When the world seems fractured by media-driven narratives, it's the universal language of music that often weaves us back together. Emma G, a musician with the power to spark genuine connection, joins us to share her vibrant tale of music and identity. From her roots as a street performer to her rise on the American stage, Emma's story reveals the unspoken chords that bind us. Her dedication to fostering community and healing through her art brings not only warmth and laughter to our conversation—complete with tales of Kiwi accents misheard—but also a soul-stirring perspective on the shared humanity that music uncovers.
Fame's siren song tempts many, but for artists like 50 Cent and Dave Chappelle, creative integrity isn't up for negotiation. We peel back the curtain on the music industry's tug-of-war between authenticity and commercial appeal. Emma G weighs in, illustrating the pressures that come with label expectations and the courage it takes to stand firm. We celebrate those who've channeled their roots and life's challenges into a resolute and authentic voice, refusing to let the spirit of their art be tamed by the allure of the spotlight.
In the symphony of life, mentors play a key role in orchestrating our future. Emma and I reflect on the influential figures who've guided our journeys—from family to educators like my high school music teacher, Trevor Feville, and parents who've provided unyielding support. We underscore the importance of nurturing the next generation with Emma's inspiring work at her nonprofit, YES – Youth Empowerment through Songwriting. Ending on a high note, we invite you to experience Emma's songwriting prowess, a performance that promises to resonate with every listener.
When the world seems fractured by media-driven narratives, it's the universal language of music that often weaves us back together. Emma G, a musician with the power to spark genuine connection, joins us to share her vibrant tale of music and identity. From her roots as a street performer to her rise on the American stage, Emma's story reveals the unspoken chords that bind us. Her dedication to fostering community and healing through her art brings not only warmth and laughter to our conversation—complete with tales of Kiwi accents misheard—but also a soul-stirring perspective on the shared humanity that music uncovers.
Fame's siren song tempts many, but for artists like 50 Cent and Dave Chappelle, creative integrity isn't up for negotiation. We peel back the curtain on the music industry's tug-of-war between authenticity and commercial appeal. Emma G weighs in, illustrating the pressures that come with label expectations and the courage it takes to stand firm. We celebrate those who've channeled their roots and life's challenges into a resolute and authentic voice, refusing to let the spirit of their art be tamed by the allure of the spotlight.
In the symphony of life, mentors play a key role in orchestrating our future. Emma and I reflect on the influential figures who've guided our journeys—from family to educators like my high school music teacher, Trevor Feville, and parents who've provided unyielding support. We underscore the importance of nurturing the next generation with Emma's inspiring work at her nonprofit, YES – Youth Empowerment through Songwriting. Ending on a high note, we invite you to experience Emma's songwriting prowess, a performance that promises to resonate with every listener.
Have you ever wondered why so much hate and division comes from the media? It's kind of bananas when you really think about it. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to keep listening to them and continue to let them make us be shitty to each other. Nah, fuck that. I'm going to start a podcast.
Speaker 2:Boom skis.
Speaker 1:We are back and you know what? We have a great guest tonight. Her name is Emma G and she is honestly, I've been to a lot of concerts. There's a lot of good entertainment out there, but you never. I don't know those people. I've never got to talk to those people. I enjoy their music. Their music gives me goosebumps, but when you actually get to know a musician and actually talk to them as a real person they treat you like a real person. You start to see what they're all about and Emma G has a lot of stuff that she's all about and we're going to be here to talk about that and we're going to give her the platform to put her message out there and it's a great message. It's a great message of where she came from, who she is, what made her and what she's driving towards and what her goals are, and we're going to keep it lighthearted. But there's also going to be some serious talk too in segment two. So, without further ado, emma G, can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
Speaker 3:What's up. That's the most different introduction I've ever had and I love it because I feel as if connection for me is something really important when it comes to music. Well, when it comes to just life, I started my career here in the States as a street performer. Thing was about using music as a modality to connect with people on a on a level that most humans don't get to interact, let alone musician and human. Musicians are humans.
Speaker 1:That's in a weird but I'm just going to put this out there. There might be alien musicians out there.
