I had the absolute JOY of having my gyal Vnee join me at En Root, to chat to me about her pretty rapid journey into djing, this year making her Fabric debut for Yung Singh, balancing both her Glaswegian & Panjabi roots, and how she’s managed to avoid an arranged marriage!
You can also watch the full episode on YouTube @talinanaviede.official :)
Love as always,
Talina xoxo
Ep 5 is a little bit magical and a little bit mischievous…i’m joined by incredible magician, Magic Singh, as he lets us in to what it’s really like to be a part of the magic circle, learning to tye his turban, and the tips & tricks of being a successful magician…
You can also watch the episode in full, with a cheeky magic trick, on YouTube!
Filmmaker, creator of wonderful animations, and one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30, Neeraja joins me on episode 4 of South Asian Overground, to unpack how difficult Bollywood is as an industry, tokenisation of women in films, and how she has ended up on Forbe’s 30 Under 30 list…
Watch the video in full on YouTube, with a cheeky cooking lesson in there ;)
Episode 3 of South Asian Overground features Ryan Lanji, TV presenter, cultural producer, and fellow Leo! Ryan and I go off on many hectic tangents (in the best possible way), chatting about how Ryan is a hybrid remix, being queer as a destination, and why drag queens are EXCELLENT!
A brand new episode of South Asian Overground drops every Tuesday, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube…follow @itsnottalina on Instagram, for more cute bits and bobs
This week on ‘South Asian Overground’ i’m joined by killer businesswoman, and one of the kindest, most genuine women i’ve met, Pavan. Pavan is the founder of Pavan Henna, selling her own vegan henna, with a henna bar in Selfridges, and a badass feature on Dragons Den! In this episode Pavan gets into her feelings on cultural appropriation when it comes to wearing henna, as well as its origins, and her feelings towards her British-Indian roots, and being torn between two cultures.
A brand new episode of South Asian Overground drops every Tuesday, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube…follow @itsnottalina on Instagram, for more cute bits and bobs :)
Love as always,
Talina x
We are baackkk with season 3 of South Asian Overground, a brand new selection of guests, some brand new insight, and a BRAND NEW LOCATION...
I'm super excited to announce that season 3 is taking place exclusively at En Root, the vegan South Asian restaurant in Peckham. In episode 1 of season 3, I chat to the co-founder of En Root, about his journey to connecting with his 'South Asianness' and the impact that setting up En Root had in that process.
South Asian Overground drops every Tuesday at 8am, as well as on YouTube :)
Big love,
Talina
This week on ‘South Asian Overground’ we welcome fitness instructor and founder of the wellness platform, Cloud Nine Collective, Juju. We get into the lifehacks brown girls need to know that maybe we were never taught, the importance of having South Asian women to look up to in the fitness world & the lack of brown faces in this industry, how environment and circumstances can massively influence how South Asian you feel, and a little bit on dating…of course ;)
I’ve been family friends with Juju for years, and chatting with her felt super wholesome, and uplifting…i’m sure you lot will feel the same after listening to this episode!
Mad love as always,
Talina :)
Tracklist:
Drive Away - Krewella
Love Language - Sza
If you're interested in listening to me get absolutely RINSED by Preet Singh for an hour, then this episode is for you ;)
...And if you want to know the best way to rob a turkey from ASDA, then this episode is also for you.
On a serious note, welcome to yet another episode of 'South Asian Overground', guaranteed to make you absolutely laugh your head off & and also have some "did they really just say that?" moments! Preet Singh is a stand-up comedian, radio presenter, writer and podcast host, who has a lot to say when it comes to the stereotypes many brown people are subject to, managing your mental health as a comedian, getting through shitty stand-up gigs, and trying to find the balance between remaining unique and staying true to his ethnicity.
I don't think i've ever laughed so much/wanted the ground to swallow me up, as much as I did recording this episode with Preet, he is truly one of the most hilarious, blunt & intelligent people i've had the pleasure of interviewing!
Enjoy,
T :) x
Track List:
295 - Sidhu Moosewala
Victopry Lap - Nipsey Hussle
Saint Raavan (aka Michael Roshan), is an incredible Tamil singer/songwriter, whose completely self-produced & self-managed, but also happens to have a mentor team consisting of the GOAT that is M.I.A.
