Claire Gohst releases her music under the name Paper Citizen. She grew up in a restrictive and abusive conservative Christian household in Singapore. When her parents discovered Claire had a girlfriend she was kicked out of her house. Listen to her incredible journey of musical discovery and growth. Please take a peek at her new EP Wandering Ghost which was inspired by her journey to America. For more of DYR check out dearyoungrocker.com. Follow @dearyoungrocker on instagram and go to...

While Anjimile Chithambo was growing up in Richardson Texas, he found himself drawn more and more to music. After trying different genres on for size, ska is what really stole his heart - along with a crush. At first at seemed like no one else around liked ska but fate intervened and Anjimile found out that the crush's brother was not only a fellow ska nerd but actually had his own ska band and an upcoming show. Anjimile knew that show would be important and started practicing skanking right...

About A Girl returns on June 7th with twelve new episodes about women who have played crucial roles in music history, but whose fascinating personal stories have been eclipsed by the legends of their famous romantic partners. Chelsea sits down with Nikki Lynette, the host of About a Girl, to discuss the new season and to preview an upcoming episode about Marianne Faithfull. For more info on About a Girl, Dear Young Rocker, and other great shows, visit the Double Elvis website and follow...

LG of the band Thelma and the Sleaze brings us all the way back to her early adolescence in Kankakee Illinois. Surviving a childhood marked by head lice, fights, all kinds of trouble making and being the stinky kid in school LG is pulled more and more toward her own desire to play rock music especially when she hears songs by female fronted bands like Belly and the Cranberries. She also knows right away that she doesn't want to play with any boys. A run-in with some missionaries grants her...

Wendy Eisenberg went through a best friend transition in middle school that led to playing in their first band and some insight about what it means to be yourself. In this beautifully written story and letter to their younger self, Wendy talks about a fateful pool party and the importance of letting people see your many sides. Wendy releases music under their full name Wendy Eisenberg as well as with the band Editrix and various other collaborations. Two organizations Wendy has fundraised for...

Elise Okusami of the band Oceanator started playing guitar and listening to Green Day pretty young at nine years old, and her first band wasn't long after that. On this episode of DYR, she tells the story of attending an Against Me! show and finding the musical community that really inspired her to dream big about her own musical career. She gives some advice to her younger self about living as an anxious person. Elise recommends listeners check out two organizations: the Black Trans Travel...

Here Comes the Break, a new podcast from Double Elvis and Def Jam, premieres on Thursday, May 13th. Executive produced by Jake Brennan, Here Comes the Break features real interviews and exclusive new song drops from the latest Def Jam artists. Here Comes the Break is a mix of music discovery and audio drama like you’ve never heard before. Ruben is a young creator from Queens whose whole life changes when he finds his voice as an interviewer and host. But as his new gig breaks bigger and...

Katie Lau takes the mic on this episode and tells her story of adolescent self-discovery as a kid that withdrew after some harsh bullying but came out of her shell when she fell in love with punk music. Katie's band is called Painted Zeros. In this episode she recommends the following organizations: Red Canary Song, AAPI Women Lead, and Stop AAPI Hate. And for more, check out dearyoungrocker.com and follow @dearyoungrocker on instagram. For DYR merch and info on more great shows check out...

Launching May 5th, BADLANDS is a new true crime anthology podcast from Jake Brennan, creator and host of the award-winning music and true crime podcast DISGRACELAND and executive producer of DEAR YOUNG ROCKER. Season 1 of BADLANDS, entitled “HOLLYWOODLAND,” explores the true crimes and scandalous careers of Hollywood’s most infamous stars. Listen each week for new stories on the mysterious death of Marilyn Monroe, Bruce Lee’s relationship with Hong Kong street fighters, John Holmes’ role in...

Lira Mondal of the band Sweeping Promises shares her story of growing up in Arkansas as a nerdy choir kid longing to fit into an alternative rock subculture that she isn't sure she's cool enough for. As an only child of a single Bangladeshi mom, she doesn't feel like she blends in with her mostly white peers. She finds confidence in her voice but dreams of playing guitar or bass in a band and getting to rock out to the kind of music she loves the most - especially her favorite band Interpol....

Mia Berrin, frontwoman of Pom Pom Squad, tells the story of a difficult freshman year of high school in Florida. She endured racially-motivated bullying, exclusion and depression, but started to find her own path when she put on pair of Doc Martens and discovered the music of Riot Grrrl bands like Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Hole and Heavens to Betsy. Soon she started writing her own songs and going to shows and even met an important musical partner. Mia gives some advice to her younger self...

Michelle Zauner joins Chelsea to read a selection from and discuss her new book Crying in H Mart (Knopf). Chelsea asks Michelle about her writing process, her teenage relationship with her mother who passed away when Michelle was 25, and her early musical influences (including Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs). Michelle also delivers a short Dear Young Rocker letter to her younger self about how not peaking in high school is a very good thing. Learn more about your ad-choices at...