Speaker 3:I don't know, I'm just saying, but uh, you know what I mean. So, for me, connection and that being human piece is really important for me, because music to me is more than just playing an instrument and singing. It's about connection, it's about community, it's about healing, it's about growth, it's about all the things that I do now. So, yes, hello, i's about growth, it's about all the things that I do now.
Speaker 1:So, yes, hello, I'm imaging In case in case everybody didn't notice, she's from New Zealand.
Speaker 3:Thank you for not calling me Australian. Thank you.
Speaker 2:New Zealand's, not part of Australia.
Speaker 3:Wow, I know you work, sir, calm down.
Speaker 1:Wait, wait, wait, wait. Now I have to do this.
Speaker 3:Go.
Speaker 1:I have a couple of words that I need you to say.
Speaker 3:I'm scared.
Speaker 1:Can you say governor?
Speaker 3:Governor, ah, hello governor. No, that's English. Come on now, you hit it Boom.
Speaker 1:No, seriously though. You're from New Zealand. When did you come to the States?
Speaker 3:Wait, you said a couple of words. You gave me one.
Speaker 2:You did. You've got more to go, guy.
Speaker 1:Oh, I okay, you want the other one.
Speaker 3:You can't lie to me like that. Come on now.
Speaker 1:You're not gonna like this one panty.
Speaker 3:Panty.
Speaker 1:Oh man, that did not turn out like I wanted it to. Son of a bitch.
Speaker 3:What you wanted me to say was garlic, garlic.
Speaker 1:That's what you wanted me to say Panty. We talked about that and I just had panty on the brain. Tequila Got me Panty on the brain, panty on the brain, dude. So we were talking the other night, we were doing a little Zoom call and we had something garlic the minx and I and she's like, oh, garlic and I was like garlic.
Speaker 3:So there is a I don't know, I guess it's like a popular, I don't know. It's like a trending ad in New Zealand that you know, for a supermarket in New Zealand and the spokesperson for this supermarket is always giving out these recipes and he's always got lots of garlic, lots of garlic and that's a whole thing. You know, it's all about the garlic.
Speaker 2:Why are you looking so serious? Neighbor, neighbor, neighbor, do you want some garlic? The Superbowl commercial with Arnold Schwarzenegger have you seen it? I have not, you haven't. Oh man, guy, neighbor, yes, neighbor.
Speaker 1:Neighbor Head for the chopper, give Papa.
Speaker 2:Give me some garlic. You're going to have to YouTube that later, I think it was State Farm yes, state Farm yes. A Super Bowl Arnold Schwarzenegger commercial.
Speaker 3:You won't regret it. Oh, I'm excited.
Speaker 2:And if anybody out there hasn't seen that, yet you won't regret it either I love Arnold. You know what?
Speaker 1:We all grew up with Arnold, all of us.
Speaker 3:I love Arnold. He just came out with a new Netflix series.
Speaker 1:Yes, it's amazing.
Speaker 3:Is it? I haven't seen it.
Speaker 1:So it's about him and his daughter Okay, not his real daughter, but his fake daughter and they're like agents in the CIA and it's pretty good.
Speaker 2:Okay, it's pretty good. What's it?
Speaker 1:called.
Speaker 2:Wait, fubar, don't say it. They didn't pay us to say that.
Speaker 1:You're right, it's foobar, it's fucked up, damn it. Okay, so back down my hair. Back down, all right.
Speaker 3:So when did you come to the United States from?
Speaker 1:New. Zealand.
Speaker 2:So I moved here officially in May 2015,.
Speaker 3:Which means that I'm coming up to my ninth anniversary, but my mother is from here and I have family all over the country, so I've been here before. I just didn't move here until, you know, nine years ago.
Speaker 1:Okay, so I'm going to ask you this. It's probably a horrible question. What do you think?
Speaker 3:I mean, I'm still here, I'm married now, so that's exciting. It's like it was a great. It was a great decision.
Speaker 1:I'm glad to hear that, no, it gives me hope. It gives me hope to hear somebody that I, you know, I think I I relate to a lot, um to say you like it.
