a lot of, like, you know, soaking it all in and then just regurgitated it really quickly.” – Yazmin Lacey on her creative process (02:47)
• “These are not just like voice noted ideas. They're ideas that have been worked on.” – Yazmin Lacey (03:38)
• “That time of night has always been really important to my creativity. I sort of made a promise as well this time…if you get one of those ideas before you fall asleep, you need to get up, write it down.” – Yazmin Lacey (04:52)
• “Because the song is about these intimate moments between two people, and I wanted to capture that.” – Yazmin Lacey on the Wallpaper video (09:03)
• “I just. I don't know. I've done that every single record I've ever once is complete…listen to the masters in the car.” – Yazmin Lacey (10:07)
• “I turned 37 this year…partner and a house and all these things and a baby. And I felt really lonely and isolated about it.” – Yazmin Lacey on vulnerability in "Water" (11:57)
• “I think that the best music you can make comes from this, this, this bond. Right.” – Yazmin Lacey on collaboration with Tyson (14:50)
• “Nottingham…was the place that gave me a safe space to create.” – Yazmin Lacey (16:20)
• “It's just inviting everybody come sit on the couch for me…Come, come share this with me.” – Yazmin Lacey on the album’s visual aesthetic (19:20)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening/Intro & Lead Single “Ain’t I Good For You”: 00:09–01:52
• Teal Dreams Creation Process: 02:16–03:56
• Late-Night Realizations & Inspirations: 04:05–05:48
• Meaning of “Wallpapers” & Lovers Rock Discussion: 06:07–08:47
• Visuals & Wallpaper Music Video: 08:51–09:28
• Finishing Songs & Album Track Order: 09:34–11:38
• Unreleased Track “Water” & Collaboration with Tyson: 11:50–15:57
• Roots in East London/Nottingham: 16:02–16:53
• Performing Teal Dreams Live: 17:06–17:40
• Album Cover & Artistic Vision: 18:42–19:48
• Unreleased Track “Love is like the ghetto”: 19:48–21:34

Conclusion

This episode offers an intimate, in-depth exploration of Yazmin Lacey’s artistry, her creative evolution, and the deeply personal inspirations behind Teal Dreams. From late-night revelations to cultural homages and raw vulnerability, Yazmin invites listeners to “come sit on the couch” and share in her dreamy, soulful world. The episode weaves together exclusive new music, candid conversation, and a celebration of both artistry and community.