Kadhja Bonet Talks Battlewear and Breaking With Big Tech

About this episode

Kadhja Bonet discusses her EP 'Battlewear' and her decision to break away from big tech and corporate music structures.

Toronto-based artist Kadhja Bonet recently released a short but powerful EP called  Battlewear.  Written just after Trump's re-election, it's a politically charged project that takes aim at tech giants, corporate greed, and streaming culture. Isabel Khalili speaks with Bonet about the rage and urgency behind the release, why she chose to leave Spotify and part ways with her label, her thoughts on social media, AI, and motherhood, and how stripping back her sound helped sharpen her message. “They really want us to think that we are beholden to the system,” Bonet says. “But we are not. We actually have this capacity to break free of this and start our own organic communities.” Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Guest: Kadhja Bonet

Topics covered

• Kadhja Bonet
• Battlewear
• Big Tech
• corporate greed
• streaming culture
• social media
• AI
• motherhood

Keywords

• politically charged
• music industry
• organic communities

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Battlewear

Books & works: Battlewear

Places: Toronto

More episodes of A Deeper Listen

• Signing Off · February 17, 2026 · 33 min
• SHIMA: From J-pop Star to Indie DJ/Producer · February 10, 2026 · 34 min
• Beverly Glenn-Copeland and Elizabeth Copeland on the Hard Commitment of Love · February 3, 2026 · 46 min
• SELVE on new album and being the first Aboriginal-led band to record at Abbey Road Studios · January 20, 2026 · 24 min
• Fela Kuti’s Legacy Honored in New Podcast by Jad Abumrad · January 13, 2026 · 39 min
• The Indigenous Influence in Jazz, Blues and Rock · January 6, 2026 · 35 min