Podcast
Stance Podcast with Chrystal Genesis
Hosted by Stance Podcast · EN
Stance is an independent award-winning arts, culture and current affairs podcast run by New York based journalist and curator Chrystal Genesis.
An episode is released on the 1st of every month.
Stance is produced by Chrystal Genesis, Zara Martin and Saskia Sewell.
stancepodcast.com @stancepodcast
Guests so far include musicians Four Tet, Jamila Woods, Róisín Murphy, Amber Mark, Caribou, Kaytranada, Jessie Ware, Tricky and Nao, authors Yaa Gyasi, Sayaka Murata, Elif Shafak & Valeria Luiselli, lawyer and campaigner Gina Miller, politician Bobi Wine, poets Fatimah Asghar, John Cooper Clarke & Kae Tempest, actor Riz Ahmed, Me Too founder Tarana Burke, playwrights Inua Ellams & Natasha Gordon, writer and activist Janet Mock, choreographers Akram Khan, Deborah Colker and Hofesh Shechter, fashion designer Duro Olowu and visual artists Shirin Neshat, Larry Achiampong, The Singh Twins & Juliana Huxtable.
Topics covered include Is This for Real?, Black in the Time of Corona, Manchesters LGBTQ+ Story, On Beauty, The Class Ceiling in the Arts, Modern Mumbai, Sex, The Female Prison Experience, Revolutionary Mothering, Demystifying Yoga and Donald Glover's Atlanta. Stance loves to explore and has visited locations including Mumbai in India, Colombo in Sri Lanka, Bergen in Norway, Paris in France and New York, LA & Philadelphia in the US in search of original stories and fresh perspectives.
Stance was awarded Bronze for Best Current Affairs at The British Podcast Awards 2020. Stance won Best Arts & Culture Show and Rising Star in the Mixcloud Online Radio Awards 2018, nominated for Best Arts and Culture and Best Current Affairs as part of the British Podcast Awards 2019, included in The Observer and The Times annual Best Podcasts list, and has been Podcast of the Week in publications including The FT, Grazia, The Guardian and The Independent.
Join the conversation @stancepodcast @chrystalgenesis on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Don't forget to subscribe and review! StancePodcast.com
Music by Rikette Genesis and Stance branding by Edward Vince
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Ep. 74: Musician José González on Against the Dying of the Light
4w ago00:24:43Tap to summarizeJosé González joins Chrystal Genesis to discuss his fifth studio album, Against the Dying of the Light. Born in Sweden and raised by Argentine parents, González has spent over two decades crafting introspective, emotionally resonant music that blends folk, classical guitar traditions and poetic songwriting. In this wide-ranging conversation, they discuss language, identity, and the role music can play during politically and socially fractured times. Together, they explore multilingual songwriting, Swedish and Argentine cultural influences, the spiritual quality often associated with his work, and how ideas around human flourishing, collaboration, and resistance shape the new album. The episode also touches on audience loyalty, artistic evolution, weather and geography as creative forces, and the guitar techniques and global musical traditions woven throughout his sound. If you like what you heard, please leave a review, subscribe, and explore more at stancepodcast.com and on socials @stancepodcast. Stance is Hosted by Chrystal Genesis and Produced by Etay Zwick. Music Referenced In This Podcast & Show Notes: Sheet Pajarito Against the Dying of the Light A Perfect Storm For Every Dusk José González Bandcamp José González Website José González IG A Perfect Storm (Official Music Video)
Transcribe →
Ep. 73: Inside Kokomo w/ Ria and Kevol Graham on Caribbean Food and Hospitality
Jan 700:20:29Tap to summarizeRia and Kevol Graham join Chrystal Genesis for cocktails and conversation at Kokomo, their family-run, acclaimed Caribbean restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Partners in life and work, the couple talk about opening Kokomo just before the Covid pandemic and building a hospitality business while raising three children in New York City. They discuss Caribbean food as layered and plural rather than singular, their approach to hospitality as an extension of family, and how community, multicultural identity, care, and creativity shape the Kokomo experience. Ria and Kevol reflect on blending Caribbean heritage with New York life, developing a menu connected to memory and experimentation, creating a space that brings people together, and how hospitality can function as a form of cultural storytelling. They also speak about the Kokomo Foundation and their fundraising efforts in support of Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa. This is a lively conversation about food, family, partnership, heritage, creativity and what comes next for Kokomo. If you like what you heard, please leave a review, subscribe, and explore more at stancepodcast.com and on socials @stancepodcast. Stance is Hosted by Chrystal Genesis and Produced by Etay Zwick. Referenced In This Podcast & Show Notes: Kokomo website Kokomo Foundation Kokomo IG
Transcribe →
Ep. 72: Visual Artist Brittney Leeanne Williams on Color, the Body, and the Art of Presence
Nov 2500:27:26Tap to summarizeArtist Brittney Leanne Williams joins Chrystal Genesis to talk about her evocative figurative work, where architecture, landscape, and color blur together, and the body opens into a space of transcendence, memory, revelation, suffering and the mystical. Based in Los Angeles and born in Pasadena, Brittney has steadily built a reputation as one of today's most exciting, thoughtful figurative painters. In this wide-ranging conversation, they discuss how Brittney explores spirituality and how she uses the color red as a signal for the Black experience. They trace the evolution of her practice, from portals and prayer to layered storytelling that engages with presence, absence and witnessing. Along the way, they reflect on her early years in Pasadena, her formative time in Chicago, and how nature, along with her personal and cultural history, informs her work. Together, they dig into the creative process, the role of mystery in painting and the questions Brittney is currently asking herself in the studio. This episode is an engaging and intimate look into the mind of an artist shaping contemporary figurative painting with spiritual depth, color and narrative complexity. If you like what you heard, please leave a review, subscribe, and explore more at stancepodcast.com and on socials @stancepodcast. Stance is Hosted by Chrystal Genesis and Produced by Etay Zwick. Referenced In This Podcast & Show Notes: Brittney Leeanne Williams website Brittney Leeanne Williams IG Alexander Berggruen gallery
Transcribe →
Ep. 71: Artist and DJ Elijah on Independence, Creativity, and Closing the App.
