News

Words by Chris Danforth | Photography by Megan Jane SimonsLatoya Molly is the Dutch-Surinamese creative behind Geminis, a tooth gem business rooted in style, symbolism, and Surinamese heritage. Drawing inspiration from her late mother, her sisters, and her ancestry, she has transformed a niche beauty trend into a form of self-expression. Through styling, storytelling, and symbolism, especially with traditional Surinamese symbols like the pangi and the Mattenklopper, Molly invites a deeper conversation about identity, healing, and cultural pride. Geminis is a story of resilience, beauty, and the power of reclaiming one’s narrative, one gem at a time.Do you remember the first time tooth art caught your attention? What was happening in your life around the time you founded Geminis? I don’t remember a specific person with tooth gems catching my eye. But back in 2022, the hype around tooth gems was really big. At the time, I was working two jobs and going to school. One of the jobs that I still work is at the Patta store.My mom passed away in March 2022, leaving behind my older sister, me, and our three younger sisters. My sister and I took custody of them.For the first couple of months, I felt numb and in denial, so I was still able to manage work and help take care of our sisters. But eventually, the grief caught up with me, and the lack of structure became too much. One day, I came across a mini Snapchat series about a woman getting her tooth gems done in LA. It wasn’t really popular yet in her city, Atlanta, and that’s how she started. That made me realize how popular tooth gems were in Rotterdam, but there weren’t many people doing it in Amsterdam. That’s when I saw a gap in the market. I didn’t have much to lose, so I went for it. Fortunately, it worked out. “Geminis” is inspired by my astrological sign and the work I do with gems. It’s a blend of identity and craft.How do you incorporate Surinamese culture into your designs?I make sure Surinamese elements are present in every shoot. Beyond the work itself, I’m intentional with everything I organize, especially the locations. My first “big” shoot was in a Surinamese jewelry store. My second was in a Surinamese shop filled with cultural essentials.I also incorporate pangi in my styling. They’ve been worn as tops, skirts, shoulder cloths, or simply used as backdrops in past shoots. A pangi is a traditional Surinamese shawl—a long rectangular cloth worn around the waist, often reaching above the navel by women of the Maroon communities in Suriname.Jewelry is another important element for me. To me, it’s the finishing touch that brings everything together.Can you tell us about the symbolism of the Mattenklopper (carpet beater) and how you portray it in your art?Surinamese people disagree about what the carpet beater symbolizes, due to Suriname’s colonial history. Although it has West African roots, many associate it with the suffering our ancestors endured under Dutch colonial rule.Thankfully, many still embrace the carpet beater as a cultural and spiritual symbol, and that’s what I aim to express in my work. It represents values like purification, dusting away negativity, creating a clean path forward, friendship, respect, and necessity. When gifted out of love, it shouldn’t be passed on, because of those values. Some people wear it simply because they like it, but others wear it to honor the pain of our ancestors.Spiritually, the carpet beater can be seen as a Fanowdu—an essential item to integrate into your life.As an entrepreneur, where do your motivation and inspiration come from? How do you define success?My motivation comes from my sisters. They keep me going every day. My inspiration comes from our culture and from my sister, too. She’s the strongest person I’ve ever known besides our mom. She works in accounting, the complete opposite of me, but the way she takes on challenges is something I really admire and learn from.I define success as happiness and tranquility. I’ve always been a bit chaotic, and after my mom’s passing, that only intensified. I used to define success by how much money I wanted to make, but I’ve realized none of that matters if you’re not at peace or truly happy. And happiness isn’t something external; it has to come from within. 

