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cover art for Alcohol-Free Raving & When To Scale Careers Down with MINA

Here's Hoping with Jayda G

Alcohol-Free Raving & When To Scale Careers Down with MINA

Season 1, Ep. 21

MINA shares with Jayda how she came up through the Leeds music scene and was influenced by its DIY attitude that anyone could start anything, talking more about how she created her career and connected with people like her around the world, onto when and why she chose to go sober. MINA talks about what it’s been like as a sober DJ and music lover, why people react more weirdly when you say no to alcohol versus any other drug, misconceptions about alcohol and people who don’t drink and why the most fun people she knows don’t drink. Jayda asks MINA more about why she created an alcohol-free event, Club Soft, hearing the different reasons she started it, from creating a safe space for people in recovery, people of different religions, people who also just want to be able to rave and get up the next day without a hangover, and creating a generally safer space for women and minority genders. Jayda and MINA also get into when they actually choose not try to level up and expand one’s career, and sometimes why getting bigger isn’t always better. As well as the importance to always ask yourself the question if something is going to nourish you.

*****Make sure you catch Club Soft this Saturday 2nd November to join the alcohol-free rave in London. Link below!*****


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Club Soft

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This week’s guest is the music artist, producer and DJ, Mina. Mina has received a devoted following for her vibrant and melodic productions which connects the dots between diverse styles, fusing together sounds from the UK, with rhythms from around the world. Mina has collaborated with vocalists and producers from Brazil, Jamaica and Ghana, most notably the vocalist and MC Bryte, who she tours internationally with and she has released her high energy, highly danceable EPs through Portuguese label Enchufada, as well as her own label, Earth Kicks, founded in 2019. Alongside producing, Mina has a monthly residency on NTS radio, and is also part of the DJ collective Boko! Boko! with Tash LC and Juba. Mina has performed at prestigious venues and festivals around the world including Berghain, MoMA PS1, Nyege Nyege Festival and Primavera, and her tracks have been supported by key tastemakers such as Branko, Ben UFO and Jamz Supernova. Mina has also launched a service working closely with other artists to support grant writing and applications to help more independent artists receive creative grants and launched her new alcohol-free club night, Club Soft, with residencies in London.

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