Listen to Season 3 of the 27 Club to hear the wild details behind the life of one of rock's greatest icons — Janis Joplin. From her roots as a bullied and ostracized teenager to her stunning rise to international superstardom, the story of Janis Joplin’s short life still resonates today, more than 50 years after her death. You'll hear about her wild adventures from Texas to San Francisco and beyond, her involvement with the Hell's Angels, fellow 27 Club members Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison,...

Amy Hoffman of the band Future Teens has a transformative high school summer at an academic camp in Missouri. When a teacher encourages the students to find their calling, Amy realizes their calling is playing emo rock just like their favorite bands - Taking Back Sunday, Say Anything and The Rocket Summer. Away from the pressures of family for the first time, Amy gets up the nerve to perform a song in front of the whole camp and starts to feel like their true self. Check out Future Teens and...

Chelsea tells us the origin story of Dear Young Rocker and makes the case for creating the work you want to, rather than waiting for someone else to hand you the keys to the life you dream of. This will be the last episode of DYR devoted to Chelsea's story. Season three will continue as a series of heartfelt personal letters written by musicians to their own young rocker selves about their own musical beginnings. For more, check out dearyoungrocker.com and follow @dearyoungrocker on...

Dear Young Rocker Season 3 launches April 7th, 2021. Tune in for a music-themed audio memoir podcast where musicians tell the stories of their teenage struggles and triumphs and how they became the artists and people they are today. On each episode of Dear Young Rocker, host Chelsea Ursin introduces a rising musical guest star who reads a heartfelt story about their teenage life and a letter to their younger self full of the advice they wish someone could have given them back then. In seasons...

In the summer of 1969, people all over the world were gripped by space fever in the wake of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission, which would successfully land men on the moon. In London, nineteen year old Angie Barnett, freshly out of boarding school, was searching for an identity of her own. She found it one evening in an up and coming singer named David Bowie, whose single “Space Oddity” was rocketing to the Number #1 spot in the UK charts. While their marriage a year later was one of convenience...

About A Girl is a new podcast about the influential women behind the musical legends - women who inspired, supported, and challenged icons like David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, and Bob Marley on their way to greatness. About a Girl is executive produced by Jake Brennan of Disgraceland and premieres November 30th, 2020. Search for and subscribe to About A Girl on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

In the season two finale of Dear Young Rocker, Chelsea feels an intense desire to make noise and tell stories. For the first time she fronts her own band. By writing her own songs and stepping up to the microphone, she starts to feel that she’s living her purpose. The final piece of the puzzle is writing her memoir and discovering the power of talking to her younger self. For more: check out dearyoungrocker.com and @dearyoungrocker on Instagram.

This episode of Dear Young Rocker finds our heroine in Scandinavia for the summer to volunteer at another rock camp. Being so far from home is certainly different, but people are the same everywhere. Chelsea learns what it’s like to be really, really on her own for the first time. It’s both freeing and scary, and she learns that no matter where you go, you’re still you. For more: check out dearyoungrocker.com and @dearyoungrocker on instagram. Learn more about your ad-choices at...

The story of the young band at rock camp continues. Chelsea helps them finish their new song and get ready to perform. In the process she realizes she might actually be what’s blocking their progress. The concert goes well … mostly. An unexpected attendee punctures the safe bubble of rock camp and leaves Chelsea feeling like she’s taken a step backwards. To learn more about Girls Rock Camp visit: http://www.girlsrockcampfoundation.org/ . Also be sure to check out dearyoungrocker.com and...

Chelsea has a transformative experience as a mentor and music teacher at a week of Girls Rock Camp. Her band of high schoolers causes her to feel protective and to show up for them in ways she didn’t think she could. There is a challenge, though, with the vocalist of her band - a shy kid who reminds her of herself and seems like she might not be able to work up the courage to sing before the big performance at the end of the week. How do you give someone else self-confidence? To learn more...

In this installment, Chelsea deals with a lot of change at once. The confusion and pain of her first major heartbreak is followed by an ambivalent graduation from college. But she experiences some good change too, and it all starts with a Craigslist ad. Older Chelsea’s advice centers on bands, moms, and what it means to be wild - but fragile. For more visit dearyoungrocker.com and follow @dearyoungrocker on instagram. Learn more about your ad-choices at...

Chelsea experiences what feels like destiny when she runs into a crush in the most romantic way possible. An intense relationship develops between the pair, who happen to have a large age difference between them. The new boyfriend makes it clear that for Chelsea, playing music still won’t be on the table in the near future. For more visit dearyoungrocker.com and follow @dearyoungrocker on instagram. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Sometimes running away from your problems is actually the right thing to do. Chelsea spends a summer living on the beach on Martha’s Vineyard in a cottage with no TV, internet, or cell service. She gets an inside look at how the other half lives by becoming a maid for billionaires in their summer homes and parties with their kids at night. Part healing journey and part distraction, it’s both a summer to remember and a way to forget the controlling influences she escaped. For more visit...