Jun 3000:34:54Tap to summarizeWriter, DJ, lecturer and creative provocateur Elijah joins Chrystal Genesis to talk about his new book Close The App, Make The Ting: Transformative Prompts For The Modern Artist. In this wide-ranging conversation, they chat about how his Yellow Squares project has grown from Instagram prompts into a global project of installations, lectures, billboards, and collaborations. They dig into his early story in London's independent music and art scenes, co-founding influential grime label Butterz, his thoughts on his Jamaican heritage, and the complex beauty of Black British identity. Together, they chat about creative sustainability, echo chambers, and how embracing friction and feedback can power visionary work. This episode is a fabulous dive into ideas built to push culture forward. If you like what you heard, please leave a review, subscribe, and explore more at stancepodcast.com and on socials @stancepodcast. Stance is Hosted by Chrystal Genesis and Produced by Etay Zwick. Referenced In This Podcast & Show Notes: Butterz Linktree Elijah IG Make The Ting by Elijah & Jammz
Transcribe →
Ep. 70: Singer and Multi-Instrumentalist Emma-Jean Thackray on Owning Her Inner Weirdo
Apr 24, 202500:14:41Tap to summarizeSinger, 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 came together in the making of Weirdo, and why embracing your weirdness can create a powerful sense of self. The conversation touches on vulnerability, community, and finding your home in music, with tracks from Weirdo, out now via Brownswood Recordings and Parlophone Records, featured throughout. If you like what you heard, please leave a review, subscribe, and explore more at stancepodcast.com and on socials @stancepodcast. Stance is Hosted by Chrystal Genesis and Produced by Etay Zwick. Referenced In This Podcast & Show Notes: Wanna Die by Emma-Jean Thackray It's Okay by Emma-Jean Thackray feat. Kassa Overall Black Hole by Emma-Jean Thackray feat. Reggie Watts Maybe Nowhere by Emma-Jean Thackray
Transcribe →
Ep. 69: Style, Sound & Self-Expression w/ Musician & Artist Goya Gumbani
Apr 11, 202500:18:01Tap to summarizeMusician 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, with Warlord of the Weejuns, out via Ghostly International, threaded throughout. The album features contributions from Fatima, Yaya Bey, Joe Armon-Jones, and more, and is a meditation on self-expression, Black cultural lineage, and the quiet power of doing things your way. If you like what you heard, please write us a review, subscribe and check out more of our work at stancepodcast.com and all podcasting apps & socials @stancepodcast This podcast was hosted by Chrystal Genesis and produced by Lauren Davies & Etay Zwick. Referenced In This Podcast & Show Notes Goya Gambani IG Buy Goya Gumbani's Music Here Music Used In This Podcast: Driftin' Interlude feat. Pearl De Luna by Goya Gumbani. Beautiful BLACK by Goya Gumbani. Chase the Sunrise feat. Yaya Bey & lojii & Fatima by Goya Gumbani. Manuva(s) feat. Joe Armon-Jones by Goya Gumbani. FireFly feat. Fatima by Goya Gumbani. Nothin' to Say by Goya Gumbani.
