Tag: Denzel Dion

Spotify Debuts New Programs for Aspiring Audio Innovators at NextGen Creator Day at Spelman College

March 21, 2023

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 20: (L-R) Denzel Dion, co-host of 'We Said What We Said', Spotify, host Wunmi Bello, and Rickey Thompson, co-host of 'We Said What We Said', Spotify, speak onstage during Spotify NextGen Creator Day at Spelman College on March 20, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Spotify)

Burgeoning creators on college campuses across the U.S. are already harnessing their creativity for great ideas for the future of audio. At Spotify, we know that once they get the tools they need to amplify their voices, they’ll be able to bring their stories to the world.

Enter NextGen, a program from Spotify for Podcasters designed to activate and grow podcast culture on college campuses, and make a career in podcasting more accessible for the next generation of Black content creators and storytellers. NextGen is funded by Spotify’s Creator Equity Fund, which powers our commitment to showcasing and uplifting creators from communities that have been historically underrepresented in the audio industry. 

We currently offer NextGen programming at New York University, the University of Southern California, and the University of Pennsylvania. We announced last fall that we’d be expanding the program to historically Black colleges and university (HBCU) campuses across the U.S., starting with Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.

Yesterday, during our first-ever NextGen Creator Day at Spelman, we announced three ways we’re broadening our partnership and further supporting students aspiring to work in the audio industry.

Spotify Celebrates Black History Month With the Launch of Frequency Zine

February 13, 2023

Black voices continue to be left out of the cultural narrative. So in 2021, we launched Frequency—what’s become our year-round global initiative to celebrate Black art, entertainment, creativity, and community. Its mission is brought to life by programs like the Ripple Effect Sunday dinner series and the Free Studio creator residency. Frequency is the home for Black expression as it shapes how the future sounds. 

This Black History Month, we’re continuing our support by unveiling Frequency Zine, a new social series focusing on dynamic artists who embody the boundless future of Black music. Throughout the series, we’ll highlight six Black artists across Frequency’s genre-specific playlists, including Indie, Dance/Electronic, Rock, Pop, and more. The first artists to be featured in Frequency Zine include Austin Millz, Bree Runway, Chiiild, Connie Constance, Foggieraw, and Kelela. 

Along with the playlists, each edition will feature a digital cover, custom photoshoot, and interview videos. Fans can follow Frequency on Instagram and Twitter to check out Frequency Zine as soon as it drops.

Frequency is a part of our ongoing commitment to support creators from historically marginalized communities and foster equity in the audio space. Read on for some more ways Spotify is highlighting Black creators across our platform this February. 

Black authors step into the spotlight with Audiobooks

There’s always more to learn about Black history and culture, so this month, some of our listeners will also receive recommendations for Audiobooks they can sink their ears into, like The 1619 Project developed by Nikole Hannah–Jones, Son of Elsewhere by Elamin Abdelmahmoud, We Over Me by Devale Ellis and Khadeen Ellis, and Finding Me by Viola Davis, which has been nominated for a Spoken Word Grammy.

The Audiobooks Hub will also be taken over with five curated shelves highlighting titles by Black authors within some of our most popular genres. These shelves consist of The Classics, Mystery & Thriller, Editor’s Picks, Lost in Love, and Be Inspired. Some of the titles you’ll find include:

  • More Myself by Alicia Keys: A book for fans of Alicia Keys with great music tie-ins and full-cast narration from Alicia Keys herself, as well as America Ferrera, Bono, Clive Davis, Craig Cook, DJ Walton, Jay-Z, Krucial, Leigh Blake, Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Swizz Beats, and Terri Augelo. 
  • Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson: This multigenerational story was in President Barack Obama’s reading list picks for 2022.
  • All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson: A series of personal essays from a prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist. 
  • Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert: This brand-new rom-com from a popular British author is sure to be a hit for lovers of YA novels. 

Black podcast creators continue to set the tone

In addition to the Frequency Zine and our curated Audiobooks shelves, we’re also proud to showcase thought-provoking conversations from some of Spotify’s top Black podcast creators.

The Unbothered Network is a groundbreaking podcast and production company created by award-winning journalist Jemele Hill. Unbothered seeks to elevate the voices, stories, agency, and nuance of Black women by producing high-quality audio experiences on Spotify. The slate of shows including Jemele Hill is Unbothered, Sanctified, and The Black Girl Bravado offers conversation that builds community, all through the power and intimacy of podcasting.

We Said What We Said with Rickey and Denzel recently returned for its fourth season exclusively on Spotify in all video. Each week, longtime best friends Rickey Thompson and Denzel Dion dish on all things pop culture, sex, partying, struggle, love, and more. We Said What We Said is a show with bold advice, hot takes, and risqué storytelling.

On The Ringer’s Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay, the hosts dissect the biggest topics in Black culture, politics, and sports. Two times per week, they will wade into the most important and timely conversations, frequently inviting guests on the podcast and occasionally debating each other.

Spotify is committed to creating space for Black creators and fans to express themselves year-round, and as we move forward in 2023, we will continue our support on and off our platform.

Looking for more on the diverse and exciting sounds coming from Black artists around the globe? Check out our playlist This Is Frequency.

