Tag: Higher Ground

Heather McGhee Takes Listeners on a Journey of America’s Possibilities on ‘The Sum of Us’

July 27, 2022

heather mcghee smiles in front of a green pastoral background

Photo credit: Andreas Burgess

Imagine: In 1959, instead of allowing a swimming pool to be racially integrated, the city of Montgomery decided to drain it. In 2022, many would shake their heads at this past reality while relegating it in their minds to exactly that—the past. Yet this choice to restrict access for some, and therefore all, is still happening in America, especially at the policy level. This is something educator, activist, and author Heather McGhee has investigated throughout her career, and especially in her 2021 book The Sum of Us.

“The Sum of Us is the story of my journey across the country that I took in search of answers to why it seems like we can’t have nice things in America,” Heather explained to For the Record. “And by nice things, I mean universal childcare and paid family leave and clean air and clean water and good schools in every neighborhood. And what I discovered is that—more than any other single factor—racism in our politics and our policymaking that leads to a reluctance for people to come together across lines of race and find common solutions to our common problems is holding us back.” 

Heather is bringing this conversation to her podcast of the same name. Debuting today on Spotify, The Sum of Us will take listeners deep into local issues from the perspective of the individuals on the ground. As Heather spotlights communities across the country, she aims to emphasize togetherness, positivity, and hope. In an unjust world where racism has costs for all Americans, The Sum of Us inspires listeners to take a more collective approach to racism through the power of human stories, empathy, and solidarity.

We sat down with Heather to learn more about her new podcast. 

How and why did you decide to create a podcast of The Sum of Us?

At the end of my book, The Sum of Us, I talk about this idea of the “Solidarity Dividend” of gains that can be unlocked by us coming together across lines of race and rediscovering our collective power. It was an idea that I floated at the end of the book, and it resonated with so many readers. And frankly, it stayed in my mind as the country seemed to fall farther and farther apart—the political divisions, the fraying of the solidarity that we had seen at the beginning of the pandemic. 

And so I wanted to hit the road again and really just focus on this idea of people coming together in communities, across their differences, really rebuilding the kind of America that our people deserve. I brought this idea to the Obamas’ production company Higher Ground; the Pulitzer Award-winning Futuro studios, an incredible team of mostly producers and engineers and writers and editors of color; and Spotify. And they were all excited about it, too. So I’ve spent the last nine months on the road finding new stories of people coming together to win in their communities. And it’s left me feeling optimistic, and I hope listeners will feel the same.

You mention your theory of the Solidarity Dividend. Can you explain it for our readers?

Over the course of my journey, I chronicled the ways in which racism ultimately has a cost for everyone because it distorts our public policymaking, makes for bad economic decisions, and erodes the trust that we have in one another, which is necessary to support public goods and public solutions. And so the flip side of that is that, if we can come together across lines of race and see our own struggles in each other or have solidarity for each other’s struggles, then we can unlock what I call “Solidarity Dividends.” And these are the gains that can only come through collective action. And in a multiracial society can really only come through multiracial, collective action. And these are things like cleaner air and water, better-funded schools, higher-paying jobs. Each of the episodes in the Some of Us podcast tackles a different solidarity dividend, something that’s precious, that matters to us all, that people are able to accomplish by coming together. 

What was the process of turning the book into a podcast like? What surprised you?

The entire process surprised me. I had no idea what I was getting into. You know, the first part was that I really tossed the book up in the air. The Sum of Us podcast is not an adaptation of the book The Sum of Us. It’s sort of a spinoff, a takeoff, another journey that’s guided by the same principles: the need to come together across lines of race, the way that racism has a cost for everyone and a real inquiry into what builds empathy and solidarity. Those themes are the same in the book and in the podcast, but the stories are mostly completely new and different. There are two locations that are in the book—Lewiston, Maine, and Kansas City, Missouri—that are also in the podcast. But I take totally different angles on those stories. In fact, in Lewiston, it’s an entirely different cast of characters. And the rest of what we cover are new stories that the incredible teams at Futuro and Higher Ground collaborated on and discovered and unearthed together. So it feels very different.

In the first episode, you share the example of Gary, a white man who, in 2016, professes to you on live TV that he wants to confront his racism and prejudices. You gave him some recommendations for where to begin. Do you think you would respond in the same way in 2022, keeping the events of the past two years in mind?  