Speaker 3:So here's my thing I think most people. When they think of places like America, it's easy to get swept away by the hype, in whatever capacity that hype presents itself. You know, when I moved here we still had a black president. Life was kind of. You know, it was an adventure. I didn't know what I was going to do or what would happen. I came here with $500 and a guitar. That was it. On a bag, of course of you know clothes.
Speaker 1:I was going to say did you have clothes?
Speaker 3:I did have clothes and like two pairs of shoes, one of which was hiking boots um how many?
Speaker 1:how many pairs of underwear did you have? I just want to ask you that I'm this is not a perverted question I think I had about a week's worth okay, all right, you're clear.
Speaker 3:You're in the clear now okay, um so well, because I was a instructor, so I had to like be camping.
Speaker 1:Where were you a hiking instructor at?
Speaker 3:In Massachusetts and then and so that was wild. So if you know anything about New Zealand, which I hope you do beyond Lord of the Rings, we are the number one country when it comes to outdoor anything, so hiking is a really big deal in New Zealand. So I thought Massachusetts great, I'll be a hiking instructor, I can do that.
Speaker 1:There's better places than Massachusetts.
Speaker 3:Okay, sure, that's not the point I was trying to make. The point I'm trying to make is America has underground wasps.
Speaker 1:True, yes.
Speaker 3:Coyotes.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:Bears yes. Yes wolves, yes, and All of these things I was not quite prepared for when I moved here. So it was. It was an adventure.
Speaker 2:You know none of that. In New Zealand We've got nothing we have.
Speaker 3:we don't even have squirrels.
Speaker 2:Mountain goats.
Speaker 3:We don't have mountain goats. You've got poisonous snakes.
Speaker 1:You've got goats. You have snakes.
Speaker 3:No, that's Australia, Different country.
Speaker 2:Do you?
Speaker 3:have bugs. There's no bugs. We have bugs, but nothing will hurt you what there's nothing that will hurt you except for humans.
Speaker 2:I'm thinking of that scene in Field of Dreams. Like is this heaven?
Speaker 1:I'm thinking I have a new 401k plan. The running joke in New.
Speaker 3:Zealand is like the Eden we are Eden, the Garden of Eden.
Speaker 1:There's a guy that I work with. His name's Greg.
Speaker 3:We love Greg. Greg he's from New Zealand Greg.
Speaker 1:I became very good friends. I was with him multiple times in Afghanistan. He was in a different organization or unit and we, him and I, became very good friends because we always, whenever we showed up in Afghanistan, we were together and he was, he was a ranger and he, he, he came from New Zealand and he joined the United States Army and then he was a ranger and I got to tell you like the dude was so gravitating because he was such a good motherfucker Like there was not a.
Speaker 3:You mean, he was a JC.
Speaker 1:He was just so nice.
Speaker 3:Good citizen. I got you, he was.
Speaker 1:He was. He was Like he only tried to help everybody. He was never down on anybody. Even if someone messed up so bad that it was, like you know, going to take someone's life, he was still the person of um, the the, the light at the end of the tunnel. He was always that guy. And um, you know, he, he since moved, he since moved back to New Zealand. Uh, he, he got out. He started working in government contracting. Um decided it wasn't for him and then he, he went back and it's I think it's because he started seeing some stuff. That was not what he was all about here.
Speaker 3:So I want to I want to circle back to your first question, Like how do I find it? And I think a lot of people are like Greg. You know, things get weird and people just ship out, which is totally normal and fine, I think you know I've always considered myself an artivist as opposed to just an artist.
Speaker 1:Um, wait what? What's an artivist An?
Speaker 3:artistic activist.
Speaker 1:Ooh an artivist.
Speaker 3:So somebody who uses music and creative expression for the podcast, or be an art, art, art, you do, you boo.
Speaker 1:Mike.
Speaker 2:I'm going to list this, not the press. Look, dude, we're going to be artificous.
Speaker 1:Aren't we agnostic? I'm doing this, I'm going to be artificous now. Apodcavist.
Speaker 2:Apodcavist Hippopotamus. We're just making up words today.