Rickey & Denzel, Lele Pons, and Addison Rae Take the Mic with New Exclusive Podcasts

September 29, 2020

You know them, you love them, you can’t get enough of them—some personalities just have a way of bringing you in. Take, for example, Addison Rae, Lele Pons, Rickey Thompson, and Denzel Dion, four influencers and content creators who’ve entertained tens of millions of fans with each of their video series. Recently, they’ve also tried their hands at a new medium: Podcasts.  

Addison took to the mic with her mom to give advice in a new show, Mama Knows Best. Lele created an anonymous dial-in show, Best Kept Secrets, where fans can share their hidden thoughts. Today, we released Rickey & Denzel’s pop culture podcast, We Said What We Said, which discusses everything that matters from partying to pop culture and fame to friendships. Now, you can find all four iconic personalities exclusively on Spotify.

Each show is fun, captivating, and unique—but we’ll let them tell it.

What is your podcast about? Why did you decide to make it?     

Lele: My podcast, Best Kept Secrets, is based around anonymous people calling me and spilling their deepest secrets that they can’t tell anyone in their life. I haven’t seen anyone engage with strangers so I wanted to create a new type of podcast. 

Addison: Mama Knows Best is about current topics we all can relate to regarding growing up from the perspective of my me and my mom—two people from completely different generations.  

Rickey: Our podcast is basically just two best friends being upfront and telling you how it is. We decided to make this podcast because everyone needs that one friend who’s always honest with you.

Denzel: Our podcast is basically two friends having brutally honest conversations that we all have in private, but in our case, we make it public.

How is creating and recording a podcast different from the video series you’ve done?

Lele: It’s very different! When it comes to creating videos, I know exactly what is going to happen every step of the way, but with the podcast, it’s all a surprise. I know very little about the callers before I talk to them on the phone, so it’s all very raw and natural reactions. 

Addison: My podcast is a lot more personal and gives me a chance to speak my mind without feeling restricted by time.

Rickey: I feel like it’s way more raw and real. When I sit down to record, I become more open than when making a video. With a video I am putting on a show, but when I am recording, I am just having a real and normal conversation.

Denzel: Creating and recording a podcast is totally different from any videos we’ve done, because this is just audio. We just sit down and really get our thoughts together and say what we feel. Video has a lot more going on as far as comedic beats and theatrics.

What has surprised you most in bringing this show to life?

Lele: I’m surprised how the callers are so comfortable sharing their secrets with me. The energy and reactions that people have after spilling their secrets is so incredible and fulfilling for both myself and the caller. They feel a weight has been lifted off their shoulders and I’m glad that I created an environment for them to do so.

Addison: Highlighting the crazy similarities and differences I have with my mom through facts and stories I’ve never heard before.

Rickey: How easy it is to do! I was nervous at first because I didn’t know if I had anything to talk about, but the truth is I could talk on this podcast for hours and not even realize!

Denzel: The authenticity and rawness that we showcase and can say. The freedom of expression is immaculate. 

What will your fans and followers find most surprising about your new podcast?

Lele: This is me. This is the Lele I get to be with my friends and family. 

Addison: Fans get a window into my life from before social media and I get a chance to open up about things that people may not know about me. 

Rickey: How honest I’m being! I share a lot of stories I have never shared before! So I’m excited for my fans to see more of me.

Denzel: Our fans and followers would find what we do off-screen surprising. There’s some things we don’t showcase on our platforms that we definitely bring to light in this podcast.

What podcasting tools are you most excited to use in your show?

Lele: I love that we get to incorporate audience dial-ins. It’s different and not a lot of podcasts do it!

Rickey: I think definitely dialing in the audience for some questions. That will be so much fun!

Denzel: The tool that I’m most excited to use in our show is for sure the hotline. We love giving advice and we’ve always wanted to bring that aspect to life.

Why did you decide to bring your podcast to Spotify?

Lele: Spotify has always supported me and my music career. When we were looking for a home for the podcast, it was a no-brainer to go with Spotify. My whole team at Spotify Podcasts have been incredible during the whole process of creating the show. I couldn’t imagine partnering with anyone else. 

Addison: Listening to music on Spotify exposed me to the incredible community and global reach, which is why I thought it would be a perfect home for Mama Knows Best.

Rickey: Spotify was the only place that really saw and understood the vision of the podcast! I’m so happy we decided to join the family! They have been nothing but amazing!

Denzel: We decided to bring our podcast to Spotify because it’s what made sense to us. We love this platform and the different outlets on it from music, to podcast, the playlists they curate – it’s everything! 

If you could have any person from all time as a guest on your show, who would it be and why?

Lele: Enrique Igelsias! I love him and would love to know what his secret is. 

Denzel: If we could have any person from all time as a guest on our show it would be Rihanna—just because I want to get into why she chose to keep music on the back burner. Will she ever release music? If so, when will it be? How is it running all these businesses with millions of fans demanding music?

Rickey: I would want Beyoncé! I know yes, that is definitely a reach, but I love that woman and I would love for her to be on the show! Everyone would FREAK!

Stream Mama Knows Best, Best Kept Secrets, and We Said What We Said now, only on Spotify.