The streaming giant Spotify on Monday unveiled a new show featuring two American cultural heavyweights: rock star Bruce Springston and former US President Barack Obama.
Two episodes of the eight-show audio series Renewal War: Born in the United States Now available online.
It’s a marketing ploy for Spotify, which has invested millions of dollars in acquisitions this year, focusing on podcasting as a development driver since 2019.
“On the surface, Bruce and I don’t have much in common,” Obama says in a promotional clip for the series.
“He’s a white man from a small town in Jersey. I’m a mixed race black man born in Hawaii. He’s a rock character. I’m not that cool.”
The couple first met during Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008 and have been friends ever since.
They recently spent several days recording a show together in New Jersey, reflecting on ways to “unite” differences in a country with the United States and political and socio-economic divisions.
“What we’ve learned from this conversation is that we still share a fundamental belief in American ideology, not as a process of reminiscence, As a compass for that, “he said.
“We got some answers, some things to learn, some laughs and some drinks.”
The podcast follows the former president’s own wife, Michelle, who achieved moderate success last year, especially one incident that put the pair in the air.
The new show is produced by Higher Ground Productions, a company founded in 2018 by Obama, who has also worked with Netflix on television and film projects.
In December, Spotify also announced a partnership with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who will produce a podcast series for the platform.
Also on Monday, the powerful streaming company announced that it was expanding its services to more than 80 new markets around the world, nearly doubling its reach.
New countries where both free and paid subscription options will be available include large populated centers such as Nigeria, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
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