Author Tam Kaur and Spotify Come Together to Talk Self-Love, Authenticity, and Audiobooks
With Audiobooks, Spotify is committed to delivering immersive listening experiences that deepen the connection between authors and listeners. By reimagining audiobook listening, we want to introduce the format to an entirely new audience and turn them into fans. And while it’s still early days, the reaction from authors, publishers, and listeners has been remarkable.
We also understand the importance of supporting authors, and last night, we opened up our London office to host a fireside chat between Spotify Chief Public Affairs Officer Dustee Jenkins and the celebrated U.K. creator, podcaster, and author Tam Kaur.
A renowned self-love and development expert, Tam aims to empower young people through insights and advice on topics like self-worth, confidence, the art of solo dating, and overcoming heartbreak.
Building on the success of her podcast, Self Obsessed, Tam released her debut book this past August. Buy Yourself the Damn Flowers is a comprehensive, in-depth guide for all things self-love, helping listeners be their best selves by demystifying self-care and breaking it down into manageable everyday practices.
As guests arrived and settled in, they enjoyed the sounds of Irish Indonesian Malaysian DJ Tara Kumar, along with drinks and snacks courtesy of London’s Mam Sham, who created a special menu inspired by Tam’s new book. After a quick round of trivia to warm things up—it turns out Tam’s listeners are major Sabrina Carpenter fans—it was time for our featured guests to take the stage.
Photo by Antony Jones/Getty Images for Spotify
Tam Kaur and Dustee Jenkins. (Photo by Antony Jones/Getty Images for Spotify)
Photo by Antony Jones/Getty Images for Spotify
Photo by Antony Jones/Getty Images for Spotify
Tara Kumar (Photo by Antony Jones/Getty Images for Spotify)
Photo by Antony Jones/Getty Images for Spotify
Tam Kaur and Dustee Jenkins. (Photo by Antony Jones/Getty Images for Spotify )
Over the course of the conversation, Dustee and Tam touched on ideas around self-care, authenticity, and the qualities that make audiobooks unique.
Below are just a few of the many notable insights from Tam:
On inspiration, passion, and growing authentically
“It’s an ongoing evolution, which consistently provides so many opportunities to increase the self-love you have. I think one of the biggest self-loving mistakes I made made me realize how important self-discovery is, and that you cannot create the experiences that shape you.”
“I have a new mindset now. I’m not going to associate myself with who I was before, which is great. That’s growth. You’re evolving and you’re leveling up into a new version of yourself. But you also have to forgive yourself in order to fully love who you are; you have to love every single version that came before you with all the mistakes they made, because they did the best they could with all of the knowledge and resources they had at that time.”
On narrating her own audiobook
“I knew it was the best decision to make, because nobody knows my audience like I do, and nobody is going to be able to tell the story in the way that I can.”
“When they [fans] listen to the audiobook, they say that they love the way it’s told. It’s very reassuring. It’s comforting. It’s like their best friend is talking to them. It’s like a conversation almost, rather than just, you know, your average book.”
Championing authors in the audio landscape
We are deeply invested in creating a thriving audiobooks ecosystem on Spotify. Nearly a year ago to the day, we launched our Audiobooks in Premium offering in the U.K. And since then, the U.K. has remained one of our most important hubs to test and learn as we evolve our Audiobooks experience. As authors and creators like Tam seek to maximize their Spotify experiences, we’ll continue to give them the support and resources they need to build their audiences across our various content offerings.
Once you finish listening to Buy Yourself the Damn Flowers, discover more from Tam Kaur on her podcast, Self Obsessed.
