For many people, music can serve as a reflection of their roots and upbringing. With Spotify’s playlist series Local Spot, celebrated Canadians are given a cool, eclectic space to introduce fans to their favorite Canadian artists.
Featuring all-Canadian music curation, Local Spot offers global audiences a glimpse into the unique music tastes of the country’s celebrated figures. For our latest edition of Local Spot, poet, artist, and performer Rupi Kaur takes over as our featured curator.
A breakout literary phenomenon and number-one New York Times bestselling author, Rupi wrote, illustrated, and self-published her first poetry collection, milk and honey, in 2014, followed by the sun and her flowers, home body, and healing through words. Together, these collections have sold more than 12 million copies and have been translated into more than 40 languages.
Rupi has also made her mark in film and television, producing a first-of-its-kind poetry special, Rupi Kaur Live, the film This Place, and the 2024 Academy Award–nominated film To Kill a Tiger.
For her contribution to Local Spot, Rupi takes listeners on a journey through the songs and artists who inspire her, including Shawn Mendes, Charlotte Day Wilson, The Weeknd, Avril Lavigne, Daniel Caesar, KAYTRANADA, and Celine Dion. Ahead of the playlist’s release, For the Record sat down with Rupi to talk about her experience curating Local Spot, her influences and creative process, and how growing up in Canada has shaped her.
Talk to us about curating Local Spot.
It was so much fun to revisit some of my favorite tracks from the last 15 years or so. I actually felt very at home listening to them and was moved to write.
In one sentence, how would you describe your playlist?
The songs that raised and healed me.
What does your Canadian identity mean to you?
As an immigrant, I have always felt like Canada is a place of inclusivity and hope. I have always existed between two worlds—my parents’ homeland and the one we built here. That duality is in everything I write. Now, as I travel the world, I’m often reminded of how much the diversity of Canada has contributed to my art.
Who are some of your favorite Canadian authors and music artists?
Canadian writers I have deep love for include Michael Ondaatje, Lawrence Hill, Alice Munro. My favorite Canadian music artists are Charlotte Cardin, Charlotte Day Wilson, and The Weeknd.
What’s your writing process like?
Writing is a conversation with myself. It starts with a feeling—something stirring deep in my gut. I sit with it and let it rise to the surface. My best ideas come when I give them space. They visit in the quiet moments—long walks, in the middle of a conversation, or right before I fall asleep.
How do you incorporate listening to music into that process?
Music sets the tone and pulls me back into memories of the past or hopes for the future. Sometimes I need silence—to hear the rhythm of the poem itself. But oftentimes I use music to set the mood.
Do you think there’s a crossover between music and literature?
Absolutely. Both are rhythmic. Both tell stories. A poem is a song stripped of its melody, and a song is a poem brought to life through sound. Before he started his career as a musician, Leonard Cohen was a poet and novelist. That’s just one of many examples that showcase that there’s so much natural crossover between the crafts.
What writer or music artist has had the biggest influence on you?
Khalil Gibran taught me about duality. Audre Lorde and Bell Hooks taught me about power. In music, I return to Nina Simone, Florence Welch, and the haunting melodies of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Your books milk and honey, the sun and her flowers, and homebody touch on love, loss, trauma, and healing. Is listening to music, podcasts, or audiobooks part of a healthy routine for you?
Music, podcasts, books are all part of my healing. Some days, I need a song that holds me. Other days, I need words that remind me I am not alone.
What does it mean to you to know that your fans get to hear you read your works on the audiobook versions of your books?
I write my poetry with sound in mind—the way the words flow, the rhythm of each line. Hearing me read it aloud brings that element to life. For a reader, poetry is personal and they interpret it through their own lens. For a listener, they hear it the way it was meant to be spoken.
What’s your earliest memory of stories being read aloud to you?
My father’s voice. He would sit with me and recite Punjabi poetry, letting the words dance in the air between us. He taught me that poetry is meant to be felt, not just understood.
Press play to listen to Rupi’s collection of Canadian gems in the latest edition of Local Spot:
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