If someone like Gary had called in today and said, “I’m prejudiced and I want to change, so what can I do to become a better American?” to be honest, I don’t think my answer would change. 

I think that the assumption might be that now in 2022, maybe a person like Gary should have already done the work. These issues have been alive. The history has been written, the books have been available. The causes have been there to join for centuries. So I totally understand the perspective that might say “you should have already done that work. You shouldn’t have had to call into a radio show or a television show with a Black woman and ask her how to become less prejudiced.” But for me, I think that the humility that it took to admit his prejudice and to ask for help is something that should always be rewarded and matched with kindness.

I think we take for granted sometimes how much work it takes to unlearn biases, to counter the dominant narratives that have supported racist systems. And so we often ask people to do it on their own—this sort of shopping cart approach to racial reconciliation in this country. And I don’t think it’s sufficient. So ideally, there would be a process that our country would go through at the national, state, local, community level. That would take us to a better place and that would teach the truth and that would create avenues for people to come together. Absent that collective effort. I do think it’s important for each one to teach one. 

So many Americans are siloed politically. How do you hope to address that through the podcast?

It’s funny. I was just thinking about what the political kind of color is on the map of the places we visited, I think the vast majority of them are red or purple. I mean, Manhattan Beach, California, is probably the most typically liberal place that we went. And yet, as listeners will learn when they listen to the podcast, the story of Manhattan Beach is a lot more complicated than it seems. 

I think we were intentional in choosing places that had good stories of people coming together against the odds. And to do that, you had to go to some places where there’s deep divisions and where the governments may not have been on the side of justice and progress. So it wasn’t an intentional effort to go to red places or purple places, but that’s where the most interesting stories of people coming together across lines of race ended up being.  

You use humor and the meme-like question of “Why can’t we have nice things?” to address hard topics. How did you decide to orient the podcast in this way?

I think that’s just my personality. I’m a really serious person whose job is focused on the worst problems in American society. But I love to have fun. I love to throw parties. I love to laugh. I have a huge network of friends. I think that ultimately what we’re looking for is a world in which there’s lots of joy and laughter and connection. And so I try to bring that to the journey to get there.

 

Listen to The Sum of Us hosted by Heather McGhee starting today only on Spotify. 

Hear more directly from Heather on Spotify: Mic Check.

Ready for an Encore? ‘The Big Hit Show’ Examines Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ in Season 2

February 23, 2022

For movie buffs, music lovers, and TV show fans, the influence of pop culture can feel as ubiquitous as the air we breathe. But what happens when the films you love or the albums you have on repeat start to infiltrate political discourse and your extended family’s mealtime conversations? This is what The Big Hit Show—a podcast documentary series from Spotify and Higher Ground—seeks to explore. 

After breaking down the Twilight saga phenomenon during season one, host and journalist Alex Pappademas is back to discuss the power and influence of Kendrick Lamar’s iconic second record, To Pimp a Butterfly. Following his successful major label debut, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, the heavier and more universal themes of Kendrick’s sophomore album struck a chord with mass audiences when it was released in 2015. 

Seven years later, the album has more than 1.5 billion streams on Spotify and continues to hold its place in the zeitgeist. The cultural conversation regularly finds its way back to To Pimp a Butterfly, an album that, according to Alex and his podcast guests, made it bigger than mainstream—it changed the world. 

For the Record spoke with Alex about his decision to follow up his four-episode analysis of Twilight with an examination of Kendrick’s masterpiece in the second chapter of The Big Hit Show. 

The last chapter of The Big Hit Show was about the Twilight saga and this new one is about Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly—two moments in culture that don’t seem all that related. How are the chapters connected for you? 

To me, it’s all one story about what’s left of mass culture in the 21st century and the vagaries of creative success in a mediascape where there’s no such thing as a sure thing. Maybe it’s like a book that approaches one subject—the hit and often its surprising consequences—from four different angles. Part one is about how the Twilight saga defied conventional Hollywood wisdom, became a box-office sensation, and changed the lives of many of the people who worked on it. Part two, the Kendrick Lamar season, is about the next phase of a hitmaker’s arc. You’ve made your first hit—what do you know? How does success complicate the life and public image of an artist?

