'Black People Love Paramore' Creator Talks Kid Fury's Influence, Meeting Hayley Williams, And More
Over the summer, podcast host Sequoia Holmes sent me a screenshot of an email with some exciting news. The email came from someone at Spotify who said that Hayley Williams of Paramore listened to Holmes’ podcast Black People Love Paramore and wanted to be on the show. Holmes would attend Paramore’s concert in Los Angeles and go backstage to conduct the interview.
By the time the logistics had been squared away, Holmes had asked me if I’d be willing to fly from Atlanta to accompany her and provide moral support. I helped her prep for the moment, but looking back, I never really asked her how it had come about. When one of your best friends asks you if you want to go meet one of your favorite musicians, you don’t ask a lot of questions.
I’d just met Holmes when Black People Love Paramore launched in 2021, and like most people, I wrongly assumed it was a podcast just about the band. I’ve appeared on the show a few times since then and have come to realize that the alternative band is just the launching pad from which Holmes has conversations about the many, varied interests of Black folks. Recently, for instance, she had The Read podcast host Kid Fury on an episode to talk about why Black people love the sitcom Golden Girls.
Black People Love The Golden Girls ft. Kid Fury of The Read | Black People Love Paramore PodcastYouTube
Whether delving into the cultural impact of all-white parties, Uno, or Princess Diana, Holmes, and guests provide a mix of serious analysis and hilarious banter about common Black experiences.
Earlier this month, Holmes announced that Black People Love Paramore joined the worker-owned podcasting network Maximum Fun, which will allow the creator to continue to grow the show with the help of a new producer, and access to a professional studio and audio engineer. Joining the cooperative network will allow her to retain artistic control of the show, while also providing her with the help she needs to continue to grow her audience heading into the show’s third year. The podcast host, who recently went from attending Kid Fury’s stand-ups and live podcast tapings to interviewing him, said she hopes to host a live event of her own in the forthcoming year.
With this year’s success in mind, I called up my friend to ask her a few questions about Black People Love Paramore and her future goals.
xoNecole: I’ve realized that I’ve never actually talked to you about most of this because I met you right around the time you started the podcast. What was the inspiration behind starting Black People Love Paramore?
Sequoia Holmes: As a former emo child, I did love Paramore. A lot. But, I found it interesting that every time anybody would tweet about Black people loving Paramore, the responses would be filled with other Black people saying, ‘Yeah, why do we love Paramore?’ It was interesting to me that so many Black people corroborated that sentiment, but no one was sure why that was. Or people would give theories and I thought those were fun.
I thought to myself, what else do Black people overwhelmingly enjoy? Not something super obvious. I brainstormed a list and decided to make it a podcast. I had already been podcasting for some years at that point.
xoN: How do you come up with the topics for Black People Love Paramore, though? You always reach out to me with a fully formed idea, so I’m curious how you decide what fits into the identity of the show.
SH: Tony Hawk was not really in my purview like that, but someone [suggested] him on my social account, and it had the most likes. [Ideas] are either suggested to me, or it’s something that I just really want to talk about. I know a lot of Black people like Degrassi, and I love Degrassi,and I really wanted to talk about it.
xoN: What’s a topic that you weren’t previously into, but once you researched and recorded the episode, you became a true fan of?
SH: It’s definitely Golden Girls or Reba. I turned both of those on, and I was like, oh, these are a good, Black ass time with no Black characters. But I understand how we arrived here.
xoN: The Golden Girls episode featured Kid Fury. Did he come up with that topic?
SH: No, I came up with that one.
xoN: Ohh, because you knew he liked it?
SH: Yeah, just having listened to his podcast for years, I knew he really liked Golden Girls and Zelda. I pitched both, and he chose Golden Girls.
xoN: You’re a huge fan of Kid Fury and Crissle’s The Read. What other podcasts were you listening to before you decided to get into podcasting?
SH: I think The Read obviously was the most instrumental one, and most Black podcasters, I assume, would have the same take on that. I think I started listening in 2016, and I think that was the only one I listened to for years.
In 2019, I started looking for a wellness podcast, and I found Balanced Black Girl. I had already been podcasting at that time, but it inspired me to continue doing so, and I became friends with Les, the creator and host.
xoN: When you had Kid Fury on the show, did you tell him what he meant to you as a podcaster, or were you trying not to be that person?
SH: I didn’t want to freak him out just because I know he’s mentioned he gets weirded out by that type of stuff. I did [show him] an eight-year-old piece of merch, a denim hat with his avatar from their artwork cover. He was like, ‘This is crazy. I love this. This needs to come back.’ And, I brought him weed.
xoN: Earlier this year, you had a huge moment for the show where you interviewed Hayley Williams of Paramore. I don’t think I know how this originally came about. Did you reach out to Spotify, or did they contact you?
SH: I received a DM on the podcast’s account, and it was from someone who worked at Spotify, Chissy. She was inviting me to a Black alternative dinner that was taking place in LA. When I arrived, she was talking to me about Paramore and was like, ‘I’m sure you’ve seen them live, right?' I was like, unfortunately, I have not. I tried to see them live, but they canceled the show, and then when they rescheduled, I was out of town. She was like, ‘Stop right there. We’re going to change this.’
She reached out to Hayley’s manager for me to go to their show in LA. I thought that was it, but then she messaged me again a week later and was like, ‘Ummm, Hayley says she wants to come on your show. Would you be okay with that?’ ...Yeah, I’d be super okay with Hayley Williams coming on my show.
xoN: A few of the clips from the interview went viral, and you got a lot of press from it. What was it like seeing the response once the episode came out?
SH: It was shocking, overwhelming, heartwarming...I’d like to emphasize overwhelming. It was great.
xoN: Have you started to think about other dream guests that you’d want to have on the show?
SH: My top three dream guests are Kid Fury, who we can scratch off the list, Issa Rae, and Quinta Brunson. They’re harder to get, but I’ll try.
xoN: Have you thought about what else you want to do in the podcasting space?
SH: I love podcasting as a medium, so I will absolutely always do this. I’m happy to have help with this podcast because I also have a second podcast that I produce entirely myself. Right now, it’s called Glass House by Sequoia Holmes, but right now, I’m brainstorming a new title and revamping it. I fell off a little bit this year, so in 2024, I would love for it to come back stronger and have a better sense of identity to it.
For more of Sequoia, follow her on Instagram @sequoiabholmes.
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ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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You've Never Seen Luke James In A Role Quite Like This
Over the years, we've watched Luke James play countless characters we'd deem sex symbols, movie stars, and even his complicated character in Lena Waithe's The Chi. For the first time in his career, the New Orleans-born actor has taken on a role where his signature good looks take a backseat as he transforms into Edmund in Them: The Scare—a mentally deranged character in the second installment of the horror anthology series that you won't be able to take your eyes off.
Trust us, Edmund will literally make you do a double take.
xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
Courtesy
Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
Getty Images
Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
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