Suzie Explores

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.Today, I have the absolute pleasure of welcoming the extraordinary singer-songwriter Tori Kelly. With a voice that is as unmistakable as it is breathtaking, Tori's artistry is matched by her warmth, wisdom, and unwavering faith.  Fresh from the 2025 Grammys, we dive into a heartfelt conversation about love, life, and the role of faith in her journey. Our conversation begins with a moment of reflection—thinking back to when we saw each other at the O2 and began dreaming up an evening of cooking together.

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.Today my guest is the wonderful and beautiful singer, composer, teacher, enabler and mother, Becca Stevens. In our conversation we talk a lot about time, making lists, motherhood, and Becca's invaluable friendship with David Crosby. We recorded this podcast just before Becca gave birth to her second daughter.

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.Today my guest is the wonderful and versatile singer, and incredibly beautiful soul, Lisa Fischer. In our conversation together, we dig deep into what it means to perform, give and connect with audiences and band members alike. Lisa also talks about how it felt to be a backing singer for many of our best-loved musicians including Tina Turner, Luther van Dross and the Rolling Stones, as well as being a renowned solo singer in her own right.

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.Today my guest is the amazing and wonderful Louis Cole, who inspires fans throughout the world with his incredibly iconic drumming, daringly honest lyrics, introverted and extroverted songs and broad breadth of style. In this conversation, we talk about what it feels like to go to bed at 9am, live on Skippy and then realise that it feels good to fuel with fab food, and occasionally see the sun rising in the morning having slept already!

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.My guest in this episode, is the French-born NYC-based pianist, Dan Tepfer. He's a fabulous pianist, a truly innovative composer and has a mind that pushes the boundaries of what is possible to create. One of his creations is his Natural Machines project which we talk about in this conversation. And at the end of this podcast, there is an improvisation which we created together using Dan's FarPlay app, which enables musicians to play together in real-time despite being thousands of miles apart! 

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.Today my guests are Clyde and Gracie Lawrence, and Jordan Cohen: three members of the incredible band, Lawrence. If you already know and love Lawrence, you will have experienced their joyous, heartfelt and honest lyrics, their instantly recognisable blend of voices and instruments and their extraordinary talent for writing bangers of songs that remain in your head for days and weeks and months at a time. Truly, their thoughts on what it takes to build, maintain and grow as a band are nothing short of inspirational!

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.My guest today is the wonderful improviser, composer and Grammy award-winner, Scott Tixier. Scott's journey with the violin began in his native France, and his adventures since then have been nothing short of remarkable. Together, we explore so many aspects of music and life and indeed what it feels like to learn a completely new language!

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.My guest today is the incredible singer-songwriter and recent Grammy award-winner, Madison Cunningham. We talked in earnest about so many things including what it's like to be a natural people-pleaser and how to make choices in life. We also delved into what it's like to grow older, and what it takes to live life to the full!

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.My guest today is the absolutely wonderful singer-songwriter and radio show presenter Jamie Cullum. In our conversation, we explore the importance of connecting and communicating, why we should all take a leaf out of the book ‘Steal like an artist', and what to do when you think you've climbed the tallest tree but then you see one that's even taller - to which the answer is, of course, to climb that one too!

 Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.Today my guest is the wonderful Fred Harris, director of countless ensembles and senior lecturer at MIT in Boston. We enjoyed a fascinating conversation delving into what it takes to make the moment, the essence of humour, and how to ignite the imagination....

 Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world. Today my guest is the incredible mandolin player, composer, TV presenter and all-round epic human being, Chris Thile. We explore what it is to make practice into performance, what it feels like to connect with your audience, and how important it is to make and drink good coffee! 

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world. Today, my guest is the director, coach, teacher, recitalist, composer Allyson Devenish. We met once before this podcast when we sat next to each other at a Royal Academy of Music awards ceremony. We just knew that we wanted to carry on having the conversation we had that day, and I am delighted to say that in this podcast, we explore so much of what it is to feel whole in the education process, both as a student and as a teacher.

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world. My guest today is the outstanding musician Justin-Lee Schultz. At 15, he has already travelled the world and experienced more music than many of us do in a lifetime. We had a great conversation about getting in the zone, how to have fun when you play, what it is like to find the right teacher, embracing online school and moving to LA. Justin also gave an impromptu performance of the beautiful Chick Corea song – Windows.