Why did you choose to cover Kendrick in this second chapter?

I’m a huge fan of Kendrick’s and a huge fan of To Pimp a Butterfly. But I also knew there was a specific story to tell here. Modern recording technology has made it possible for people to collaborate on music without ever meeting in person, but Kendrick made this record in a more timeless way—in actual rooms, with a big cast of characters who are fascinating musicians and fascinating people in their own right. So right away there was this interesting social, communal aspect to the story of how this record came together. Everyone who passed through those sessions—even for a day or two—seems to have come away from the experience with an expanded sense of their own potential, and I was excited about the opportunity to tell that story using the voices of the people whose creative lives were changed by that experience. 

Why is it important to revisit the themes of this record now? 

The themes of this record have been the themes of the last seven years and counting in America. To Pimp a Butterfly feels prescient now because even on the other side of a national protest movement, a global pandemic, and a presidential election, we’re still in the same place as a country in so many ways. This is an extremely personal album about what it was like to be Kendrick Lamar after the success of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City changed everything—struggling with fame and responsibility and homesickness and particularly with the violent deaths of several friends. But Kendrick was making this record between 2012 and early 2015, a moment that coincides with the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and the beginning of a national reckoning on the subject of structural racism and police violence, and these songs were already touching on issues that would explode onto the national stage.

What can listeners expect to hear for the first time while listening to the show? 

We’re going to hear from people who knew Kendrick as a quiet, observant middle schooler and saw the potential for stardom and leadership in him before he saw it in himself. We’re also going to hear from the extended family of L.A. musicians who helped bring this record to life—players whose whole careers led them to a moment like this. We will hear the voices of legends including George Clinton of Parliament Funkadelic, and we will find out the one thing you were absolutely forbidden to do when visiting Prince at Paisley Park.

Looking forward to future chapters, how will the show continue to tie these seemingly disparate cultural moments together?

One of the things I’m proudest of about these first two chapters of the show is the way they use Twilight and Kendrick as a way into a larger story about a country where big hits are increasingly the one thing we have in common. These shows aren’t just about the big hits they’re about—they’re about the moments in which those hits happened and what the success of Twilight or “Alright” revealed about what people living through those moments were hungry for, or turned on by, or afraid of, or angry about. In an increasingly fractious world, we can’t really draw conclusions about every person who bought To Pimp a Butterfly or camped out overnight for Breaking Dawn tickets, but I think there is something to be learned from the fact that it was these things that got people excited and not something else. 

Ready to hear how the music industry’s most influential players came together to create a world-changing album? Stream season two of The Big Hit Show below.  

‘The Big Hit Show’ Podcast Analyzes What Makes Something Pop in Pop Culture

January 12, 2022

What makes something a cultural phenomenon? Is it the people involved or the topics covered? Or does it just have to have that special je ne sais quoi? The Big Hit Show, a new podcast from Spotify and Higher Ground—President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s media company—is setting out to examine the rise and enduring power of global sensations. 

This new podcast looks at a moment where a title made it big across mediums—film, music, TV, internet culture, and video games. Each topic gets its own “chapter,” with each chapter spread out over five episodes. “The shows and films and albums we explore have all been chosen not just because they’re massive pieces of popular culture. We’ve picked them because each has had a profound butterfly effect on our culture,” said host Alex Pappademas. 

The first chapter of the podcast will highlight Twilight, the four-book teenage vampire series that became a global phenomenon and eventually inspired a movie franchise. To understand fans’ love for the saga, just look at Spotify, where listeners have made more than 1.3 million Twilight-themed music playlists. The movies’ soundtracks have also seen quite a bit of play time, from Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole – Twilight Soundtrack Version” (almost 310 million streams) to “Bella’s Lullaby” (almost 18 million streams). 

Now, nearly two decades after the first book’s release and 13 years since the first movie premiered, The Big Hit Show will explore this unlikely success story as well as the power of teenaged girls and the rise of fan fiction.

In the second chapter, which debuts in February, Alex will explore the musical styles of American rapper Kendrick Lamar—and specifically, the effects of his album To Pimp A Butterfly. The music that won Kendrick a 2016 Grammy for Best Rap Album was born out of his grappling with personal tragedy and the world around him. Since 2015, the album has seen more than 1.5 billion streams on Spotify, and every year it has remained in the top 1,000 of the most streamed albums on the platform.

