Dareen came back with a whole album and a completely different energy.

She was Episode 2 — one of the very first guests on loves music — and back then she was just getting her feet wet again after a decade away from recording. Now she’s returned with Goddess, a full-length debut that explores femininity, power, vulnerability, and self-doubt through dark, ethereal alternative pop. Julian and Dareen get into the making of the album, what it means to be a woman making music about womanhood without alienating anyone, and why the creation itself might matter more than the numbers.

In this conversation, we get into:

• How an album she never planned to make became the most cohesive thing she’s done
• The song she’d pitch to a label and why “Power” is the one
• What men should take away from a feminist album that isn’t anti-men
• Why indie music culture lost its sense of discovery, and whether scenes still exist
• The advice she’d give artists battling post-release blues and self-doubt

About Dareen:

Dareen is a Polish/Lebanese/Gambian singer-songwriter based in Greece and the host of the Hymn of the Goddess podcast, a community platform amplifying independent female artists. After a 10-year hiatus, she released her debut album Goddess in 2025 — a conceptual project blending alternative pop, trap-soul, and dark electronic textures.

Connect with Dareen:

Instagram: instagram.com/dareen.mp3

TikTok: tiktok.com/@xoxo_dareen

Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7azOWyR2mZ7PSy71udacAB

Threads: threads.com/@dareen.mp3

LinkTree: linktr.ee/darxxn

Merch: dareen.printify.me

Music Mentioned in this Episode:

Songs:

• Power — Dareen
• Cleopatra — Dareen
• The Villain — Dareen
• Goddess — Dareen
• Good Enough — Dareen (feat. Kaylee Wilson)
• What’s Wrong With Me — Dareen
• Misunderstanding — Dareen
• In Disguise — Dareen
• Sex on Fire — Kings of Leon
• Fade — Tinashe
• Espresso — Sabrina Carpenter

Albums & Projects:

• Goddess (album) — Dareen
• Did You Miss Me? (EP) — Dareen
• Only by the Night — Kings of Leon
• Brat — Charli XCX

Artists & Bands:

• Dareen
• Kaylee Wilson
• Kings of Leon
• Tinashe
• Lana Del Rey
• Madonna
• Nessa Barrett
• Mitski
• Billie Eilish
• The Weeknd
• Charli XCX
• Sabrina Carpenter
• Tate McRae
• Addison Rae
• Britney Spears
• J Lo
• Whitney Houston
• Michael Jackson
• Taylor Swift

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Follow the OFFICIAL “loves music” playlist on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/library/playlist/p.4Y0J406i03DQrX

“loves music” playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0qE3kq89oyg3tFNbmRfHEO?si=vopaKQnNS8OHn0r2fFTVBg

Check out the “loves music” podcast website: https://www.podpage.com/loves-music/

Julian on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julianjones417/

Julian on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@julianjones417

Check out Julian’s book: https://a.co/d/0hzWNkiD

This podcast is managed by Wildwave Podcasting: https://www.wildwavepodcasting.com