Speaker 3:What does that sound like in New Zealand? I'm down. All I'm saying is I'm down. I think you're a platypus.
Speaker 2:A podavist, a podavist, a platypus.
Speaker 1:It's a platypus I am not going to be a platypus. That's Australian.
Speaker 2:That's Australian.
Speaker 1:What not going to be platypus?
Speaker 3:But I think when, when musicians are people that, like you know, when you find musicians who are artivists or you know kind of see beyond just making music, we run to the fight, we don't run away from the fight.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well. So, emma, I'm going to challenge you on this. I'm going to challenge not you, because I know you are pure at heart with this. I feel it in my bones. But when I look at the people that I used to think were pure at the heart, the music artists that Artibus, like the rebels out there when we're talking about Rage Against the Machine, we're talking about Madonna. When we're talking about rage against machine, we're talking about Madonna. We're talking about you. Can a plethora of them? I said plethora.
Speaker 3:I said plethora Snaps.
Speaker 1:Um, they have conformed to move away from that, not to be for the human being, not to be for the art, but to be for whatever the agenda is on, on whatever side they're they're riding on, and that is.
Speaker 3:I fucking hate that so it's funny, I was I hate that I was reading an interview that my husband passed on to me today, uh, from a rapper, a female rapper, whose name I can't remember right now, which is embarrassing, um, but she was saying that often what happens is when artists go from being independent to being signed to a label, unfortunately they have to succumb to whatever narrative they're being fed, it's for the brand Right yeah, your brand now. And brands don't always support having a brain.
Speaker 1:Well, I'll tell you. I mean, I obviously don't know this person, but I'm going to tell you, I will give him props. He's probably got a lot of dirt on him, but I don't care, 50 cent. That motherfucker stood up and said I don't care. I'm going to tell you what I think. Ice Cube, dave Chappelle. Same thing, dave Chappelle. Artist who walks away from a 50 I'm telling you, man, like these three people are my heroes.
Speaker 3:Now I have to say first of all, curtis jackson is amazing. If you haven't read his two books, I I really recommend you.
Speaker 1:I'm telling you, the guy's one of my heroes right?
Speaker 3:He may be a sexist, so-and-so, but I don't care. Brilliant, brilliant man, dave Chappelle. I had the honor of sharing a stage with him.
Speaker 2:Oh, awesome.
Speaker 3:When I didn't know who he was and I legitimately asked him what his name was and he looked somewhat bemused, gave me a really warm hug Lovely, lovely man. This was back in 2018. I didn't know, yeah.
Speaker 2:I had no idea. He's the type of guy that would appreciate that you didn't know who he was. Yeah, he was lovely.
Speaker 3:And now you know we we've seen him like. I can't tell you how much money we've spent to see him live.
Speaker 1:Now I was like oh shoot, he's so like, like genuine.
Speaker 3:Cause he's from DC, duh.
Speaker 1:No, Cause he's. He lives in Ohio.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm from Ohio. I was like wait. I.
Speaker 2:I mean my family's in.
Speaker 3:Iowa.
Speaker 1:No, seriously, though I mean getting back to the topic Um, I, I, I don't think I can never imagine this ever happening with you. Honestly, I couldn't. But I see so many like music's one of the things that bothers me the most, because you see so many people conform to what someone else's message is, instead of being like whatever happened, to fuck the man. Like that is the. That is the spirit of what music is rock and roll like. All these people are sellouts. All these musicians are sellouts because they they came out and they got their population because fuck the man, and then now they are the man and that really pisses me off, because you know what? That is not art. That's conforming to something that someone else wants you to be, and you know what. I applaud you for continuing to do art and not letting someone else influence you of what to say, and there's a there's very few out there that do it now.
Speaker 3:It's hard, I think it's scary. Sorry, I feel like you have been like this beautiful spectator in a game of tennis.
Speaker 2:This is. This is what I'm here for. Color commentary every now and then I'm the yin, he's the yang.
Speaker 1:Let's just say that.
Speaker 3:Well, take away then. I'm the yin, he's the yang.