Transcribe →
Ep. 68: Cooking, Culture & Caribbean Cuisine w/ Chef Marie Mitchell
Mar 28, 202500:37:51Tap to summarizeMarie 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 beyond the usual jerk chicken with rice and peas, weaving together more than 80 recipes from saltfish fritters and aubergine curry to dumplings, pineapple punch and provisions, alongside essays and reflections that trace cultural connections across histories, geographies and generations. Over the stove and around the table, Chrystal and Marie explore the many layers of Caribbean cuisine, from the role of intuitive cooking to the importance of honoring the past while making space for the future. KIN marks the beginning of a longer journey, spotlighting the dishes, subtleties and often-overlooked stories that shape Caribbean food. If you like what you heard, please write us a review, subscribe and check out more of our work at stancepodcast.com and all podcasting apps @stancepodcast This podcast was produced by Etay Zwick. Presented by Chrystal Genesis. Referenced In This Podcast & Show Notes KIN Cookbook Marie Mitchell Website
Transcribe →
Ep.67: Exploring Tate Britain's 80s Exhibition Through a Black Queer Lens w/ Campaigner Marc Thompson
Dec 19, 202400:19:51Tap to summarizeStance 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 documentary during this pivotal and highly creative period. Marc Thompson, a Brixton-born cultural leader and prominent British campaigner with over three decades of experience in HIV activism and education, joins Chrystal for a tour of Tate Britain. Together, they engage with the works of photographers such as Ajamu X and Rotimi Fani-Kayode, discussing the legacy of Black queer voices in shaping modern Britain, the cultural significance of Brixton as a hub for activism, creativity and nightclubs, and the ongoing fight for healthcare equity faced by marginalized communities today. If you like what you heard, please write us a review and check out more of our work at stancepodcast.com and all podcasting apps @stancepodcast This podcast was produced by Etay Zwick. Referenced In This Podcast & Show Notes Mark Thompson Linktree Marc Thompson IG London HIV Prevention Resident Survey Black & Gay Back InBlack & Gay Back In The Day IGThe Day Black & Gay Back In The Day Podcast Lost Spaces Podcast - Queer Nation (with Marc Thompson) PrEPster Love Tank Black Health Matters Do It London - HIV Prevention Interview with Marc Thompson in London Friend Article about Marc Thompson in The Voice We Were Always Here Podcast hosted by Marc Thompson Tate Britian The 80s: Photographing Britain at the Tate Artists include: Online Gallery of Rotimi Fani-Kayode's Photography Black British Artists 1980s Archive Pogus Caesar Martin Parr's Ajamu X's website Dave Lewis's website Susanne Roden Anna Fox's website Derek Bishton's website Jason Evans website Reflections of the Black Experience: Brixton Art Gallery, 1986. PV Card, Poster, Catalogue, Time Out, Echoes & LAM Reviews A Review of an exhibition of Rotimi Fani-Kayode's work
Transcribe →
Ep.66: Introducing South African musician Moonchild Sanelly
Nov 13, 202400:28:05Tap to summarizeStance 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 own, which she calls Future Ghetto Funk—an eclectic fusion of hip hop, punk rock, house, and dance-pop with South African gqom and kwaito. She has also collaborated with artists like Beyoncé, Self Esteem, Nile Rodgers, Ezra Collective, and Gorillaz. Chrystal sat down with her to discuss her third studio album, Full Moon, her patented teal Moonmop hairstyle, and the inspiration behind her new record's themes of sexuality, reclaiming power, motherhood, vulnerability and forgiveness. If you like what you heard, please write us a review and check out more of our work at stancepodcast.com and all podcasting apps @stancepodcast This podcast was produced by Etay Zwick with additional support from Zara Martin. Music used in this podcast: Scrambled Eggs by Moonchild Sanelly with thanks to Transgressive Records Do My Dance by Moonchild Sanelly with thanks to Transgressive Records Big Booty by Moonchild Sanelly with thanks to Transgressive Records Gwara Gwara by Moonchild Sanelly with thanks to Transgressive Records Demon by Moonchild Sanelly & Sad Night Dynamite with thanks to Transgressive Records With Love To An Ex by Gorillaz featuring Moonchild Sanelly with thanks to Parlophone Records Big Man by Moonchild Sanelly and Self Esteem with thanks to Polydor Records
Transcribe →
Ep.65: Musician Kamaal Williams, Author LaToya Watkins, Artist Cochemea, Musician Sinkane
Feb 15, 202401:11:49Tap to summarizeAfter 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 album, Stings, his enduring faith, and the layered creative influences behind his music. Author LaToya Watkins discusses her new collection of short stories Holler, Child, set in Texas, and talks about how using method acting brings her closer to the the characters she writes about. Artist and composer, Cochemea discusses working with Sharon Jones as part of the Dap-Kings, and his album Vol. II Baca Sewa, which connects ancestry, memory and improvisation. Musician and multi-instrumentalist, Sinkane shares the inspirations behind his new upcoming record, We Belong, celebrating black creativity and joy. Ahead of semi-retirement, we hear from some of our guest editors who reflect on their experiences collaborating with Stance. If you like what you heard, please write us a review and check out more of our work at stancepodcast.com and all podcasting apps @stancepodcast
Transcribe →