“Whether we’re tracing how an author’s vivid dream about a sparkly vampire led to an entirely new fan culture or how a megastar reckoning with success, expectation, and survivor’s guilt crafted a masterpiece that became the soundtrack to the biggest protest movement in a generation, listeners will know from chapter to chapter they’re getting a high-stakes narrative that explains how our culture has been influenced and shaped by these creations,” explained Alex.

After dissecting Twilight and To Pimp A Butterfly, the show will continue its deep dive into pop-culture phenomenons. Follow the podcast to find out which topic it will cover next.

Athletic Greens is the premier sponsor of season one of The Big Hit Show. Dive into the first chapter on the Twilight phenomenon, below.

‘Tell Them, I Am’ Podcast Shares Inspiring Stories From Muslim Voices

May 6, 2021

Earlier this year at our Stream On event, we revealed that Tell Them, I Am, a podcast that spotlights the universal stories of Muslim voices, was coming exclusively to Spotify through our partnership with Higher Ground. The series features a variety of influential guests, from activists and artists to actors and athletes, who share their own thought-provoking and often relatable stories. For this season, the podcast released a new episode every weekday during Ramadan.

For the Record talked to Misha Euceph, the host of the podcast and a first-generation Pakistani American, to learn more about the podcast and what it’s like to tell these personal stories.

What can new listeners expect to hear in the podcast?

Tell Them, I Am centers around a small defining moment in someone’s life. The voices are all Muslim; the stories are universal. You’ll hear about the time the pop star Yuna decided to take a dance class after a breakup; the moment that model Halima Aden got into a fight with a bully; the one-on-one game that changed 10-year-old Enes Kanter’s life trajectory; and the time that Malala broke all the rules to feel like a kid. 

Tell Them, I Am released a new episode every weekday this Ramadan. What were some of the challenges in producing a daily show?

The greatest challenge was giving every episode the care it needed to honor the story and guest, and not getting lost in the grind of making 22 episodes by the start of Ramadan. Luckily, I worked with an incredible team and you can hear their fingerprints on this season of the podcast. 

Executive producer Mary Knauf saw the arc of the entire season centering around the moon; producer Ariana Gharib Lee created stunning scenes out of things as simple as an intimate phone call between two friends; producer Jonathan Shifflett turned Quranic stories into cinematic events; and editor Arwen Nicks helped draw out my voice in the writing and did some of the most fun voices. 

What does Ramadan mean to you, and what should listeners take away as they reflect on these stories throughout this important holiday?

Ramadan, for me, is a time of community and vulnerability—the willingness to be open about who we are as people, to reflect on who we want to become, and to receive that from others. 

I hope that listeners see the diversity of what it means to be Muslim and feel the joy of what it means to celebrate Ramadan. I also hope that Tell Them, I Am allows them to think about the small moments in their own lives, and that these stories resonate with them as they figure out how to define themselves.

Did any stories resonate with you or even surprise you?

Because the guests are so vulnerable and almost always telling stories they’ve never told before, I come out of every interview pretty deeply affected. Even though I haven’t experienced the exact small moment that the guests have, it’s easy to see a part of yourself in them and vice versa. For example, I am not a parent, but Mvstermind’s journey with routine and how it helped him find peace struck a chord with me.

The stories that I think are particularly impactful this season center on Uyghur and Rohingya voices. These are people who have faced so much oppression, persecution, and adversity, and yet they are vulnerable, honest, and still find joy and humor in their lives and stories. Particularly, the stories of Jewher Ilham, Uyghur advocate; and Wai Wai Nu, Rohingya activist, are so important as these conflicts escalate. 

Why do you think it’s so important to have a platform like this podcast to tell these stories?

This podcast is about small moments. In not making the show explicitly about “Muslim stories,” we allow the guests to have a platform that’s different than any other that exists out there. The guests can lead with what they find to be a defining moment in their life, instead of feeling like they have to represent all Muslims or “the Muslim experience,” whatever that means. They can just be human beings. 

And in being themselves, in being vulnerable, in telling a story they’ve never told before, they expand our concept of “who a Muslim is.” They allow us to think of Muslims not as a monolith with caricatured traits, but instead as a diverse group of people who lead complex lives. And this season, these stories also allow us to also see the nuance and beauty in Islam. Together, these things make it harder for people to demonize Muslims. Because it’s hard to hate something you can’t categorize easily. It’s hard to hate someone who you can relate to.

