We spoke with pop culture connoisseur Chanté Joseph about her latest venture, ‘Strangers in the City’.
Bailey Alexander: I thought I’d start by asking you about your recent trip…
Chanté Joseph: I went to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and basically just travelled to these countries because they all bordered each other. The cities were nice and the islands were alright, but they did get boring quite quickly because I found out there wasn’t a lot of stuff to do if you don’t want to go snorkelling every single day.
BA: Are you less of a beach person and more into taking in the culture then?
CJ: I’m a bit of both. I can’t do extended periods on the beach: I like having activities and things to go up and do, being around other people and being a bit social, especially because I solo-travel a lot so it’s a good way to meet other people.
BA: I suppose that segues us nicely into ‘Strangers in the City’. So, the idea is a variety of events geared towards combating loneliness with play. Seeing as you have so much on your creative plate with your podcast ‘Pop Culture’ and writing career, I was wondering why you felt now was the time to add more to it with Strangers in the City?
CJ: It’s something that was in my head for ages and basically one of them ideas that you want to do but you’re just sleeping on and I was like, “Why am I sleeping on my own ideas?” I obviously spend a lot of time online, and one thing I was noticing a lot was loneliness and how people in their mid to late 20s were really suffering from not being able to make new friends. I think that’s something we only expect from people who move cities, but there are people who already live here and want to try new things but are trying to maintain friendships from primary school even though they don’t like the same things anymore.
BA: What sets it apart from the usual kind of event?
CJ: I know there are loads of events out there but, if you go by yourself, they aren’t designed for you to meet other people. You come, do an activity, then leave, and it doesn’t give you the chance to meet people. There are a lot of fears and anxieties and with Strangers in the City I always say that we’re doing all of the work for people.
BA: What does that work look like?
CJ: When we had our launch dinner, most people didn’t know each other. Before they came I made everyone fill in a survey and seated everyone near people I thought they would be interested in as soon as they arrived at the event. We had ‘Getting to Know You Bingo’, so as soon as you came in you immediately had to speak to other people, and then we had a team quiz about friendships and pop culture. So, already, they were on their second opportunity to speak to people, getting to know them more deeply and, by the end of the dinner, forming a bond by sharing this moment.
BA: Have you got prior experience in matchmaking friendships?
CJ: I’ve always been interested in bringing people together since my uni days. I used to do so much event organising, and then when I moved back home I kind of lost that spark. I think it was the dauntingness of being in London and being in a city where things are already happening. But, actually, I know the people who are engaging with the other things I’m doing would really benefit from something like Strangers in the City. It’s also been interesting watching how people are hearing about the events because it isn’t necessarily from my social media. I’d say they’re instead something someone has shared with them, so the word is definitely getting out there and people who are down to take the risk are coming and having a good time which is obviously amazing.
BA: So the response has been better than expected?
CJ: The events have sold out quite quickly, which is good because I didn’t have to spend a lot of time promoting. I could really just focus on what the experience would be like and how the people could feel comfortable in the space.
BA: How many people have been coming?
CJ: For the launch event we had 35 and for the Supper Club event we had 30, so they’re not huge events which is good because we don’t want to lose the intimacy and I want people to speak to as many people as possible. So, I don’t think I would do anything just yet with 60 or 100 people because how would you foster the connections in the same way?
BA: It feels to me as if it’s like being the new kid on the first day back at school, not knowing anyone, but doing it as an adult and having a really nice opportunity to meet people.
CJ: That’s why we say that we’re combating loneliness through play and conversation, and it works because people get to play, and get to know each other, and be in a team, so it’s basically harking back to that childhood joy of not caring and just letting yourself go. It’s always fun seeing people come in quite apprehensive and then leaving feeling super confident.
BA: What’s the kind of demographic you’re attracting?
CJ: For our launch event we kept it quite broad. There were people in their late 40s and people in their 20s. Our Aerial event was mainly women, and a lot of POC but I think that’s because that’s my audience. I kind of feel like there are things out there specifically for women that tend to have predominantly white audiences, and I just felt like we could do something that is different and a bit more diverse. Like, I don’t know if I want to go and do pilates with 27 white women. I don’t know if I’ll be my best self in that space, so it’s nice to be able to offer an alternative. But we don’t exclude anyone – POC just happen to be the people that come along and I do kind of love it.
BA: I was telling my best friend just last week how when you’re outside of school and university it’s so hard to meet new people that you can form that connection with. So I do wanna come to one of these events. Have you got anything in the pipeline?
CJ: I haven’t started thinking about the next series and yes I want to keep doing this in London, but it would be so good to bring it out of London. There are so many other places that would benefit and it’s about finding ways to keep it broad and have loads of people from different parts of the UK getting engaged in it. Strangers in the City is a thing that you might go to as a solo traveller because there’s the single penalty when you travel by yourself: you’re paying so much more money than you would if you were splitting the cost with someone, and that’s the gap I hope we can fill.
Keep an eye out for Strangers in the City’s next series on their Instagram.