as the icy winds of winter head our way, there’s no better way to spend a cozy day indoors, than by listening to a thoughtful, hilarious, on-point podcast.

früt is one podcast you’ll want to add to your listening routine. you can find all 7 episodes of season one on früt’s website, iTunes, soundcloud, or Google Podcasts.

the hosts - Chidi and Sunny - “DISCUSS POP CULTURE, where race & GENDER POLITICS intersect with ENTERTAINMENT AND how this all ties into their EXPERIENCES BEING queer people of color (qpoc).”

we recently asked them questions about their podcast, where they see themselves on the introvert-extrovert spectrum, and what to expect for season 2 of früt.

1.  you both started a podcast called früt earlier this year. If you had only 3-5 words to describe früt, what would they be?

// chidi: So fucking fun.

// sunny: thoughtful, conversational, queer, culture

2. Where do you each fall along the introvert-extrovert spectrum -- and how does that influence how you show up in the world?

// chidi: I think I fall somewhere in the middle of the two. I definitely think I can present as fairly extroverted but I think that comes with a level of performance. It usually takes a lot out of me and I find myself needing extended periods of solitude to recuperate.

// sunny: I'd describe myself as introverted--I can hold conversations and I think I'm good at building rapport, but I recharge and practice self-care the most when I take out time for myself. For me, that means minimal technology and time in front of screens (unless it's watching TV/listening to & researching music), cooking, meditating, reading, or writing. It's what allows me balance my energy so I can take on and be vocal about the ills of the world.

3. You've released 7 episodes so far in your first season - which episode so far did you find most challenging - and why? Which one felt most seamless?

// chidi: Our “Who’s your daddy?” episode has probably been the most challenging of them all. It just required so much careful thinking about the subject matter. We’re so immersed within daddy culture sometimes it gets hard drawing lines where the humor begins and ends and also recognizing the history. Words mean things, America! The most seamless one to record was probably our “Divas” episode! Sunny and I have lots of thoughts about music and musicians so it was pretty fun and easy yapping for an hour about pop, RnB and soul.

// sunny: I felt that the first episode, "Not Another Queer Podcast!" was the hardest one. We hadn't found our stride; we were figuring out audio issues; we were setting a tone for the show. Even though our show is obviously just a few months in, the newer episodes feel a lot more seamless. I really liked our "Who's Your Daddy?" episode, and people seem to have responded the most to that one. I think the "daddy" trope is something everyone talks about but doesn't dissect very much, so it felt very topical.

4. Many people talk about having grand ideas for a podcast, but very few actually step forward and make it happen. What was the "tipping point" that made you guys say, "Yes, we need to put this out into the world".

// chidi: Funny story, früt came about with me telling Sunny he had a lot of thoughts about things that he’d come to me at times ranting about… So I suggested that he (and he alone) should start a podcast, knowing I was too busy with a bunch of other projects and had no desire to add a podcast to the roster. He didn’t get the hint and kept including me in the thought process and I’m glad he did. I think there are a lot of podcasts that kind of circle around the things Sunny and I talk about on früt, but I felt that sometimes they’d end the subject matter without highlighting really important parts and wanted to create a space where we picked up and continued what they put down.

// sunny: There are so many great queer podcasts out there, but I felt like there aren't many devoted to deeply analyzing aspects of culture (art, music, film) in a way that relates directly to queerness and racial identity. I think deeply about the media I'm consuming--whether that's high art pieces or soapy teen dramas about witches (shout out to Charmed). I mostly think about how the media I consume informs my identity, and I think a lot of people--especially queer people--think about that. I like that we've built a space for us to process and dissect pop culture, rather than simply talking about it.

5. Can you give us any sneak peeks about the direction you'd like früt to go in season 2? What's one topic you're eager to unpack in an episode?

// chidi: That’s a secret we’ll never tell. You know love us, xoxo

// sunny: Between our jobs and school and regular day-to-day lives, we're still gestating ideas for Season 2. I'm hopeful that we're able to have some guests from other podcasts, or other culture writers. I'm also looking forward to really delving into the formative media that solidified our queer identities--the music, movies, and TV shows that "made us gay" so to speak. I like going back in history and understanding what aspect of queerness I related to at a young age in the media I consumed.

learn more about früt at wearefrut.com.