ARE WE ON AIR ?

Following AMANDA LEAR through the soundtrack to her life is pure pleasure. From her dreams of being a painter leading her to befriend SALVADOR DALÍ, creating a wild persona for herself modeled off SUPERWOMAN, to holding a real live PANTHER on a leash for the cover of ROXY MUSIC’s For Your Pleasure, Lear is an absolute icon for trailblazing her own way without asking permission - the EPITOME of CHARISMA. Join Arman and Amanda in this episode which KICKS OFF SEASON 3 to the absolutely UNAPOLOGETIC tempo of upbeat DISCO. More than disco, we will learn from the QUEEN herself; starting from her years at art school, living in the latin quarter of Paris. A natural born storyteller, Lear shares the trajectory of her music career from the moment DAVID BOWIE noticed the beauty in her voice and encouraged her to SING, to going her own way without looking back and recording FOLLOW ME in Munich. Unlike music, it’s the ongoing process of painting which most inspires Lear and keeps her happy. She says it best in her own words: “because I paint, I feel much more balanced. Painting helped me a lot. Otherwise, like everybody else, I would have to take drugs.” If anyone can tell a story with GUSTO TO SPARE, it’s Lear. Captivating ears for generations, it’s a standing ovation for Ep 55 of Season 3 starring AMANDA LEAR. https://areweonair.com/amandalear https://www.instagram.com/areweonair/ https://www.instagram.com/armannafeei/

Arman's Voice Notes is Are We On Air's latest audio supplement, taking you on an audio voyage through Arman's latest travels and cultural findings. On his first episode, Arman goes through what he has been up to for the last 6 months. Highlights include Are We On Air ?'s very fist pop up at Berlin's Unter den Linden, #ValentinoRendezVous in Paris and Prada Club in Moscow. https://www.instagram.com/areweonair/ https://www.instagram.com/armannafeei/

‘So long and so young and so beautiful’, CAMÉLIA JORDANA and Arman bond over their love of Maria Callas in celebration of #ValentinoRendezVous. Between whispering harmonies of Calla's The Barber of Seville and Nina Simone’s I Get Along Without You Very Well, Jordana explains her admiration for the women who came before her and their strength in communicating their powerful truths for the world, no matter how intense and sincere. Naming the “magic combo,” Jordana empathizes with the 'sadness, love and tenderness' throughout Nina Simone’s repertoire. Growing up in an Algerian and Berber Kabyle family, Jordana describes music as a way of living, and rhythm a gift from her roots. Accompanying her mother to her singing classes at the tender age of two, she describes learning to sing at the same time as learning to speak deep inside her musical identity. The shared space between singing and speaking are felt not only as she shares the soundtrack to her life, but sings it too. Crediting Doris Day’s Que Sera Sera as a steady source of inspiration to trust in the future, and trust in herself, Camélia says goodbye - taking a piece of all of our hearts with her. https://areweonair.com/camelia-jordana https://www.instagram.com/areweonair/ https://www.instagram.com/armannafeei/

Tucked inside the busy streets of Marais's Le Carreau du Temple, Arman Naféei rendezvous with French artist ICHON in celebration of #ValentinoRendezVous. Discussing ideas currently distilling in his mind, Ichon finds inspiration in the beauty of contrast. Welcoming listeners into this delicate balance, Ichon shares a line he wrote from "+ C'est pas le moment": "Prends-moi par la main sans la retenir,' (Hold my hand, but don't keep it.) For Ichon, words come first in their simplicity, but second to the importance of feeling and understanding. With a talent for feeling the nuance and contrast in writing, Ichon shares that his music conveys emotions deeply personal to his life, yet universal in their nature. Without the need to catch your attention,Ichon masters the art of subtlety, maintaining the mystery and nuance that make experience beautiful. Delve into Ichon's world for a mise-en-scène of music featuring Michael Jackson and Caetano Veloso. What's not to love? https://areweonair.com/ichon https://www.instagram.com/areweonair/ https://www.instagram.com/armannafeei/

