Straight Up

Can’t quite believe we’re saying this huns but we had the man, the legend AKON in the studio with us recently to celebrate his new TikTok EP TT Freak and it was all we hoped and more. We had the most amazing chat about everything from growing up between New Jersey and Senegal and how his time in prison inspired his major hit Locked Up, to discovering Lady Gaga, working with Whitney Houston and becoming TikTok’s most streamed star.Plus Akon got real on our favourite topic of fame, revealing why so many stars are selfish, greedy and give nothing back to their communities. He also spoke honestly about why musicians like Kanye West need to care less about music, and why - controversially - he still stands by Michael Jackson. And, our favourite moment of the interview, he invites us to his favourite strip club! We shall attend and report back.Let us know what you think by leaving us a review on Apple or Spotify, or you can DM us on insta @straightuppodThank you to our two incredible sponsors:Helping us to get back to the gym, build muscle and save money is Huel, a high protein, nutritionally complete meal that you can have in a shake and which has changed the game for us since we started weight lifting. Vegan, naturally-flavoured, free from nasties, complete with 26 vitamins and minerals and, most importantly, extremely tasty, it’s the easiest way to up your protein intake and make those gains. huel.com/straightupIf you’re nervous about starting your therapy journey this year, then check out our new paid advertiser BetterHelp: the flexible and affordable online therapy service which can match you with a therapist within 48 hours, with video or phone sessions starting from £50 a week. Get 10% off your first month by visiting https://www.betterhelp.com/straightup2023/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We read Prince Harry’s memoir so you don’t have to, huns, and good grief do we have thoughts. We trawl through the juiciest revelations (especially the ones that haven't made the headlines) and debate over some of Spare's most contentious points, from Harry's obsession with the press and the royal family's strange dysfunction, to whether he'll eventually regret going into such microscopic detail about his sibling rivalry with William. Plus, has online discourse around cutting off ‘toxic’ people done more harm than good, and is it leading to an ‘estrangement’ epidemic?Let us know what you think by replying with a comment on Spotify or sending us an Insta DM @straightuppodThanks so much to our amazing sponsors for this episode:Helping us to get back to the gym, build muscle and save money is Huel, a high protein, nutritionally complete meal that you can have in a shake and which has changed the game for us since we started weight lifting. Vegan, naturally-flavoured, free from nasties, complete with 26 vitamins and minerals and, most importantly, extremely tasty, it’s the easiest way to up your protein intake and make those gains. huel.com/straightupIf you’re nervous about starting your therapy journey this year, then check out our new paid advertiser BetterHelp: the flexible and affordable online therapy service which can match you with a therapist within 48 hours, with video or phone sessions starting from £50 a week. Get 10% off your first month by visiting https://www.betterhelp.com/straightup2023/Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercyKathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnstonEllie’s IG: @elliehalls1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy new year huns! After a restful Christmas of pigs in blankets and Oatnog we’re suitably fattened up and raring to go for 2023 at Straight Up HQ, with plenty of juicy, eye-opening interviews about the murky world of celebrity.In this episode we’re joined by the fabulous Baby Queen, the 25-year-old South African born, London-based artist who many new fans might recognise from Netflix’s Heartstopper soundtrack, for what is perhaps our most revealing interview to date – like, EVER!Baby Queen, AKA Bella, spills the tea on just how twisted the music business actually still is, even in its green juice era, from toxic male managers and the prevalence of drugs, to abuse and manipulation, the sexism, the self-medicating and the mental health costs that are all practically part and parcel of being a performer. Bella digs deep into her own “bright lights syndrome” and the narcissism inherent in artistry, while talking through a recent identity-crisis, navigating ADHD, and her battles with depression, revealing how they are, for her, intertwined with being in the spotlight. Plus, we talk everything from therapy and why Bella says she is never, ever having children, to video games and why the name “Baby Queen” triggered an existential crisis.Let us know what you think by replying with a comment on Spotify or sending us an Insta DM @straightuppodThank you to our gorgeous sponsors for making this