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.American Utopia is a show which toured many cities of the world, before becoming a sell-out Broadway hit. It is the creation of the incredible, ever-evolving, ever-creative David Byrne and features many of his best-loved songs performed by 12 musicians, singers, and dancers live on stage using no pre-recorded tracks. His wish was to represent hope and possibility on stage….and this he does, in the most abundant of ways. This podcast was recorded 6 months after the Broadway run finished and explores how life has evolved since the show ended. We discuss connectivity, mistakes, grief, surviving on tour, and feeding the creative imagination. It was hard to coordinate everyone to be in the same place at the same time, but we did manage to have Jacquelene, Bobby, Mauro, Danny, Tim and Stephane in the same room, and Tendaye joined us by the magic of Zoom. American Utopia Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg4hcgtjDPc

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.Rai Thistlethwayte AKA Raithis is one of those rare artists who not only has amazing chops as a pianist and guitarist and an incredible ability to scat all day long, but also an epic sense of humour which he uses to cheer the world via social media. We had a conversation which spanned so many topics, from mending cassette tapes with a pencil to finding authenticity by having a belief in ourselves.

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.To explore ideas with Yo-Yo Ma was such an incredibly joyous experience! He is undeniably one of the greatest and most beloved cellists of all time, who has recorded and broadcast an incredible amount of classical repertoire, and is unafraid to embrace many other genres of music besides. He's collaborated with Bobby McFerrin, Santana, Chris Thile, James Taylor, to name but a few. The list is endless, as is Yo-Yo's thirst to experiment and explore new ideas in music and indeed life. During our conversation, we delve into the world of possibilities, non-transactional actions and what it means to have an authentic voice. We also pay homage to Arnold Lobel's children's books and Mr Rodgers' Neighbourhood!

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.My guest today is the incredible conductor, director, composer, author and speaker JMF. In our conversation, we talk about education and performance, and how they impact life and indeed society. Jason has a unique way of conveying a concept that feels exciting, challenging and attainable! It was a true treat to have this conversation with him, and honestly, my favourite expression of his is: ‘the sweet spot is always now!'

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.Kimbra has given the world cutting-edge music and style ever since she burst onto the music scene with her collaborative hit ‘Somebody that I used to know', and her first album ‘Vows', when she was just 21. She is such an inspiration to talk to: a truly beautiful human being who is unafraid to talk about the process of creativity as well as life and indeed death….and tattoos!https://www.kimbramusic.com/

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.I can honestly say that meeting the epic choirmaster and broadcaster Gareth Malone, was truly inspiring. As well as exploring many other topics of conversation, Gareth delved back into his studenthood, he explained what it felt like to lose his sense of creativity while he had covid, and also what it feels like to be put under pressure. It was a total blast from start to finish!https://www.garethmalone.com

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.Speaking with the incredible violinist Nicola Benedetti, was such a treat. She talks so eloquently of the process of practice and performance, but instead of it feeling like an exclusive conversation about violin playing, it feels like all the ideas she explores are somehow universal life-lessons. It was a joy to have our time together!https://www.nicolabenedetti.co.uk/

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.Today my special guest is the American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Sam Amidon. You'll be transported to North London where we will discuss everything from the wonderfulness of Hampstead Heath, to creating folk song albums, recording undisciplined voice-memos and learning to be a fiddle player in contra dancing bands.Sam said so many memorable things in this podcast. One of my favourite insights of his was about learning different skills: ‘It's very unpredictable how things are going to be useful, but they almost always are!'

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world. My guest today is the world-renowned percussionist, Dame Evelyn Glennie. Our conversation delved into what it feels like to nurture curiosity and find it within, and how important it is to have a life journey which is not straightforward or smooth or easy, and how that actually feeds our creative process. My favourite phrase that Evelyn coined in our discussion was when she described looking out of her window at home as ‘a fleeting moment of wonderment.' https://www.evelyn.co.uk/

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.My guest today is the British singer-songwriter and worldwide YouTube sensation, Dodie. Our conversation felt so real and natural, and so very honest. We talked about the complications of coming off the touring experience, and how to navigate life in general. We also discussed writing lyrics, and Dodie described it so very well, saying: ‘writing lyrics is like therapy!'

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.Come and dive into my conversation with the epic rock guitarist Steve Vai! We talk about creativity: how to let it flourish, and what can prevent it from growing. We also get an inside view of what it felt like to be young Steve having accordion lessons, which he found tough, and then being released into the world of playing the guitar! On finding creativity, Steve said a wonderful thing: ‘Where there's passion, there is no option!'@stevevaihimselfhttps://www.vai.com

Suzie Explores is a podcast series focussing on the nature of creativity and curiosity. Bringing her unique perspective of the world of music and beyond, Suzie joins forces with a host of luminaries in the creative field to explore what it means to be an inspired human being in this world.My guest today is the universally loved composer, pianist, bandleader and broadcaster Jools Holland OBE. We had a glorious conversation, exploring connection with an audience, how to stay curious, and how our epic dads influenced us in so many wonderful ways - both of whom were called Derek!‘In art and music, there are no rules' – My favourite Jools quote from our conversation.https://www.joolsholland.com/