On the Record with Poppy Reid

In this episode, Joel Birch of Amity Affliction opens up in one of his most raw and vulnerable conversations yet. What starts as a discussion about the 10 year anniversary of the seminal album This Could Be Heartbreak turns into a powerful conversation about addiction, living with bipolar disorder, grief, identity, family trauma, and learning how to keep moving when everything feels like it’s falling apart.Joel reflects on what he calls “the worst 18 months” of his life navigating public backlash, personal loss, online judgment,and nearly walking away from the band entirely. He speaks honestly about a period where alcohol controlled his life, and later realising how much addiction had shapedhis behaviour.The conversation explores Joel’s mental health journey, how understanding his patterns changed the way he approaches life, and the complicated reality of getting sober while finallyconfronting emotions that had been buried for years.One of the most emotional parts of the episode focuses on childhood, memory, and family. Joel talks about remembering almost nothing from ages 4–18, unpacking painful familydynamics, and how the loss of his mother forced him to question everything he thought he understood about his upbringing.Along with host Poppy Reid, they also dive into his songwriting as catharsis, why Joel chooses to be brutallyhonest in his lyrics, the responsibility he feels toward fans, and how music became both survival and self-discovery.Topics discussed:• Addiction and getting sober• This could be heartbreak 10 years after it was released• Living with bipolar disorder• Public criticism and identity• Childhood trauma and memory• Family relationships and grief• Writing music as catharsis• The pressure of being a frontman• The exit of band member Ahren Stringer• Nearly quitting the band• Healing, growth, and rebuilding lifeIf this episoderesonates with you, let us know your thoughts in the comments and subscribe for more conversations like this.CONTENTWARNINGThis episode contains open and honest discussion of addiction, grief, family abuse, trauma, mental health, and suicidal ideation.Please take care while listening.If this brings anything up for you, support is available.Lifeline Australia13 11 14 lifeline.org.au-------------------Follow Poppy :https://www.instagram.com/itspoppyreid/Follow Joel Birch :https://www.instagram.com/joeldtd/Follow Curious Media :https://www.instagram.com/itscuriousmedia/

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Welcome to On The Record, where we revisit a momentous album with the master of its creation — the artist.As one of Australia’s most celebrated songwriters, Missy Higgins has spent the last 12 months being immortalised in music history. From celebrating the 20th anniversary of her debut album The Sound of White to being inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, the spotlight has rightfully returned to one of the highest-selling debut albums by an Australian artist.But what happened after the release of The Sound of White is even more fascinating. On Valentine’s Day 2007, Missy released the Steer EP — a four-track follow-up featuring a lead single, two studio outtakes, and a raw home-recorded demo. More than just a bridge between her debut and On A Clear Night, it was a bold statement of intent: that she would always carve her own path, no matter the industry pressures.This is Missy Higgins… On The Record.

Poppy Reid is in LA with one of the most groundbreaking artists in dance music: VASSY. Kicked out of her school choir for not having the “right voice”, VASSY went on to defy expectations, clocking over 3 billion streams and becoming the first woman to win the EDM Icon Award.In this intimate and wide-ranging chat, we revisit the decade-defining hits she wrote and sang, including “Bad” with David Guetta and “Secrets” with Tiësto, and unpack the real stories behind their creation.We also dive into:Why VASSY stepped away from EDM to return to her jazz rootsThe hidden costs of success and early exploitation in LAWhat it means to be a female artist in a male-dominated genreHow generative AI threatens songwriter incomes, and what can be doneHer role as an advocate, mentor, and voice for creators’ rightsMulti-platinum artist VASSY joins us to go On The Record about the decade-defining EDM hits she created, including “Bad” with David Guetta and “Secrets” with Tiësto, her jazz roots, and the real-life challenges behind global success. 📌 Episode Highlights 00:01:00 – Kicked out of school choir: turning rejection into fuel00:10:00 – Starting from scratch in LA: surviving the hustle00:18:00 – The making of “Bad”: meeting David Guetta00:23:00 – “Secrets” and touring with Tiësto00:33:00 – From EDM queen to BossAcoustics: returning to her roots00:40:00 – How AI is threatening songwriters’ livelihoods00:52:00 – Advocacy, inspiration, and defining success on her own terms

He’s the sonic architect behind some of the biggest global hits of the last decade. On this episode of On The Record, we sit down with GRAMMY-nominated, ASCAP Award-winning producer and entrepreneur Tommy Brown, known professionally as TBHits.From Pittsburgh to the peak of pop culture, Brown’s production fingerprints are on game-changing records with Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, BTS, John Legend, Bad Bunny, Drake, and more. But one record in particular broke new ground in K-pop crossover history—“Ice Cream” by BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez. Tommy didn’t just produce the track—he co-wrote, arranged and composed it, setting new streaming records and solidifying his place as a cross-genre hitmaker.In this conversation, Tommy opens up about:0:00 – His journey from Pittsburgh to global pop hits03:00 – The making of “Ice Cream” and its cultural impact08:30 – What producing in Korea taught him about K-pop13:15 – Stepping back to build Champagne Therapy the right way18:00 – Why royalties are broken and how he uses humor to raise awareness23:00 – Fixing collaboration in music, TV, and film28:00 – ADHD, family, and what’s next for his global collaborationsThis is Tommy Brown. On The Record.Timestamps0:00 – Introduction: Tommy Brown’s journey from Pittsburgh to global pop hits03:00 – The making of BLACKPINK & Selena Gomez’s “Ice Cream” and Ariana Grande’s surprise involvement08:30 – What Tommy learned about K-pop while producing in Korea13:15 – Building Champagne Therapy and why he stepped back to go bigger18:00 – The truth about royalties, songwriting credits, and why he uses humor to call out industry issues23:00 – Why collaboration is broken—and what needs to change in music and film28:00 – ADHD as a creative strength, his brother’s influence, and what’s next for Tommy globallyGuest bioTommy Brown (aka TBHits) is a multi-platinum, GRAMMY-nominated record producer and songwriter from Pittsburgh. He is the founder of Champagne Therapy Music Group & Publishing, in partnership with Universal Music Group chairman Sir Lucian Grainge. Known for his genre-blending sound and longtime collaboration with Ariana Grande, Brown has also worked with BLACKPINK, Justin Bieber, BTS, The Weeknd, Selena Gomez, John Legend, Bad Bunny, and more. His work has shaped the modern pop and R&B landscape.