Why do you think podcasts work as such a powerful medium for intimate and personal stories?

These stories are native to audio because when you see someone, you automatically make judgements about them based on what they look like. But Tell Them, I Am connects you directly with their voice in your ears—like a friend sitting really close to you. And, with these small, defining moments, you fast-forward to a point in their life that normally you’d only have access to after years of knowing someone. It’s audio that bypasses your biases by taking away the visual. It breaks down the walls in your heart without you even knowing.

Follow along with Misha and her guests as they tell their stories in the podcast below.

‘Tell Them, I Am’ Higher Ground Podcast Brings Muslim Voices to the Forefront

February 22, 2021

Today, we announced Tell Them, I Am, the newest podcast in partnership with Higher Ground and Spotify.

The new season of the series, revealed at our Stream On event, is a compelling collection of narratives from Muslim voices—featuring activists, artists, actors, performers, and athletes. In each episode, listeners can tune in to hear thought-provoking stories that reflect the best of human nature. 

The podcast is hosted by Misha Euceph, a first-generation Pakistani American on a mission to make shows that inspire awe and push audio into uncharted territory. The new season is coming exclusively to Spotify and will launch the first day of Ramadan. Until then, check out some of the episodes from the first season below.

Celebrate Spotify’s Biggest Year for Podcasts This International Podcast Day

September 30, 2020

It’s only September, but Spotify has already seen our biggest year ever for podcasts. The number of new shows added to the platform this year increased by 240%* compared to 2019, and fans are spending more time streaming podcasts on Spotify than ever before. And since today (September 30) happens to be International Podcast Day, we’re celebrating the milestone by taking a look back at some of the podcasting trends of 2020, as well as debuting some new shows, podcast playlists, and features.

When it comes to podcasts . . .

  • Laughter is the best medicine. Comedy has been the top-ranking global podcast category this year to date, with Call Her Daddy, The Misfits, and Office Ladies dominating.
  • We’re keeping up with the Os. The Obamas, that is. The Michelle Obama Podcast from Higher Ground held its spot on the Trending Charts Top 10 globally longer than any other podcast since July 2020.
  • DIY podcasting is a growing field. Since last year’s International Podcast Day, new podcasts created on Anchor, Spotify’s all-in-one podcasting platform, have increased by more than 380%.*

And to keep the momentum going, Spotify will be celebrating International Podcast Day all week with new playlists, podcasts, and special features. Take a look:

  • 9/28: We’re releasing Best of 2020 So Far, a podcast playlist full of this year’s top pods, handpicked by Spotify’s editorial team.
  • 9/30: Parcast’s Blind Dating and Gimlet’s Resistance podcasts are dropping exclusively on Spotify.
    • No one has ever found love on a podcast until now, on Blind Dating, the new Spotify Original on Parcast. Hopeful singles listen to voices of potential matches before making their choices and having their identities revealed.
    • Gimlet’s new podcast Resistance offers stories from the front lines of the movement for Black lives, told by the generation fighting for change. Listen to the Resistance trailer now on Spotify.
  • 9/30: It’s International Podcast Day! Stream your favorite pod, and don’t forget to check out Instagram for our International Podcast Day filter. Plus, Spotify for Podcasters is going global for podcasters in Brazil and Mexico. Finally, the most passionate podcast users in English-speaking countries will receive push notifications letting them know that they are in the top 5% of podcast listeners on Spotify—surely something to celebrate.
  • 9/30–10/2: Creators like Jemele Hill, Ashley Flowers, and Reba McEntire will be “passing the mic” to spotlight the podcasts they love via their social channels, so stay tuned. 

*Numbers stated are from September 30, 2019, to June 30, 2020.

Higher Ground and Spotify Announce That the First Season of ‘The Michelle Obama Podcast’ Will Debut on Additional Platforms

September 29, 2020

Higher Ground and Spotify announced today that following the first season’s chart-topping exclusive run on Spotify, The Michelle Obama Podcast will be made available on a number of additional platforms beginning September 30. 

