A bit of Hollywood glam on this episode of Crosscontinentals. Thomas Golubić is a music supervisor who worked on shows such as Breaking Bad, Six Feet Under, and The Walking Dead. He pulls back the curtain on the American entertainment industry and describes how his multicultural background led to his job. We discussed:

• Working as a journalist in Yugoslavia during the wars in the 90s
• Do mixed kids tend to have unusual parents?
• Learning English from broadcaster Peter Jennings
• Varying approaches to music supervision in different languages
• Matching music to the way British actors were interpreting American culture on The Walking Dead
• What makes ABBA great?
• The decision to place Sia’s music in Six Feet Under before she was famous in the US
• Tech’s impact on the entertainment industry

Thomas’ work Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/supermusicvision

Thomas’ personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomasgolubic/

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When Natacha Atlas began her career in the 80s, her music raised many eyebrows. Eventually, the world caught up, and the way in which she mixes global influences became so commonplace, it’s now heard everywhere.

We discussed:

• Natacha’s Rosicrucianism-influenced school
• Observing how world music became just music
• Natacha’s return to electronic music
• The professional and personal collaboration between Natacha and her partner Samy
• Why Natacha doesn’t want to live in London again
• The longevity of Natacha’s collaboration with Christian Louboutin
• Why moving around is important for creativity

Natacha’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natachaatlas/

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Yumi Ito’s parents, despite being musicians themselves, tried to dissuade her from following in their footsteps. She did it anyway—but in her own way, allowing her music to reflect her worldviews and Japanese-Polish heritage.

We discussed:

• Yumi’s parents’ journey from Poland and Japan to Switzerland
• How Yumi knew she should be a musician
• Battling getting sucked into the capitalist system
• Crossing socio economic divides in childhood
• Why people assume music duos are romantic?
• Music as a way to connect beyond identities

Yumi’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/yumiitomusic/

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Mark de Clive-Lowe is a musician, DJ, and producer whose career spans multiple musical genres, from jazz to house. In recent years, he has drawn more deeply from his heritage, creating some of his most personal work yet. As his music began to reflect more of Japan's influence, a series of unexpected events led him to move to Tokyo.

We discussed:

• The decision to not take up a teaching position in the US and instead move to Japan
• Afrofuturism
• Mark’s relationship with his father
• Childhood in New Zealand
• Heritage albums and how they were a departure from Mark’s previous work
• Mark’s ayahuasca experience
• Japan’s complicated citizenship laws
• US taxes

Mark’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markdeclivelowe/ Follow this show on Instagram: bit.ly/3NDZI0i

Caitlin Magee 凱琳 is a musician and radio host who grew up around the world, moving with her family to follow her father who was an Australian diplomat. She describes how her peripatetic life led to unexpectedly finding a home in Taiwan, where she sings in English and in Mandarin. We discussed:

• Various challenges and opportunities stemming from growing up around the world
• Adjusting to gender attitudes in Saudi Arabia
• Becoming a Taiwanese citizen
• The difference between studying music and making music
• The complexities of singing in Mandarin
• Creating music with thousands-of-years-old Chinese poems
• Caitlin’s shift from jazz to R&B and pop

Caitlin’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cait.magee/ Caitlin’s radio show Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/cait.radio/ Follow this show on Instagram: bit.ly/3NDZI0i

Marita Albán Juárez is a Peruvian-Polish jazz musician who became an expert on Chopin because of a misunderstanding. She thought her teacher’s suggestion to write a book proposal was a mandatory assignment, and ended up publishing a book on Chopin, making a documentary, and becoming an authority who is often asked to share her expertise in the media.

We discussed:

• Growing up in a musical family
• Friends’ unexpected visits and the casual way people socialized in pre-internet days
• The influence of visitors from Latin America on Marita’s childhood
• Marita’s parents’ love story
• The women who inspired Marita’s latest album
• Attempts to change gender dynamics in Peru
• Marita’s path to becoming an expert on Chopin
• Talking to people in Japan about what Chopin means to them
• Marita’s career as a TV host

Marita’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marita.quartet/

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Miki Berenyi might be best known as the lead singer of Lush, a British rock band that rose to fame in the nineties and split up after the death of their drummer, Chris Acland.

She grew up in London, a daughter of a Japanese actor and a Hungarian journalist. After her parents split up, she lived with her father and grandmother. She writes about her life and time with Lush in an excellent autobiography.

We discussed:

• Self-harm, child abuse, and other difficult subjects that come up in Miki’s autobiography
• Why “bad” things aren’t necessarily bad and the complexity of evil
• Being mixed in the 80s compared to now
• The treatment of women in music
• Why groups of people often ostracize non-conformists
• What is racism
• How did music journalists cover Miki and her story
• Touring with Anthony Kiedis and Ice Cube in the 90s
• How Miki feels when she goes to Japan
• Returning to music and performing

Miki’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/berenyi_miki/

Miki’s autobiography: https://amzn.to/4hBeSkt

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Crosscontinentals is going on a summer break. The show will be back with season two: expect more great guests and more in-depth conversations about straddling multiple cultures. If you’d like to be notified when the second season starts, subscribe here, or follow on Instagram: bit.ly/3NDZI0i