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Emily Rawson: The music industry still judges women on appearance and age, a double standard that hurts careers
The DJ and founder of throwback night Supa Dupa Fly on breaking into a male‑dominated world and the roadblocks still facing women and mothers in the music industry.


Hot Blood: Lack of fun and boredom are as big an enemy to individuals as anything
The Lovebox founder and Hot Blood DJ, Jools Butterfield, reflects on the erosion of compassion, the crisis facing 16‑ to‑24‑year‑olds and why boredom is a silent threat to mental health.


Frank Turner: An artist has one responsibility, and one only, which is to their art
Marking 20 years since his first headline tour, the folk‑punk veteran explains why he's sceptical of celebrity activism, the causes he champions from the inside, and the two rules his gigs always follow.


Ny Oh: A quiet voice repeating the same thing over a long period of time is far more powerful than loud voices that run out of steam
The UK-born, New Zealand-raised, musician who toured with Harry Styles on why playing to three people in a forest is more meaningful than playing to a crowd of thousands.


Hollie McNish: We pretend we’re free, but we follow rules we never chose
The poet and author on why more us should interrogate things society tells us are normal.


Oyinkan Braithwaite: After food and shelter, the next essential thing a child should receive is access to books
The Nigerian-British novelist and writer on growing up between Lagos and London, the loss of community in the UK, and why societies only change when children are taught to imagine lives beyond their own.


Mary Portas: Every pound spent is a vote for the world you want
The businesswoman, broadcaster, author, and activist on community, consumerism and why buying less is the most radical choice we have.


Maria Alyokhina: Dictators will always do two things when they want more power – oppress women and ban jokes
The Russian political activist and Pussy Riot member on life under Putin, how repression works, and the cost of dissent in Russia.


James Murray: The simplest and most powerful thing anyone can do is to take the story and pass it on
The actor, artist and campaigner on polluted rivers, the race to save wild salmon and why most activism should always begin with a story


Hamsa Yassin: My dream is that kids could name five trees before they can name five Kardashians
The wildlife cameraman, Strictly champion and children’s TV presenter on how modern life is squeezing the curiosity out of children too early.


Antony Szmierek: Creativity feels magic to me, something powerful and frightening to the people who need to be frightened
The musician on sensitivity, censorship and why power always fears the arts.


Billy Bragg: If you don’t make a pitch for inclusivity around the space we call England, you leave it open to the far right
The punk legend on accountability, the dangers of cynicism, and protecting Englishness from the far right.
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