In this episode of 'South Asian Overground' I chatted with Saint Raavan about how deeply connected to his Sri Lankan-Tamil roots he feels, and how this consistently shows up in his music, the difficulties many Tamil people face with being pigeon holed as Indian rather than being recognised as Tamil, and of course going on tour with M.IA. and working on her latest album, MATA.
This episode also features one of Saint Raavans beautiful Tamil songs, Ennodu, which came out in 2022, and trust me it may be one of the most gorgeous sounding songs you will ever hear!
I hope you enjoy this glorious episode and wonderful insight into Saint Raavan's experience as a South Asian male,
T xx
Track List:
Beep - M.I.A
Ennodu - Saint Raavan
By popular demand, my cousin Kiri is BACK, for season 2! After Kiri's first appearance in season 1, where we revealed some proper dating truths about what it really means to date as a South Asian, we're keeping the goods coming with more 'agony aunting!'
In this episode we talk about whether or not polyamory would actually be well suited to South Asians, what it means to be in love, getting set up by your parents with people you are never/will never be attracted to, and the pressure to not be normal when growing up as a South Asian female.
There's also a little history lesson on the difference between Pakistani and Indian food, this episode is the gift that just keeps giving!
Enjoy,
Talina xo
The absolute LEGENDS, that are Panjabi Hit Squad, are here!!
In episode 2 of 'South Asian Overground' season 2, we meet Rav from Panjabi Hit Squad; the dj's, BBC Asian Network broadcasters, and producers of absolute maaad Desi beats! Rav and I get into the importance of South Asian culture in creating the core essence of Panjabi Hit Squad, how this incredible collective was formed (and of course creating the iconic tune Hai Hai), as well as bunking off school & going to day time raves.
Panjabi Hit Squad have never stopped creating, and have never stopped keeping their sound relevant, as well as continuing to rep South Asian culture, you're going to be obsessed with this episode...trust me!
Talina x
Track List:
Panjabi Hit Squad & Ms Scandalous - Hai Hai
Lata Mangeshkar - Thoda Resham Lagta Hai
Season Two of 'South Asian Overground' is officially here, and we're starting off BIG, with the icon that is Adil Ray; actor, GMB and Lingo presenter, and of course the man behind Mr. Khan himself!
We go into the ins and outs of growing up as a bit of 'chameleon', in a Pakistani-Kenyan household, feeling disconnected from the South Asian community at times, as well as the importance of re-writing the narratives and stereotypes people have about Muslims and South Asians, in general. Of course we had to chat about Citizen Khan, and creating the iconic character of Mr.Khan, as well as Adil's gameshow, Lingo.
As a HUGE fan of Citizen Khan and real admirer of all of the work Adil does, this episode coming into fruition has been a huge honour for me and a massive manifestation, I hope you absolutely love it!
Talina x
Lingo is available to watch back on ITVX
Track List:
Lady Blackbird - Baby I Just Don't
Amir Akbar Antony - Pardah Hai Pardah
"There’s so much more to us than all of the things that you stereotype us to be."
Meet Mathushaa, the Tamil photographer, and absolute force of nature redefining the stereotypes of South Asian women!
In episode 11 Mathushaa chats about the difficulties she has faced in having to 'prove herself' as a Tamil women, often not feeling enough to represent her culture, and how she's worked hard to change peoples attitudes that not all brown people are Indian - with her project "Not Just Brown, Not Just Indian." We also get into that super IRRITATING subject of South Asian women and marriage, because let's be honest, we're absolutely sick of the stereotype that all we live for is to be married.
This ep of 'South Asian Overground' is filled with passion, and is a brilliant example of how we must stand up for what we believe in and always create what we love!
Track List:
Seasons - Maharani, ItsyaboiKay, The Mystro, Sashank Mallya, MJ Melodies
Unakkul Naane - Pritt
"I'm a fat deaf asian and now white people are going out of their way to have more disabilities than i’ve got."
Be prepared to have a proper belly laugh, and maybe have some 'jaw on the floor' moments, episode 10 is HILARIOUS, completely and utterly no-filter, and as honest as it gets...
I'm very happy to have my first ever comedian on 'South Asian Overground', Eshaan Akbar; half Bengali - half Pakistani comedian, inspiring representative of the deaf community, and deep lover of being South Asian...it's his favourite. In this episode you can expect quite a lot of toilet chat, the trials and tribulations of having parents that are racist towards each other, the mental highs and lows of being a comedian, and of course the importance of embracing both South Asianness and Englishness 100%.