episode happen:Black-lines, the amazing bottled cocktail company behind our fave winter tipple Oatnog. A dairy-free take on the Eggnog, it’s made with Minor Figures oat milk, buttery rum, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, and you can serve it hot or cold. We are obsessed! Try it for yourself by using the code STRAIGHTUP15 at checkout for 15% off. Check them out hereHuel, our January saviour helping us to get back into the gym, build muscle and save money with Huel Black Edition, a high protein, nutritionally complete meal that you can have in a shake and which has changed the game for us since we started weight lifting. Vegan, naturally-flavoured, free from nasties, complete with 26 vitamins and minerals and, most importantly, extremely tasty, it’s the easiest way to up your protein intake and make those gains. huel.com/straightupDame, the world’s first climate positive period brand, making products that are both healthier for you and the planet and which has already saved hundreds of millions of pieces of plastic from going into landfill. Enjoy 25 per cent off Dame products with the exclusive code UP25 at wearedame.co Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello angels, today we are bringing you an episode full of festive cheer and (slightly tipsy) merriment! Over a bottle of Straight Up’s fave winter drink Oatnog, we reminisce about our best and worst Christmas rituals and presents, the highs and lows of seasonal cinema, and Ellie even whipped up a truly scintillating Christmas quiz for us all to enjoy, of which the first question is: ‘What is Ellie’s favourite ingredient on the Christmas Day lunch plate?’ (Kindly note Kathleen’s eye roll).Also, we share our top celebrity moments of 2022, and why Billie Piper’s I Hate Suzie is THE show you all need to watch over the holidays. Plus we couldn’t resist debriefing the White Lotus finale too, obv.We’re taking a little two week break now, so see you next year on the 12 January for an incredibly exciting guest interview. We really do have some absolute corkers for you lined up in 2023, so get ready for even bigger and better juicy celebrity stories, fascinating analysis around what it means to be famous in this day and age, plus your usual cultural recommendations to keep you entertained and in the know. Happy Christmas and see you on the other side! Hunnies if you want the PERFECT Christmas/New Year's gift for your loved ones, or simply as a well-deserved treat for yourself, then look no further than amazing bottled cocktail company black-lines, which has launched quite literally the most delicious winter cocktail you will ever try: Oatnog. A dairy-free take on the Eggnog, it’s made with Minor Figures oat milk, buttery East Rarer rum, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, and you can serve it hot or cold. We are obsessed! Try it for yourself by using the code STRAIGHTUP15 at checkout for 15% off. Check them out here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hiiii huns, this week we have one of our fave bands on the show: First Aid Kit! The Swedish, Brit-nominated sisters Klara and Johanna are adored around the world for making the most beautiful country music, which had Ellie swooning into her wine last Friday at the Eventim Apollo. This episode is a cracker, with such fun, hilarious sisterly energy as Klara and Johanna recall their drunkest moments, touring together as children (with their dad in tow) and the most outrageous thing a journalist has ever said in an interview.Plus, they share a very moving and spiritual story behind their amazing new album Palomino, and get candid about everything from the pressures of performing to pleasing fans.Shoutout to the gorgeous pop-up bar we reviewed in the intro too, which is just ideal for snug winter cocktails on a beautiful alpine rooftop! Book your table at Laurels on the Roof here!A huge thank you also to our incredible partners for this episode:Amazing bottled cocktail company black-lines has just launched quite literally the most delicious Christmas cocktail you will ever try: Oatnog. A dairy-free take on the Eggnog, it’s made with Minor Figures oat milk, buttery rum, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, and you can serve it hot or cold. We are obsessed! Try it for yourself by using the code STRAIGHTUP15 at checkout for 15% off. Check them out hereEver feel totally bamboozled by everything from investing to crypto and your pension? Juno is an amazing educational platform and app that is helping to close the financial literacy gap that affects women and non binary people. Use the code STRAIGHTUP to get 30% of a premium subscription, which brings the cost down from £4.15 to £2.91 per month – less than a cup of coffee! Search Your Juno in the App Store or visit www.yourjuno.coQ Acoustics is the best in the business when it comes to quality, affordable audio. Q Acoustics’ new product, the M20 HD wireless music system, is the most powerful, immersive and convenient way to enjoy music, movies and gaming sound anywhere at home. We love ours and know you’ll love it too. Snap it up at www.qacoustics.co.ukAs ever, please do let us know what you think by shooting us a DM at our newly launched Straight Up IG @straightuppodBrands with collab enquiries, please feel free to email us at hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk.Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercyKathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnstonEllie’s IG: @elliehalls1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get ready for some rip-roaring recommendations this week angels, because we're debriefing on everything from infamous celebrity gossip IG account DeuxMoi's thinly-veiled new autofiction, Anon Please, to the second season of the bonkers, totally brilliant HBO series The White Lotus, set in a luxury hotel in Sicily. We get stuck into debates on privilege, power, hypocrisy, stalking and celeb privacy, plus lots of laughs on A-list lookalikes, astrology (and the legitness of it) and the inherent sexism in "icks". We also have a good old debrief on the alleged Maya Jama and Stormzy reunion (including our take on the incredible new album This Is What I Mean and the thorny question of whether you should ever take an ex back), the ethics of paparazzi and the tabloid story exchange game, plus why clickbait headlines simply reflect our own worst instincts.Recommendations discussed: The White Lotus Anon Please by DeuxMoi Stormzy This Is what I Mean Explained on Netflix (astrology episode is S1 E14) Debbie - Is This Real Love?Thank you so much to our fantastic new partner Juno for supporting this episode. Ever feel totally bamboozled by everything from investing to crypto and your pension? Juno is an amazing educational platform and app that is helping to close the financial literacy gap that affects women and non binary people. Use the code STRAIGHTUP to get 30% of a premium subscription, which brings the cost down from £4.15 to £2.91 per month - less than a cup of coffee! Search Your Juno in the App Store or visit www.yourjuno.coAs ever, please do let us know what you think by shooting us a DM at our newly launched Straight Up IG @straightuppodBrands with collab enquiries, please feel free to email us at hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk.Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercyKathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnstonEllie’s IG: @elliehalls1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi darlings, if, like us, you love peeling back the glossy layer of the celebrity machine and digging beneath the sparkle of the music industry, then you are going to absolutely adore this episode with Dublin megastar Dermot Kennedy. He’s sold out the O2, counts Taylor Swift among his fans and in 2019 released Ireland’s best-selling debut album of this millennium. Now he's just released an amazing new album, Sonder.But, as Dermot told us in this very moving and honest chat over some gorgeous Oatnog from our new partner black-lines, he hates celebrity, and does everything he can to protect himself from the trappings of fame, from not checking what’s in his bank balance to keeping his dad on his payroll. Refreshingly down-to-earth, he offers some serious debunking when it comes to the music business, revealing how little money he makes when he’s on tour.And of course it wouldn’t be Straight Up without some eye-popping anecdotes, from Dermot pranking his friends in front of Muse’s Matt Bellamy and being dared to drink his own piss (yes, really), to a quite frankly terrifying fan experience.Thank you to our amazing new partner, bottled cocktail company black-lines, which has just launched quite literally the most delicious Christmas cocktail you will ever try. A dairy-free take on the Eggnog, it’s made with Minor Figures oat milk, buttery rum, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, and you can serve it hot or cold. We are obsessed! Try it for yourself by using the code STRAIGHTUP15 at checkout for 15% off. Check them out hereStraight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercyKathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnstonEllie’s IG: @elliehalls1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve got a full free-wheeling festival of recommendations for you this week angels, from our thoughts on Em Rata’s new podcast HighLow – which prompted a big old debate on tweakments, the intersection of cosmetic surgery and feminism, body image and Julia Fox’s belief that aging is hot – to Amazon’s latest big hitter, Mammals, a dark comedy all about cheating and monogamy, starring James Corden. We also get stuck into the problem with the term ‘punching’, our personal insecurities and the radical weight-loss injections that all the A-listers are suddenly using. Plus, our review of the most festive bar in London, at the gorgeous