Michelle and Barack Obama Ink Deal With Spotify to Produce Podcasts

Michelle Obama and Barack Obama (Credit: WhiteHouse.Gov)

President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama are teaming up with Spotify.

The couple announced Thursday that their production company, Higher Ground, will work with the music streaming giant to produce podcasts under the name “Higher Ground Audio.”

“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,” Spotify said in a press release. “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.”

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President Obama expressed excitement about creating thought-provoking conversations on the platform, stating: “We’ve always believed in the value of entertaining, thought-provoking conversation. It helps us build connections with each other and open ourselves up to new ideas.”

Mrs. Obama shared her own statement, elaborating: “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.”

She continued: “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.”

As for Spotify, the company referred to the deal as a “privilege.”

Read More: Barack and Michelle Obama’s Netflix Projects Include Frederick Douglass Film

The Obamas first announced Higher Ground in 2018, then partnering with Netflix. Less than a year later, the couple unveiled their first projects with the streaming service.

One of the works includes a film about abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass, which will be adapted from David W. Blight’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom.

“The content encompasses a wide range of fiction and non-fiction signature productions for all audiences including scripted, unscripted and documentary series, as well as full-length features and documentaries,” Netflix said in the April announcement.