Passport Season: Belgium (Season 6 Premiere)
Welcome to Season 6 of The New Exchange Podcast: The Passport Season. This is an idea that’s been kicking in my head for quite a while now and getting to have it materialize for you is really something else. Traveling has been a major aspect of my life, in more ways than one really. Most of my travels have been due to my work as a photographer, but beyond that, I’ve been fortunate to meet people from all over the world on a near-regular basis. People who have lived vastly different lives than me, people with different perspectives, and with that: different stories to tell. So that’s what this season is all about, where we’ll use music as a bridge as we always do but with a focus on specific countries.
This season will be 6 episodes exploring 6 different countries and I’m ecstatic to share that episode 1 is all about Belgium. Known as the capital of Europe, Belgium is a country that’s become massively important to me because of the kind-hearted people I’ve gotten to know. Something I love so much about Belgium is how the artists there are driven by eclecticism in such a high-level way; where practically every musician I’ve come across has been compelled to challenge themselves and listeners in equal measure. What I’ve come to learn from visiting Belgium over the years is that eclecticism is the closest thing that Belgium has to an identity.
So with that said, this episode is about both exploring and celebrating that and to achieve that I’ve invited some incredible guests onto the podcast. Joining me for this episode are Glints (a singer/rapper/radio host from Antwerp whose tongue-in-cheek delivery is as unique as it is earnest), Coely (a rapper also from Antwerp that’s building a towering legacy in the city of Brussels), my friend Jasper Maekelberg (a singer-songwriter from Ghent, multi-instrumentalist and one of the most in-demand producers in Belgium), and lastly High Hi (an indie band from Antwerp who’re ambitiously creating their own sound).
Something else that I’m super excited about is that each episode of season 6 will also have an accompanying playlist episode the following week. On June 7th I’ll be releasing a radio broadcast that’ll feature my favourite Belgian musicians, and you’ll be able to hear that over on Spotify.
Episode Timestamps:
Glints Chat (2:45), Coely Chat (30:14), Jasper Chat (52:35), High Hi Chat (1:16:29).