This week, ORION CARLOTO and Arman explore the intrinsic linkage between poetry and all art forms. It’s not every 24 year old who quotes the French poet Arthur Rimbaud so casually; Carloto brings energy and feeling to a medium which is vital to the arts and soul of the world. Describing the beautifully fresh and devastating songs of Leonard Cohen, to her affinity for Fiona Apple’s ability to unapologetically sing her truths, Vanessa’s references form a foundation for her craft and her life. ETHEREAL by nature, Orion glimmers light and insight, exquisitely shining out into her orbit. https://areweonair.com/orion-carloto https://www.instagram.com/areweonair/ https://www.instagram.com/armannafeei/

Creating a sound that is 3D is ELIM CHAN's magic touch. She and Arman dive deeply into this enchantment, delving into Disney's Fantasia’s role in planting the seeds of her dreams to manifest imagery, feeling and motion with music. As the youngest chief conductor of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, she materializes this gift by transmitting her magic to hundreds of thousands and more audiences. Describing the feeling of hot butter gliding down her arms as she conducts Rachmaninoff’s sexy Symphony No. 2, Chan is captivating, humble and a crescendo of joy. Her ultimate gig? To be the first conductor on mars. We’re betting it all on Chan. Her dreams are big and her execution laser sharp - a natural trailblazer and magician, exuding imagination from every pore. Quoting Roald Dahl, “Those who don’t believe in magic will never see it,” her channels are open for what’s to come. Listen for immediate inspiration and a beautiful dream. https://areweonair.com/elim-chan https://www.instagram.com/areweonair/ https://www.instagram.com/armannafeei/

Whether she's singing, songwriting, directing, painting or producing, KALI UCHIS is an unmatched tour de force. Dialing from Los Angeles, KALI shows us why she is revered as one the most interesting artists of today. Multi-hyphenate by design, KALI delves on the importance she places on artistic integrity over virality, how Colombian culture informs her own artistic repertoire and how she's helping champion the broad array of subgenres of Latin music by bringing those sounds to the forefront. Independence and artistic integrity are at the core of KALI's artistic output. A bravado characterises KALI's stand in the world: SIN MIEDO, her recently released studio album, is a statement on how a predominantly Spanish album can be both a commercial and critical success.

BENJI B sees the glass half full. His enthusiasm for the massive energy release and experimentation that will emerge from the pandemic is more than just blind optimism; it’s faith in the fact that over the course of his career, he notes change as the essential precursor to the greatest creative moments and movements. Seeing music as the outpouring of new groups/scenes of people evolving together, B describes what it’s like to live in the pulse of the music of the moment, panning for the gold of today, while regularly stopping to pinch himself in the realization that he has the best job in the world. Following a compass built on old records that moved the dial, B shares a few touch points from his life of exploring sounds. Walking around with a brain full of music is B’s reality - the moodboard from his mind emerging like the labyrinth of a spider web with the texture of an orchestra. https://areweonair.com/benji-b https://www.instagram.com/areweonair/ https://www.instagram.com/armannafeei/

Just after hanging her latest exhibition at the Whitney, JULIE MEHRETU dials Arman from home. Growing up a child of the early 70's during the height of the Pan-African post colonial movement, Mehretu shares a lifetime of music and stories as perceptive as her art. Painting a parallel between the ability jazz has to structurally shift music into a plane of abstraction, Mehretu's insightful ear is as fine tuned as they come. From Mavis Staples' sexy voice, Steve McQueen's brilliant filmmaking, and the feeling of real liberation Lil Nas X's video Montero inspires, the soundtrack to MEHRETU's life evokes a new type of aesthetic. Digging into her own archeology, she describes hiding Prince pins under her lapel as a kid, living in New York City during the peak of the 90's hip hop scene, and what it's like for her to approach a blank canvas. To get into a particular mood, Julie puts early hip hop or a Sun Ra album on the turntable. Listen now to get into the mood of all of the above!

It’s no surprise that DAVID BYRNE enters the Zoom with a startling, silvery magnetism. With a mind as sharp as an encyclopedia but as free as the wind, BYRNE delves into the music and poetry that inspired him to re-imagine the Top 40, launching his iconoclastic career. As original as thinkers come, jumping into Byrne’s world pushes boundaries, questions structures, and does it all with BYRNIAN flare: perfectly synchronous with eclectically mesmerizing style. Amongst his inexhaustible influences and inspirations, he describes Gamelan music, the airy harmonies of Peter, Paul & Mary, and how the sensuous melodies and rhythms of Brazilian music move him with emotion. Don’t miss the chance to visit Byrne’s world, dance to his drum, you’ve found the place!