The series debuted exclusively on Spotify in July, and features Michelle Obama in deeply personal discussions with former President Barack Obama, Michele Norris, Dr. Sharon Malone MD, her brother Craig Robinson, Conan O’Brien, Denielle Pemberton-Heard, Kelly Dibble, Valerie Jarrett, and her mother Marian Robinson. Listeners will be able to enjoy the first season featuring former First Lady Michelle Obama and her candid conversations with these extraordinary guests.

Speaking about the podcast at its launch, Michelle Obama commented, “My hope is that this series can be a place to explore meaningful topics together and sort through so many of the questions we’re all trying to answer in our own lives. Perhaps most of all, I hope this podcast will help listeners open up new conversations—and hard conversations—with the people who matter most to them. That’s how we can build more understanding and empathy for one another.”  

“As a chart-topping smash hit, Spotify could not have asked for a stronger or more distinctive first entry in our multi-year partnership,” said Spotify Chief Content and Advertising Business Officer, Dawn Ostroff. “Millions of listeners across the globe have already embraced The Michelle Obama Podcast and we look forward to growing that audience as we build anticipation for future Higher Ground series.”

Salesforce and Procter & Gamble’s Dawn and Tide brands served as the first season’s presenting sponsors. 

For more on The Michelle Obama Podcast including a personal introduction from the host herself and future content from Higher Ground Audio, please visit spoti.fi/HigherGround

Higher Ground and Spotify Announce ‘The Michelle Obama Podcast’ Debuting July 29

July 16, 2020

Last summer, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground, announced a partnership with Spotify to produce podcasts exclusive to the platform. Today, we are excited to announce the first title in the ongoing partnership, The Michelle Obama Podcast.

Hosted by Michelle Obama, the show will bring listeners the First Lady’s most candid, human, and personal conversations to show us what is possible when we dare to be vulnerable. The podcast will debut exclusively on Spotify on July 29, 2020. Like all podcasts on Spotify, it will be available to nearly 300 million Free and Premium users around the world. 

The Obamas formed Higher Ground to produce powerful stories to entertain, inform, inspire, and to lift up new, diverse voices in the entertainment industry. Mrs. Obama’s inaugural show is sure to do just that. 

“My hope is that this series can be a place to explore meaningful topics together and sort through so many of the questions we’re all trying to answer in our own lives,” Michelle Obama said. “Perhaps most of all, I hope this podcast will help listeners open up new conversations—and hard conversations—with the people who matter most to them. That’s how we can build more understanding and empathy for one another.”   

Tune in for episodes on topics ranging from sibling relationships and raising children to girlfriends, women’s health, mentorship, and marriage. An array of special guests, including Dr. Sharon Malone MD, Craig Robinson, Valerie Jarett, Conan O’Brien, and Michele Norris, will join the First Lady for each conversation.

“At Spotify we seek to connect listeners with the world’s most authentic and compelling voices,” said Spotify Chief Content and Advertising Business Officer, Dawn Ostroff. “We believe that audiences across the globe will be inspired by these most candid, most human and most personal conversations between First Lady Michelle Obama and her guests.”

Salesforce and Procter & Gamble brands Dawn and Tide will serve as the first season’s presenting sponsors.

For more on the The Michelle Obama Podcast, including a personal introduction from the host herself, please visit the Higher Ground hub.

Spotify and Funny or Die Announce New Original Scripted Podcast, ‘I’m Gonna Be Kevin Bacon’

June 28, 2019

The six degrees of Kevin Bacon just expanded into a whole new medium: podcasting. Spotify’s newest original podcast, I’m Gonna Be Kevin Bacon, produced by Funny or Die and created by Dan Abramson, stars the prolific actor as himself (sort of) in a new 12-episode comedy show—coming soon exclusively on Spotify.

Part fiction, part alternative reality, and completely unlike any podcast you’ve streamed before, I’m Gonna Be Kevin Bacon opens on a washed-up actor, Randy Beslow, 30 years after the release of Footloose­, Bacon’s first starring role. Beslow has spent all that time lamenting his loss of the part of Ren to the one and only Kevin Bacon, and blaming the actor for how his life turned out. (Spoiler: Not well). After hitting rock bottom, Beslow snaps and embarks on a mission to hunt down Kevin Bacon and exact revenge.

