Barack Obama has teamed up with Bruce Springsteen for a new podcast series on Spotify, the music streaming giant said.
Renegades: Born In The USA is an eight-episode series featuring the former president and the veteran rockstar discussing issues including race, fatherhood, marriage and the state of America, according to Spotify.
The company described the podcast as “a personal, in-depth discussion between two friends exploring their pasts, their beliefs and the country that they love – as it was, as it is, and as it ought to be going forward”.
Last year, I sat down with my good friend Bruce @Springsteen for a long and meaningful conversation that touched on so much of what we’re all dealing with these days. I’m excited to share it with you over the next few weeks: https://t.co/sQACD08AWx pic.twitter.com/biMoxCLhAG
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 22, 2021
The first two episodes of Renegades, from the Obamas’ production company Higher Ground, are available on Spotify now.
Introducing the first episode, Mr Obama said: “How did we get here? How could we find our way back to a more unifying American story? That topic came to dominate so many of my conversations last year – with Michelle, with my daughters and with friends.
“And one of the friends just happened to be Mr Bruce Springsteen. On the surface, Bruce and I don’t have a lot in common. But over the years, what we’ve found is that we’ve got a shared sensibility.
“About work, about family and about America. In our own ways, Bruce and I have been on parallel journeys trying to understand this country that’s given us both so much. Trying to chronicle the stories of its people.
“Looking for a way to connect our own individual searches for meaning and truth and community with the larger story of America.”
Mr Obama, 59, and Springsteen, 71, first met on the 2008 campaign trail and have since “formed a deep friendship,” Spotify said.
Both spoke out during last year’s presidential election. Springsteen has issued repeated calls for unity following a fractious period in the US.
He appeared in a high-profile Jeep advert earlier this month, the first of his storied career, however it was later taken off YouTube after it emerged he had been charged with drink-driving.