Blazing through current film festivals is the short film SHE'S NONBINARY. In the film, the nonbinary lead character, Max (played by Jess McLeod), and their straight, cisgender boyfriend, Jake (played by Alexander Steele Zonjic), experience a sudden identity and relationship crisis. The film explores the hidden, uncomfortable friction in queer-straight relationships, contrasting Jake's desire to be a supportive ally with his underlying, unexamined shock over physical transition.

My guest is the filmmaker, and lead, Jess McLeod. We examine the film's themes and other pertinent topics inspired by the film.

Jess is a Vancouver-based award-winning trans nonbinary filmmaker and actor who has had a meteoric year as an actor with the release of Ben Wheatley’s action comedy Normal alongside Bob Odenkirk (Nobody, Better Call Saul), Henry Winkler (Happy Days, Barry) and Lena Headey (Game of Thrones). Their role in Jonathan Glatzer’s AMC tech satire series The Audacity was also released this year after debuting at SXSW and they have a role in Jane Schoenbrun's slasher comedy Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, which just opened Cannes Un Certain Regard and is closing SXSW London.

My guest is the popular diva Keeana Kee, whose thrilling music is wowing audiences worldwide. Her music and video hits are a genre-blurring fusion of cinematic storytelling, Afropop rhythms, Latin heat, and emotionally charged pop.

We discuss everything from the commanding energy of “GODDESS” to the introspective depth of “HEAL ME,” and how she transforms vulnerability into strength with every release.

We also talked about the release of her sensual and uplifting hit "WASABI." Presenting the infectious dance anthem, the video's visuals unfold in a vibrant, anime-inspired world that blends a “spicy-cute” aesthetic with playful, provocative storytelling. From schoolgirl-inspired fashion to a surreal geisha-led setting, the video leans into bold colors, stylized characters, and tongue-in-cheek moments.

My guest is the uber talent, EmmyJean Jenkins (she/her) the queer country artist based in Boulder, Colorado. We talk about her comedic country cabaret DETECTIVE CONVENTION, a true story of murder, intrigue, romance & comedy, as well as her first album, Gay All This Time, an EP of original songs with San Francisco’s Friction Quartet.

She is better known as her alter ego, Annika Socolofsky, the massively awarded composer and avant folk vocalist. We discuss how she writes extensively for her own voice, including composing a growing repertoire of “feminist rager-lullabies” under the titles Don’t Say a Word and I Tell You Me, which serve to confront centuries of damaging lessons taught to young children by retelling old lullaby texts for a new, queer era.