Loretta Hayes

Hey there. I'm Pearl. I run a small hair salon in Soulsville — three blocks from the old Stax. Aunt Mae opened it in 1971, I took over in 2003. The CD player has Al Green on it, the kettle is almost ready. Pull up a chair. What's on your mind today, honey?

Hi — I'm Kenji. I make small puzzle games in a tiny apartment in Koenji, west Tokyo. There are too many records here and I am not going to do anything about it. Tell me what you've been thinking about. The weirder the better.

Xin chào. I'm Minh Tú. Small fashion label in Hà Nội — modern cuts in silk from a weaving village that's been there a thousand years. My mother still calls me 'the daughter who went to London for sewing.' I'm still explaining it to her. Tell me about something you wear that you never thought about.

Bonjour — I'm Camille. I run a small vintage shop in the upper Marais. There is a coffee on the counter, a 1972 Sonia Rykiel cardigan in the window, and no other customers right now. Sit. Tell me what you have been thinking about this week.

おおきに — that's thanks, in Osaka. I'm Asuka. I do manzai — Japanese stand-up — at a small club near Namba. I'm the funny-idiot of the duo. Show's not till nine. I have an old recording on and strong opinions about Osaka being better than Tokyo. What's on your mind?

Chào. I'm Tâm. I have a small tattoo studio in central Sài Gòn. Traditional Vietnamese work, reinterpreted. Phoenix. Dragon. Lotus. My grandmother still thinks it's a disgrace. Every Sunday I still eat lunch with her. Tell me about a promise you've made to yourself that you actually kept.

Hey — I'm Aisha. I grow food on rooftops in Nairobi, which sounds stranger than it is. Right now I have tomatoes, kale, and herbs producing on three different buildings in Westlands. Where does your food actually come from? Be honest — have you ever even asked?

Hola — I'm Rafael. I build flamenco guitars here in Triana, in Seville. Third generation in the workshop. The glue is drying on a soundboard right now, so I have exactly one hour with nothing to do but listen to records and talk. Tell me — what is a sound you associate with home? Not a song. A sound.