DISCLAIMER: if you're not a fan of bowel movements and you're easily offended...this episode is not for you.
Book Eshaan's tour here: https://www.eshaanakbar.com/tour
Track List:
Akhiyan Udeek Diyan - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Tu Hi Re - Tere Bina Bombay
"I promise you being vulnerable is a great thing."
Meet Hyphen; the North East Indian singer, writer, and mental health speaker. In episode nine of South Asian Overground Hyphen goes into how his connectedness to being South Asian has changed over time, making 'unusual' career choices, and how writing and creating music has been a huge factor in helping to express himself and support his mental health struggles. Of course, we get into music, and the importance of being consistent, releasing music and not overthinking it, and how Hyphen released around 30 songs before getting on BBC 6 music...persistence and passion is key!
We cover A LOT of bases in this episode, but one thing I think we should all take away from this is the importance of being vulnerable, expressing yourself and NEVER giving up on what you love.
Track list:
Anish Kumar - Hummingbird
Confidence - Hyphen
"We always like to look for cross cultural sounds and spread them across electronic beats…like beans on toast."
We've got something very special for you on South Asian Overground this week, a guest mix from DJ duo, B.o.T (aka beans on toast.) Pakistani producer/dj, Khayal Khan (aka Kakes), and Italian dj, Dan Calbrese, join me for episode eight to chat about how to stand out as a dj right now in such a saturated market, combining their cultures to create innovative & surprising sounds, and of course Khayal shares how his Pakistani background has influenced his sound and production of music.
You can expect diversity, surprise and disco from the B.o.T Gardens of Babylon set...enjoy!
Track list:
Gardens of Babylon - B.o.T Sounds
"To me, whenever I saw a bride I was like…shiiiiiittt, it just seemed oppressive. It was more like a prison that was being created for her."
Get ready for an absolute BELTER of an episode, with the one and only Jaheda; activist, artist, and absolutely NO filter! We cover A LOT on this episode, and I think you lot will learn a huge amount from listening, as I did. Jaheda was one of the OG 'daytimers', she chats about her experiences skipping school to go to daytime raves, being a queer, brown, northern woman, as well as sharing some amazing Bollywood tracks with truly brilliant stories behind them!
This episode was an absolute laugh to film, and so so insightful!
Track List:
Choli Ka Peeche - Alka Yagnik, IIa Arun
Choli Ka Peechey - Ajah UK
Tu Jhoom - Naseebo Lal and Abida Parveen
"Wouldn't it be a more fun question to say, what cultures do you represent?"
Introducing, Karimah Hassan, an incredibly talented artist, whose heritage is a beautiful combination of Yemen, Wales and Bangladesh. In this hugely insightful episode we chat about the importance of finding a sense of belonging and how Karimah has found this through amazing creative South Asian women, we also go into how art has been hugely supportive for Karimah when it comes to feeling able to communicate and manage her mental health and the taboos around struggling with your mental health in the South Asian community, as well as the under representation of the diverse range of South Asian people in the media...especially in films and television.
Karimah was an absolute joy to chat to, and I hope you love listening to this episode!
Track list:
Grow - Face Soul
The Elephant's Funeral - N. Deepan, N. Rajan, M. Vijay & V. Prakash Ilaiyaraja
"I don’t think my parents would even let me share a room with a guy if I was married to him!"
The trials and tribulations of dating in the Asian community, arranged marriages, Zoom dates with peoples mums & a brief analysis of how very LOUD and dramatic brown families really are! Episode four features my elder cousin (no surprises there) and spirit animal, Kiri. In this episode we like to think of ourselves as Agony Aunts for the brown community, uncovering how hard core and hilarious it is to try and have a love life...or any personal life at all, when you're from a big South Asian family like ours.
ThIs episode was a laugh, I hope you enjoy it xoxo
"He tried to make me do Indian singing and I was like, fuck no."
Meet Tchengiz, singer, songwriter, music producer...and yes ANOTHER one of my cousins! In episode two of South Asian Overground we get into it on the subject of arranged marriages...and how there's no chance in hell we're getting one (obviously), Tchengiz's near miss at becoming the Indian version of Queen, and of course his relationship to music.
Tchengiz co-founded Marble Empire Music and has been nonstop releasing tracks...naturally you can expect to hear a couple of them on this episode!
Track list:
Vices - Marble Empire Music
Be The One - Marble Empire Music