Speaker 1:Let's just say that Well technically, you'd be the yang he'd be the yang Wait, wait.
Speaker 3:What's the difference? Yang is the outward, Anyways.
Speaker 1:I'm an outie, you're an innie. I'm an outie, you're an innie.
Speaker 2:Well we've played that game.
Speaker 3:This is awkward.
Speaker 2:It's only going to get worse.
Speaker 1:Emma, I love it.
Speaker 3:I think to your point. Being vulnerable is difficult at any stage in life. The more you have to lose, the harder the fall is.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:And so when you get to a certain place where you're having to turn down $50 million, it takes a really strong character to be able to stand in your own 50 cent.
Speaker 1:You know ice cube.
Speaker 3:I'm just gonna say that those two motherfuckers dave chappelle three like they did it right, they did it okay, so to that they did it yes, I'm still learning about this. My hypothesis is yes, dave Chappelle, 50 Cent, p Diddy. All did that, not P Diddy. Not P Diddy, who was the third person you said.
Speaker 1:Edit P Diddy.
Speaker 3:Ice Cube Sorry.
Speaker 1:Make Scratch P Diddy out that list. Wow my bad.
Speaker 2:Sorry, the brand will not allow you to talk about that.
Speaker 3:So okay. So 50 Cent, ice Cube and Dave Chappelle, three black men who also started with very little, and I think that that is the beauty, that is the strength, that is the privilege. I think of having nothing when you come up.
Speaker 1:And I talk about that, because you know 100%.
Speaker 3:I'm a person of color. I grew up in a country that did not treat people of color nearly as harshly, poorly, completely illegally, as they did people of color in this country. But, um, you know, I I often talk about how every adversity that I have been given has been, in some way, shape or form, a gift, because it's meant that I've had to learn resilience, become stronger, become more authentic and stand on my own two feet unapologetically, which, of course, the same, so resilience.
Speaker 3:But when you're, when you're, when you're born with more privilege or more of a silver spoon, it's just harder to develop that yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry. It's not a disagreement, but it's a different point of view and it's because of my lack of perspective.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:And it might be because of your lack of perspective.
Speaker 3:It might be.
Speaker 1:It might be, and I think the reason why I say that is you know, I grew up in a trailer. Someone else of color grew up in a trailer, of color grew up in a trailer. I could never put myself in their position and say I know exactly what you went through. And they could never put themselves in my position and know what it took for me to do to get out of that situation. Right, and my point in saying that is is like it doesn't fucking matter, like every, if people embrace humanity, if if people treat everybody like a human and that is what the, the whole sense is it doesn't matter of color, this, that and the other, and you're a human being and you know what? Um, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna go forth and I'm gonna do whatever I can to make you a great human being, and that is. That is the whole auspice of everything. I don't know where color comes in. That I don't. I don't see that.
Speaker 3:I wasn't.
Speaker 1:no, no, no I wasn't really bringing that up as a color thing, I'm just talking about like the way.
Speaker 3:So the way that they talk about their story like I've read all of 50 cents books. I've, you know, been following Dave Chappelle since 2018, you know, so I know about his story. So I'm just talking about, like, in terms of the, do you play poker?
Speaker 1:There's people? Well, no, so let me, let me, let me finish that, that statement. Okay With that said, we're not going to go down this rabbit hole tonight, Maybe just like an inch but we're not going to go deep. There is absolute, 100% racial shit going on that we have. The American public has been pointed in the wrong direction on and it's, it's on, it's on subjects that we don't even think about. I think there's, I think it's, it's, it's crazy to me man.
Speaker 2:There's a piece of this we're missing, I believe, and I've said this for a while now. So I spent a lot of time in a neighborhood I grew up in. I spent time in as an adult. I was 70% Indian, Eastern Indian, not Native American Indian.
Speaker 3:That's because it's Native American, not Indian.
Speaker 2:What's that?
Speaker 3:That's because they're Native Americans, not Indian Well, see, you're going to differentiate you.