Throughout Beslow’s journey, he encounters a cast of characters—both fictional and real-life people playing fictionalized versions of themselves—including Bacon, who plays a version of himself as well.

Coming on the heels of President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground podcast announcement, I’m Gonna Be Kevin Bacon is reflective of the vast, eclectic, and expanding global slate of original audio content on Spotify. Like all Spotify podcasts, the show will be available to 217 million+ listeners in 79 markets on day one—so stay tuned for the show’s upcoming debut.

Spotify Launches Original Podcast ‘The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet’

June 27, 2019

As women navigate the ever-evolving social paradigms that shape our cultural discourse, there’s a need for clear, candid, and powerful voices to help society move forward. Amanda de Cadenet, host, photographer, and Girlgaze founder and CEO, has been one of those voices for over a decade.

With the 2011 launch of The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet on Lifetime, Amanda created a unique place on TV, one where women could feel safe to talk to each other about a wide range of important issues and shared experiences. Now Amanda is  taking the conversation to the sound studio, with a podcast of the same name and mission.

Beginning on July 2nd and airing every Tuesday thereafter for nine weeks, Amanda’s Spotify exclusive podcast will feature one-on-one intimate and candid conversations with women and non-binary individuals who reveal their respective journeys and the wisdom they’ve gained along the way.

Guests will include actresses, activists, authors, politicians, filmmakers, providing a wide range of perspectives. Amber Heard, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Jameela Jamil, Olivia Wilde, Sophia Bush, and more will be joining Amanda on the show.  

“I’m excited to launch The Conversation as a podcast format because it really lends itself to the long form, in depth conversations I like to have with my guests. The Conversation is a place for raw and honest discussions on topics that need to be addressed right now” said Amanda de Cadenet. 

The launch of this podcast further showcases Spotify’s commitment to delivering interesting and unique original content to listeners, with a new generation of cultural and socially-minded podcasts. Spotify’s diverse, growing podcast slate includes: Stay Free: The Story of the Clash, Dope Labs, Jemele Hill Is Unbothered, Amy Schumer Presents, Riggle’s Picks with Rob Riggle & Sarah Tiana, Dissect and the newly announced partnership with President Barack Obama & Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Audio. 

Check out the The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet trailer here.

Higher Ground Announces Partnership with Spotify to Produce Podcasts

June 6, 2019

President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground, today announced a partnership with Spotify to produce podcasts exclusive to the platform. The Obamas formed Higher Ground to produce powerful stories to entertain, inform and inspire, and to lift up new, diverse voices in the entertainment industry. Spotify, which recently surpassed 100 million Premium subscribers and has more than 217 million monthly active users, will distribute the podcasts to audiences across the globe.

Under the Higher Ground partnership, President and Mrs. Obama will develop, produce, and lend their voices to select podcasts, connecting them to listeners around the world on wide-ranging topics. The multi-year agreement will be with Higher Ground Audio, an expansion of the Higher Ground production company that will oversee the move into podcasts.

When President and Mrs. Obama launched Higher Ground in 2018 with an initial partnership with Netflix, their goal was to create compelling content that entertains and inspires viewers. Recognizing that content is consumed in many forms, this new partnership will give them the ability to expand the conversation, educating and engaging Spotify’s diverse and extensive audience.

“We’ve always believed in the value of entertaining, thought-provoking conversation,” President Obama said. “It helps us build connections with each other and open ourselves up to new ideas. We’re excited about Higher Ground Audio because podcasts offer an extraordinary opportunity to foster productive dialogue, make people smile and make people think, and, hopefully, bring us all a little closer together.”  

“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to amplify voices that are too often ignored or silenced altogether, and through Spotify, we can share those stories with the world,” Michelle Obama said. “Our hope is that through compelling, inspirational storytelling, Higher Ground Audio will not only produce engaging podcasts, but help people connect emotionally and open up their minds—and their hearts.”

“President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are two of the world’s most important voices and it is a privilege to be working with them to identify and share stories that will inspire our global audience, which looks to Spotify for unique, breakthrough content,” said Spotify Chief Content Officer, Dawn Ostroff. “Connecting people with original and thoughtful creators — especially those with the ability to highlight underrepresented and indispensable narratives — is at the core of our mission and we are thrilled that not only will the Obamas be producing content, but that they will be lending their voices to this effort.”