Henrietta Hotel in Covent Garden, a deep-dive into the six forces of friendship, and, the best theatre production of 2022.As ever, please do let us know what you think by shooting us a DM at our newly launched Straight Up IG @straightuppodThank you so much to our fantastic new partner Juno for supporting this episode. Ever feel totally bamboozled by everything from investing to crypto and your pension? Juno is an amazing educational platform and app that is helping to close the financial literacy gap that affects women and non binary people. Use the code STRAIGHTUP to get 30% of a premium subscription (usually £4.15 per month if bought annually), which offers super fun and bitesize courses on how to be smart with your money, as well as access to the app’s incredible community section, where you can ask other Juno users questions and share your own experiences around money. Search Your Juno in the App Store and remember to use our discount code STRAIGHTUP. www.yourjuno.coRecommendations Miracle bar pop up at the Henrietta Hotel HighLow with Em Rata:  the Julia Fox interview episode and 'Can you be a feminist and get plastic surgery? EmRata asks' The Doctor at Duke of York’s Theatre, London The IG account @beauty.false Mammals on Amazon Prime Handmaid’s Tale on 4 Fall (2022 film) One Man, Two Guvnors The Six Forces That Fuel FriendshipStraight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercyKathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnstonEllie’s IG: @elliehalls1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello darlings, this week's fabulous Straight Up guest is the radio presenter and DJ Roman Kemp, who has just released a memoir, Are You Really Ok?, and who opened up to us about everything from his lifelong struggle with mental health and losing his best friend to suicide, to his surreal celebrity upbringing as son to Martin Kemp (Spandeau Ballet) and Shirlie Kemp (Wham!).It's a very inspiring chat that also peels back the layers of one of the UK's most famous faces, with Roman admitting that he actually hates attention so much he can't even stand friends singing him Happy Birthday. Plus, Roman talks about his difficult years spent in the fashion industry, and reveals what it's really like to work in radio, from disaster interviews to dealing with trolling.Oh, and his extraordinary Harry Styles impression is NOT to be missed!Enjoy!Get Roman's book Are You Really Ok? here and follow him on IG at @romankempA huge thank you also to our partners for this episode:Q Acoustics for supporting Straight Up for another season and for being the best in the business when it comes to quality, affordable audio. Q Acoustics’ new product, the M20 HD wireless music system, is the most powerful, immersive and convenient way to enjoy music, movies and gaming sound anywhere at home. We love ours and know you’ll love it too. Snap it up at www.qacoustics.co.ukBlack Cow, the world's first sustainably made pure milk vodka that is made by a dairy farmer in West Dorset, which we enjoyed in our extraordinarily delish cocktails with Roman. While chatting, we drank the ready to drink Negroni, a smooth, delicious, absolutely pitch-perfect take on the classic. Get your negronis (and some seriously excellent strawberry vodka) at blackcow.co.uk.Straight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercyKathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnstonEllie’s IG: @elliehalls1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi lovely listeners, this week’s episode is absolutely brimming with recommendations spanning everything from romantic autumn minibreaks to the memoir everyone’s been talking about – did you know that Matthew Perry (Chandler from Friends) almost died from drug addiction and once dumped Julia Roberts? We also deep dive into the sordid affairs of Britney Spears’s late grandfather, who, according to an incredibly juicy new New York Magazine article, is horribly relevant when it comes to questioning why Britney’s dad put his daughter in a conservatorship. Speaking of sordid things, there's a new serial killer film on Netflix starring Eddie Redmayne that's based on a true story – Ellie gives her verdict.Plus, we debate our fave Julia Roberts film after Kathleen reviews her new romcom Ticket to Paradise and we assess the controversy around Billie Eilish’s boyfriend. Dig in and let us know what you think!Recommendations Il Palazzo Experimental, Venice Osteria alle Testiere, Venice Al Covo, Venice House of Spears article in NY Mag Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry The Good Nurse, Netflix The Peripheral, Amazon Prime Louis Theroux interviews Judi Dench, BBC Popbitch newsletter The Playlist, Netflix Ready Player One, Amazon Prime Vanity Fair, Apple TVStraight Up’s music and editing is by Marlon Percy. Find him on Instagram @marlonpercyKathleen’s IG: @kathleen.m.johnstonEllie’s IG: @elliehalls1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.