Speaker 2:That's because they're Native Americans, not Indian Well, see, it's a French hate you never know who your audience is Fair enough and I became really good friends with a number of these folks and we would hang out and in India they're all the same race. They're all largely the same color different shades of brown, right and there is serious discrimination that goes on.
Speaker 3:The lighter you are, the more beautiful you're considered.
Speaker 2:It's class, but it's also.
Speaker 3:There's a class system there dude, and I've said for a while there is.
Speaker 2:There is a hundred percent. I'm not discounting racism in this country. I know it's existed, there's been a lot of. There is systematic racism, but there is also. There's also a class problem that we have as you get into the inequalities between groups and what some people classify as racism is really class classism? Right, it's, it's, it's. It's a class system where people go I don't care if you're white, brown, yellow, green, doesn't matter, Like, if you're poor, don't talk to me.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:Or you don't belong in the same areas that I'm in, and that's a part of it. That sometimes what I mind is that people misconstrue racism for that, and I think we've come a long way in this country from a race issue, but I think that we are trending in the wrong direction on the class issue.
Speaker 3:I see that.
Speaker 2:Sometimes those two things get conflated.
Speaker 3:So back to the original point that I was trying to make. When it comes to, you know, making lemonade out of lemons, I think you're far more equipped when you've always had lemons rather than when you've never been given a lemon in your life.
Speaker 1:Sure, that's the point I'm trying to make you know I'm going to.
Speaker 3:Grab the tequila. No I will grab it. That was a lemon joke.
Speaker 1:I am going to grab a tequila. Oh geez, what am I? A drunk? Come on. No, no, seriously, I'm going to Don't say that.
Speaker 1:There are people that have risen up in hardship, whether they didn't a broken family or whatever the hell Everybody and that's why they make. That's most of the people that go through BUDS, most of the SEAL teams, most of the people that go through any type of recon school, most of the people that go through special type of recon school, most of the people that go through special forces. That is where they came from and they make themselves better once they get into those because they have mentorship to pull them out and it makes you a better person. But the whole thing is is like you have to have somebody there to make you a better person. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:You have to have that person to guide you and direct you, or else, um, you're not going to be a better person, you're going to be. You're going to add to the problem. You know you're you, you came from something that that is not good and you don't have the right mentorship to bring you out of that and you just continue to add to that problem, and that's what I see, as the biggest problem in our country right now is and I I did not mean to go down this because this is supposed to be about you, emma- I'm gonna bring this back to me, son of a bitch I told you I was gonna reel it in, damn it, and I've lied.
Speaker 1:but no, seriously, that is. One of the biggest issues in our country is we don't have the people to direct people in the right way, these young people, these young adults and we're going to talk about this in the second segment.
Speaker 2:You are going to bring it back.
Speaker 3:So one of my favorite quotes is that every successful adult is one sorry, every successful child is one caring adult away you know, and and whether that's an actual child, whether that's a teenager or whether that's, you know, an adult who, whose inner child needs a truckload of healing.
Speaker 1:Can I do something, emma, real quick.
Speaker 3:Always Go.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'm going to start with you. Talk to me quick, always Go. Okay, I'm going to start with you. Talk to me Two people, two adults in your life that influence you to do what you do.
Speaker 3:Today or in history.
Speaker 1:I'm talking about, forever, the two adults that you remember, that you know what these people were, the rocks of who I am today.
Speaker 3:And what do they do? Just two, I would definitely say my mother.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:Um, she bent over backwards for me to give me everything I needed for my health, my happiness, um, my music career, everything. Um. I think the second most influential, the first person that pops into my mind, believe it or not not, will be my high school music teacher, trevor feville um that's amazing well, and it's not just because he saw me as a musician and and in terms of my musical prowess or whatever, but as a human being. He, I think he understood the direction I was moving in far before and you know what.
Speaker 3:He saw something, and we're still friends and we we're still friends and we still connect.
Speaker 1:So how old were you when you met him? I?
Speaker 3:would have been 13.
Speaker 1:And he saw something. He saw something and he was like I have to mold this person and mentor them.
Speaker 3:I don't think mold would have been his word.
