On this episode of Mind Massage, Dan Saleh, takes us on a sound journey using some of their favorite items coffee, chocolate, a candle and more! They whispers about acting in Sex Education, raising awareness for Sudan and mental health!
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00:00 [Sounds of a massage]
00:07 Hey, I'm Dua, and welcome to my mind massage.
00:11 I'm going to take you on a sound journey using some of my favorite things.
00:16 [Sounds of a massage]
00:25 This is really loud, but it is a flat white.
00:33 I love flat whites.
00:35 [Sounds of a massage]
00:38 They remind me of England, because so many addicts of flat whites live in the UK.
00:47 They've converted me, sadly.
00:50 I do like the sound of coffee being poured.
00:52 I hope this does well for your mind.
00:56 [Sounds of a coffee being poured]
01:01 Yum.
01:02 [Sounds of a coffee being poured]
01:16 Delicious.
01:17 [Sounds of a coffee being poured]
01:24 Yeah, that's pretty good.
01:25 I am from Minneapolis, but I came by way of Sudan.
01:32 I first came to North Dakota when I lived in the US for the first time.
01:37 Nobody knows about Fargo, except for diehard fans of Jennifer Coolidge and the Fargo franchise.
01:48 Usually I say Minneapolis because Prince is from there and Bob Dylan.
01:54 First and foremost, I'm a singer, but you may also know me as Cal from a show that I'm in called Sex Education.
02:03 The differences between music and acting are mainly the different sounds that you hear in different types of studios.
02:13 Lots of pulling of boxes and cameras, carts, gossiping mainly on the acting side.
02:22 Lots of clicking of different machines on the music side, and a lot of people singing along to the parts they like.
02:38 Those are the main differences between those two fields that I exist in.
02:43 I have a new music video out called Daylight Falls.
02:46 I released it as a way to bring attention to the ongoing civil war happening in Sudan.
02:53 I wanted to help people feel better about their mental health and understand that they're not alone.
03:02 While also providing insight on what's happening in Sudan and why some youth or people from Sudan
03:12 and who have fled Sudan are in need of assistance and support right now, mental health wise and also monetarily.
03:22 I'm working with our For a Woman's action group, DWAG.
03:26 So go stream Daylight Falls. Take care of your mental health.
03:32 And also make sure to pay attention to what's happening right now in the region of Sudan and elsewhere.
03:40 My music has many different polarities.
03:45 I'm still trying to figure out my musical identity, but indie and pop have been the ways that I've described myself, which has been helpful.
03:55 I just signed to an indie label called Ghostly International, an electronic label.
04:01 But I'm making an album that's indie R&B called I Should Call Them.
04:10 So I'm still figuring it out. But right now I'm leaning towards the direction of indie and R&B.
04:17 This is chocolate.
04:19 I love the sound of it getting closer to me.
04:25 I really like my chocolate.
04:28 I will judge you if your chocolate is not good.
04:31 I'm just kidding.
04:35 No chocolate discrimination.
04:39 I started getting into fine chocolate in college.
04:52 For some reason I had an affinity for it.
04:56 This is one of my favorite brands because it reminds me of growing up in different parties in the Sudanese community.
05:10 I'll just do a little bit.
05:12 Like Willy Wonka, the 90s version. Or 80s. I'm really bad at timelines.
05:24 Maybe I should break it off.
05:28 Like a normal, civil person.
05:42 If I could have dinner with any historical figure, I would meet Audre Lorde.
05:48 Because her writing has impacted me and so many people within the queer world and sapphic realm.
05:56 And also she's just an incredible writer.
05:59 As somebody who finds writing to be where I'm most comfortable.
06:05 I think being able to talk to her and gain wisdom from her would be really nice.
06:12 My favorite albums are The Miseducation of Lauren Hill by Lauren Hill.
06:21 Because it reminds me of childhood.
06:24 Four by Beyonce because it is impenetrable.
06:27 And a cassette of the pop hits in Sudan by Mahmoud Wardi, a Sudanese pop operatic singer.
06:37 Because my mom just had it around and I used to listen to it.
06:41 And one of the old timey Sudanese cassette players that she brought from Sudan.
06:47 This is a book.
06:53 I got this book from Alex Berenson, a friend.
07:03 It's called On a Sunbeam.
07:05 I wanted to bring it because it's queer literature.
07:08 And I love graphic novels and a lot of different types of literature like this.
07:18 I read pretty quickly so...
07:22 Literally that pace.
07:25 Okay, I will. I'll go with the graphics.
07:30 Because I do love artistry.
07:35 But you should read it.
07:39 Go buy a book by a queer author.
07:42 Audre Lorde or otherwise.
07:44 This one is by Tilly Walden.
07:47 If I could live in any fictional world, I would probably live in a fantasy world.
07:56 Anything where there is a merger of fantasy, sci-fi, and reality.
08:06 I love when those things are intertwined.
08:09 I used to read the Game of Thrones books.
08:12 They were really long but they were worth it.
08:15 My go-to song to sing in the shower is Love by Keisha Cole.
08:20 I don't know how my neighbors feel about that but I whisper it sometimes to make it easier on them.
08:30 I love lighting candles.
08:36 Anything with smell is really satisfying.
08:43 This is a reflection and clarity candle.
08:46 Which I think we all need a lot of.
08:49 Let's reflect.
08:51 Things are clearer already.
09:02 I love smells.
09:04 I'm always burning incense and lighting candles.
09:07 Mainly because I'm ruled by my sacral chakra.
09:12 I found that out.
09:14 It made a lot of sense because I can smell everything.
09:18 When things smell good, it calms the nervous system.
09:22 This is really lovely. I can smell it already.
09:26 It's really helpful to know which chakra you're ruled by.
09:31 It can give you some tools on ways to deal with the things you deal with.
09:37 It alleviates anxiety, depression, and good smells soothe me.
09:42 I wish I could draw or be a visual artist like everyone else in my family.
09:52 I'm the only one who doesn't know how to draw.
09:54 My mom, both of my siblings, and a lot of my cousins know how to draw.
09:58 I got the gift of music so I have one up on them.
10:04 They definitely can all draw.
10:07 I wish I could be a part of the family by being able to draw.
10:12 If you're seeing this, family, I'm kind of jealous.
10:17 But it's okay. I love you.
10:19 Hopefully you accept me for who I am as a singer.
10:25 My best self-love advice is to take baths when you're feeling depressed.
10:31 It makes you feel like a baddie.
10:34 Also, put essential oils in your bath but try not to get it on your face because you'll break out.
10:41 Like right now.
10:43 Thank you so much for coming to my mind massage.
10:47 Make sure to watch Daylight Falls, which is out now.
10:52 (electronic beeping)