Michelle Obama will bring her voice to Spotify’s global streaming platform later this month with the launch of The Michelle Obama Podcast.
It’s the first project from Higher Ground, the media production company founded by President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, for Spotify under their exclusive multiyear pact announced in June 2019 .
And it’s the latest salvo in Spotify’s gambit to capture the leading position in the podcasting biz.
The Michelle Obama Podcast: 5 things we know
1. It dives into the topic of relationships
The series will feature the former First Lady’s conversations with friends, family and allies.
it will focus on “the relationships that shape us, from siblings and close friends to partners, parents and mentors to our relationship with ourselves and our health,” according to the companies.
2. It’s a conversation starter
“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 in a statement.
“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.”
3. Conan O’Brien and Michelle’s mother are some of the guests
Guests on “The Michelle Obama Podcast” will include her mother, Marian Robinson, and older brother Craig Robinson.
TV and podcast personality Conan O’Brien is also on the guest list, as well as Valerie Jarrett, former adviser to President Obama; journalist Michele Norris; and Dr. Sharon Malone, wife of former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
4. It’s exclusive to Spotify – and free to all users
The Michelle Obama Podcast will debut exclusively on Spotify on July 29, 2020, available to free users and premium subscribers worldwide.
“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,” Dawn Ostroff, Spotify’s chief content and advertising business officer, said in announcing the podcast.
On Spotify, The Michelle Obama Podcast will have its own dedicated page. It also will be listed on Spotify’s Higher Ground hub for the Obamas’ content.
During the lead-up to the launch, the former First Lady’s podcast has been code-named Project Renaissance by Spotify and Higher Ground.
5. It’s one of a handful of new projects from the Obamas
The Michelle Obama Podcast is not the only media project you can expect from the Obamas.
Higher Ground Productions, which the Obamas formed in 2018, also has a multiyear Netflix pact for scripted and unscripted series, as well as docuseries and feature-length narrative and documentary films.
Watch the teaser for Michelle Obama’s forthcoming podcast:
– Reuters/Variety