Speaker 1:I think, guide. Okay, guide guide. Guide guide was a pretty stroppy teenager yeah, but you know what he saw? Something regardless, right?
Speaker 3:does that work, stroppy?
Speaker 1:stroppy you're welcome stroppy. All right, what does stroppy mean? Aggressive, determined, stubborn okay, I'm using that. Um, I'm gonna write that down. I can't believe it's been nine years and I still say things how do you spell strappy?
Speaker 3:s-t-r-o-p-p-y, that is in military sierra, tango romeo, oscar, papa, papa yankee very well wow you're welcome.
Speaker 1:Okay, uh, mike yeah, two, okay, mike yeah.
Speaker 2:Two people Easy for me, mom and dad. I'm lucky.
Speaker 1:I'm lucky, dude you're one of the few man and. I tell you what that's awesome. Like people need to hear that, but I recognize it.
Speaker 2:And I think that it's important, right I've got. I'm a very self confident person, always have been, and I get that from my parents.
Speaker 2:You know they were different, very different people. They're both still here. I love them, they're my heroes, but they both approach life very differently. My dad's, more introverted, worked in the same job for 30-plus odd years. My mom's, very extroverted, outgoing, takes care of people, is in the community, and I would tell you that every morning when I look in the mirror I see myself as a really interesting blend of the two of them and I can see myself in them and you know it's pretty awesome. I've got a lot of, and I don't I don't mean to discount any of the other people that have been influential in my life.
Speaker 1:There have been plenty no, no, it's the top but, but those two um you know, been married, god who knows, almost almost 50 years. So so I, I don't want to, I don't want to take any way anything away from what? Because, emma, I relate to what you say and but I aspire with my son and I know the minx does of what you say. You know what I mean. Like that's how we get better in life, you know, like that, that's uh, but we, we all have to start from somewhere, yep, you know I love that Cause.
Speaker 3:So my father passed away 2018 and um. He was in Fiji. My entire life, which is where he's from um was from and um, so you know I I would visit in summers, but I didn't really have his um influence much in my life as I was growing up. But after the fact, after his passing over the you know the past six years since, since, I've realized how much of his influence has lived on in me.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And it's so. I, I, I, I respect what you're saying. I resonate with what you're saying.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I look at it and it's a. It's something that's been just ingrained in me to be important. You got to be there for your kids, amen. And I aspire to be that with everything else.
Speaker 1:Look, I said this all the time I'm telling you man.
Speaker 2:I could work 100 hours a week. I could, my job would dictate it. I could do things like this. But I have to control myself and I'm not there as much for my kids as my dad was for us. I'm not, and I recognize that, but I think that had I not had his influence, I would be a much worse father than I am today because I look to him to go boy. I shouldn't do that tonight. I really need to be there for my kids. I need to coach.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I don't want to coach.
Speaker 2:I get roped in, but I'm going to coach I want to coach.
Speaker 2:I get roped in, but I'm going to coach, I want to be there, I want to be positive and influence, and so, you know, I feel for the people that don't have that in their life, and I know that they have to look for mentors elsewhere, dude, and that's something that all of us that have that structure should try and do, Right. I mean, we don't only have to be a father to our biological children, right? Like we can be a mentor, role model, father influence whatever to other people that don't have the background that I've
Speaker 2:been fortunate enough to have, and I'm very cognizant of the fact that I was fortunate.
Speaker 1:I feel like both of you in your own, like different backgrounds.
Speaker 3:Really, you're not from New Zealand, no, sorry.
Speaker 1:I'm not sure, Mike.
Speaker 3:I need you to say strappy.
Speaker 1:Say strappy, strappy.
Speaker 2:No, yeah, he's not from New Zealand.
Speaker 1:No Strappy.
Speaker 2:But no, no, no, no no no, like a. Cappuccino strappy Cppuccino, Stropy cappuccino.
Speaker 1:My point is this there's two different backgrounds, perspectives, sitting at a table here drinking. You probably don't have the same beliefs. You probably agree on most stuff. You disagree on some stuff, but here we are and you know what.
Speaker 3:Like the pronunciation of stroppy, just saying Stroppy.
