In June of 2020, as Black Lives Matter protests happen outside her front door, Tracie Hunte finds herself examining a very particular moment in Nina Simone's life.

It's a beautiful meditation on Nina Simone, and what it means to make art that speaks to the times you're living through. It's been almost six years since it first aired and it's still so relevant.

You probably know the song “Closing Time” by the Semisonic as the song played at the end of the night when the lights come on at the bar. However, in this episode of Song Exploder, Dan Wilson, the lead singer and songwriter of Semisonic breaks down the surprising behind.

I heard this episode and found out its true meaning, something that Hrishikesh Hirway gets out of artists so well.

Journalist and radio host Jenn White, tells the story of how Oprah came to be...well...Oprah!

In this episode, there’s a standout moment where Oprah recalls flying into Chicago for a pivotal job interview, full of hope for what might come next. It’s both inspiring and revealing, capturing her intense drive and ambition. The episode paints a nuanced, complex portrait of someone who’s had an outsized impact on culture.

Way back in 2014, smart people were creating a whole new form of media: podcasting. That year I encountered one of the first podcast episodes that really got under my skin: Anna Sale’s conversation with Bill Withers, talking about what it means to be a man.

I was immediately hooked on the format — on the intimacy we can achieve with a mic and two voices.