Interview by Passion Dzenga | Photography by Najda StäubliMurkage Dave is a genre-defying artist and storyteller whose music captures the complexities of people and the world they navigate. Blending indie, electronic & R&B, Dave avoids traditional labels, carving out a sound that’s uniquely his. His songs are driven by a fascination with human behaviour, exploring motivation, identity, and the collective movements of people.An independent artist to his core, Dave approaches his craft with authenticity, reflecting his journey and ethos. Since releasing his debut album in 2018, he’s maintained a fiercely independent path, navigating the music industry’s shifting landscape while holding onto the freedom to tell his stories his way. Collaborations like his work with Caroline Polachek on "Awful Things" have pushed his creative boundaries and reaffirmed his belief in caring deeply about his art.Dave’s creative process is profoundly influenced by movement and place. He’s set up makeshift studios in kitchens, travelled across the UK, and sofa-surfed in Berlin, using his nomadic approach to escape the London bubble and absorb new environments. His experiences across cities and cultures enrich his music, with future aspirations to create in Ghana, Jamaica, and Ireland.Beyond the music, Dave is known for his genuine connections with his audience, engaging directly with fans and prioritising authenticity over the curated nature of social media. As a former DJ, he’s eager to return to the craft through projects like a radio show where he can share music he loves and spotlight his community.For Dave, independence is both a challenge and a reward. Funding his projects demands sacrifice, but it allows him to remain true to his vision. In an industry increasingly controlled by algorithms and major labels, he stands as a testament to the resilience and passion of the independent artist, driven by a commitment to telling stories that matter.You’ve described yourself as a storyteller with a fascination for history. How does this influence your music?I’d say I’m more fascinated by people—what motivates them to do what they do. All my songs are about that, whether I’m working something out about myself, someone else, or how people move as a group.Your sound blends Brit-pop, indie, and R&B uniquely. How would you describe your style, and what sets you apart?Genres piss me off, to be honest. My music connected with people when I stopped hiding parts of myself to fit in. Ironically, there is now pressure to categorise my music. In response, I’ll quote the great Ryan Leslie: “They tried to put me in a box. It’s impossible.”Independence seems central to your artistic identity. What are the key challenges and rewards?When my debut dropped in 2018, there was still this feeling that a kid making music in their bedroom could break through alongside major-label artists. Since the pandemic, big money has taken back control. The fight’s definitely back on, but that’s fine—I know how to fight. The hardest part is funding everything yourself, especially post-pandemic. But if it were easy, everyone would do it. The reward is full creative freedom. That’s worth more than any money to me.You worked with Caroline Polachek on "Awful Things." What was that experience like?Working with Caroline was such a relief. I care deeply about my work, but sometimes I feel like I need to tone that down in collaborations to avoid scaring people off. She pushed me to focus on the details and made me realise it’s cool to care. Since then, being able to text her for advice and get her take on my rough demos has been priceless.You’ve said travelling is key to your creative process. How does place and movement shape your music?In 2024, I noticed that most artists in London couldn’t afford a separate studio—it’s either set up in your kitchen or sleep in your workspace. I realised it was cheaper to travel and sofa-surf. All I need is to be left alone in a room, and I can write. It’s good to step outside the London bubble. For this new record, I’ve been across the UK—rich and poor areas, left-wing, right-wing—getting a real sense of what’s going on. I’ve also worked in Berlin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and the Danish countryside. I want to spend proper time creating in Portugal, Ghana, Jamaica, and Ireland in the future.In the digital age, how do you maintain authentic connections with your audience?I genuinely like people, even if I’m not fond of society. It’s just about talking to the people who care about my music and listening to them. Social media is becoming less relevant for selling music anyway—I think I’ll just use it for fun going forward. I’ve moved past that MTV-era mindset where an artist’s whole thing was about selling. Now I just focus on expressing myself and saying what I want to say.You were well-known as a DJ in the past. Would you return to that world?I miss DJing like crazy. I fell out of love with it when I was just doing club gigs to make quick money, playing the same hype tracks for people who just wanted to party. Once my music took off, I quit. But now, every time I hear a record I love, I’m thinking about how it would work in a set. I've started a radio show on Refuge Worldwide called 'The Outlet', where I play what I love and share music from my friendsWhat’s something you wish people better understood about being an independent artist today?The toughest part is self-funding everything. It’s only gotten harder since the pandemic, but that’s the price of creative freedom. For me, the ability to express myself in my own way, on my own time, is worth more than any paycheck. Murkage Dave has never fit into a box — and that’s exactly the point. His music lives where boundaries blur, where indie meets soul, and honesty cuts through noise. Every lyric, every beat, is rooted in human connection and the freedom to create without compromise. Now, Murkage Dave makes his striking return with ‘Swordfight In A Chicken Shop’, a vivid new single that captures the chaos and confusion of modern life. Produced by Tim London (Young Fathers), the track features vocals from Kayus Bankole (Young Fathers), Ellery James Roberts (WU LYF), and Lauren Auder, as well as Bournemouth Hope Youth Choir.“It’s a song about what my life is like. In the street and on my phone. The promise of the nineties and the noughties never came true. But yet I’m still compelled to play the game,” says Dave.Driven by a brooding, pulsating rhythm, ‘Swordfight In A Chicken Shop’ mirrors the cacophony of everyday existence. In the song’s haunting chorus, Dave trades lines with a children’s choir chanting his name, questioning his state of mind. It’s both satirical and sincere — a snapshot of millennial struggle, battling intertwining pillars of information overload, the horrors of the timeline, and the broken social contract that defines a generation. This March, step into Dave’s world. Join him for two nights of raw storytelling, rhythm, and reflection: March 19th, 2026 at Village Underground, London and March 20, 2026 at YES Pink Room, Manchester. Come witness what independence sounds like when it fills a room. Get your tickets now, bring your people, and be part of something real.