Speaker 2:Well, agree to disagree. I'll tell you what.
Speaker 1:Look, we're going to arm wrestle over this in the next segment. But seriously, this is what it's all about Different backgrounds. Here we are, and it's okay to agree, disagree. I mean, how many times I think it's twice I said I think I'm going to have to disagree with you Within this first segment of a recording right. It's okay to do that Because in the end, I hope you don't think I'm some big douchebag and I don't think you will. And. I don't think you are.
Speaker 3:You know what I mean? Here's the thing, guys, disagree. Here's the thing. You know what I mean Like disagree. Here's the thing Disagreeing. I think we have come to the point in in society, for whatever reason, where to disagree or to cancel culture or whatever it is, that we actually have more constructive conversations around things.
Speaker 1:Dialogue.
Speaker 3:Which is where you both have exhibited beautifully and do continue to exhibit beautifully, because in order for any two humans or more to interact and function properly in society, I think we need to listen as much as we talk.
Speaker 1:I think, I think most of us um at least in this country, if not in the world, have the same mindset.
Speaker 3:But very few actually know how to do it.
Speaker 1:And very few actually want to voice it because they're scared.
Speaker 2:I was going to say when you said very few, I disagree. I think that the challenge is most people can sit at a table and have a conversation like this and be friends with people they don't agree with.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:The problem is we, and I'm going to say this, and then you need to cut this segment because we will go so far down this rabbit hole. The problem is that this world today amplifies the fringe, and the fringe are the people that can't have that. And they are the loudest. And while they are sitting there, guns pointed at each other. Guns could be mouth, you know, it could be the pen. The pen is mightier.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:You know, they are the ones that everybody hears and the majority of folks who could sit and have this conversation constructively sit silently by and say, well, I'm not interested in getting involved in that.
Speaker 3:So I hear you, I'm going to, I'm going to go, yes, and as if we are in theater play.
Speaker 3:I think and this is from you know I think part of being a musician is almost like being an anthropologist in many way, and I'm lucky enough that I get to hang out with a lot of teenagers these days in my work as a youth empowerment coach as well as a musician, and a lot of the things that I'm seeing are that, yes, there's a lot of volume coming from, you know, the fringe. It far more difficult for the people in the middle to find the abilities within themselves to actually feel like they should even speak up let alone find the verbiage to do so.
Speaker 3:And so that that, I think, is you know that that contributes a lot to to where we are right now.
Speaker 2:When I think that this look, look empowerment is something we need to dig in. No, no, no.
Speaker 1:Emma, like you should be the host.
Speaker 3:Why.
Speaker 1:Because that's the perfect segue, because, uh, in our second segment, you know we're going to dig in deep into your nonprofit for your youth empowerment, Um, and it's it's really important. It's a really important thing because young adults, their voice, they are not heard. We have to figure out how to get their voice heard and we have to figure out how to open up their minds to not believe the first thing they see, to research, to dig like do not, do not fall for propaganda, Think for yourself. And we're going to talk about that in the second segment. And I'll tell you what, um, I really wanted to dive deep into to you on this first segment, Emma. Um, I think we did in a in a different way.
Speaker 3:I'm serious, it was definitely a way that I wasn't expecting, but I'm here for it.
Speaker 1:This is a good way, because you know what I told you before. You know things go sideways, we're going to go off track, but there was no bad conversation here tonight, so with that said, let's take a break. Except for the panties comment. Come on, Minx geez, let's take a break. Except for the panties comment. Come on, Minx Jeez, let's get a drink. Let's take a break and let's go to segment two. When we come back, we're going to talk with Emma. We're going to talk about her nonprofit Youth Empowerment. It's called YES, right.
Speaker 3:Yes, Youth Empowerment through songwriting.
Speaker 1:Through songwriting, and I'm going to tell you, s is songwriting, and also in the third segment, something to look forward to is we actually have her singing one of her songs she wrote and I'm going to tell you, my hair was standing up on my arm when she was singing it. So you don't want to miss that either, and it's going to be great. So join us back. We'll be back in just a minute and segment two coming up.
Speaker 3:Good.