Adrianne Lenker is a singer and songwriter. She’s the lead singer of the critically acclaimed and beloved band Big Thief,... more

Sabrina Carpenter is a singer, songwriter, and actress. She had a huge year with her album Short N Sweet, which... more

Gracie Abrams is a singer and songwriter from Los Angeles. She started putting out music in 2020, and in June... more

Katie Crutchfield is a singer and songwriter from Birmingham, Alabama. She’s been making music under the name Waxahatchee since 2010.... more

Le Tigre originally formed in 1998. They released their self-titled debut album in October 1999. Spin Magazine called it one... more

In 1968, singer and songwriter Graham Nash joined David Crosby and Stephen Stills to form the supergroup Crosby, Stills &... more

Pharrell Williams is—well, let me just say, he’s a big reason why Song Exploder exists. He’s a singer, songwriter and... more

For the last couple weeks, I’ve been getting ready for a trip I’m going to make to Connecticut, to moderate... more

Troye Sivan is a singer and songwriter from Australia. He’s been nominated for a Golden Globe, two Grammys, and he’s... more

Beabadoobee is an award-winning singer and songwriter from England who’s been releasing music since 2017. Her third album is called... more

Remi Wolf is a singer and songwriter originally from Palo Alto, California. She’s been releasing music since 2019. She performed... more

Sam Smith is a Grammy and Oscar-winning singer and songwriter from London, England. Their first album, In the Lonely Hour,... more

Fenne Lily is a singer and songwriter from Dorset, England. She released her first album in 2018, but I didn’t... more

Last year, Vagabon released her third album, Sorry I Haven’t Called, which I’ve been listening to a lot. So I... more

Crowded House formed in 1985 in Melbourne, Australia. They’ve released eight albums, including their most recent one, Gravity Stairs, which... more

Lizzy McAlpine released her first album in 2020, and her second album in 2022. And between the two, she’s had... more

The Flaming Lips formed in Oklahoma City in 1983. Over the last four decades, they’ve put out 16 albums. In... more

One of the songs I keep coming back to is “Mohabbat” by Arooj Aftab. It’s really special to me. I... more

The band War formed in 1969, in Long Beach, California. “Low Rider” is from their 1975 album Why Can’t We... more

Shania Twain is a singer and songwriter from Ontario, Canada. She’s the only female artist to have had three consecutive... more

Danny Brown started his career in 2007 by handing out mixtapes in Detroit, where he’s from. In 2011, he put... more

Rhiannon Giddens has released five solo albums since 2015. Before that, she was a member of the Grammy-winning band, the... more

I wanted to revisit an episode about one of my favorite songs from 2021, “Black Dog” by Arlo Parks. A... more

Green Day is a punk band from the East Bay in California. Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool... more

The first episode of Song Exploder, about The Postal Service song "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight," came out 10 years... more

For the last episode of the year, I got the chance to drive up to Northridge, California, and have a... more

Raye is a singer, songwriter and producer from London. Besides being an artist in her own right, she’s also been... more

Sampha is a singer, songwriter and producer from London. His first album, Process, won the Mercury Prize in 2017. He’s... more

I think one of the hardest things there is to do in music is to write a love song that... more

Kesha is a singer and songwriter from Los Angeles. She put out her first song in 2009, and it was... more

Alvvays is from Toronto. Their first album came out in 2014, and they’ve put out two other albums since then.... more

Laufey is a singer and songwriter originally from Iceland. She studied piano and cello as a kid. When she was... more

This summer, in June 2023, Janelle Monáe put out her fourth album, The Age of Pleasure. Listening to it made... more

The "Skip Intro" button first got introduced to us through Netflix in 2017, and, I know, a lot of people... more

It can be hard to be in a band, or really, in any kind of group where there’s creative collaboration,... more

Bakar is a singer and songwriter from London. In 2018 he put out his first release, Badkid. A year later,... more

Natalie Merchant is an award-winning singer and songwriter from upstate New York. She was the lead singer of the band... more

This week, I wanted to go back and revisit an older episode. I recorded an interview with singer and songwriter... more

Feist is a singer/songwriter from Canada. She put out her first solo album in 1999. She’s won 11 Juno awards,... more

Madison McFerrin is a singer, songwriter, and producer from New York. She’s sung with legends like Aretha Franklin, George Clinton,... more

In May 1980, the band Joy Division was devastated by the death of lead singer Ian Curtis. The three remaining... more

It’s usually hard to pin down when a genre of music starts. But people point to this one party in... more

Yaeji is a singer, songwriter, and producer from New York. During her childhood she moved between Queens, Atlanta, and Seoul.... more

Seal is a multi-Grammy-winning singer and songwriter from England. His song “Kiss from a Rose” was first released in 1994,... more

Kenny Beats is a hip-hop producer who’s been making beats and producing songs for other artists since 2010. He’s got... more

Last month, in January 2023, Kimbra put out her fourth album. I was listening to it, and it made me... more

MUNA is a trio from Los Angeles, made up of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson. They’ve been making... more

Noah Kahan is a singer and songwriter from Strafford, Vermont. Last year, in 2022, he released Stick Season, his third... more

Sampa The Great is a songwriter, rapper, and singer from Zambia. She was based in Australia for years, but came... more

Everything Everywhere All at Once is a sci-fi comedy independent film that came out in the spring of 2022. It’s... more

Omah Lay is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and producer. He’s one of the young stars of Afrobeats, the West African... more

The final episode of Book Exploder is with author James McBride. He was born in New York City and raised... more

In 2002, Sam Beam’s first album as Iron & Wine was released on Sub Pop Records. He’d given them a... more

George Saunders has won the Booker Prize, and he’s the recipient of a MacArthur Genius Grant. He won the Folio... more

Santigold is a singer, songwriter, and producer. She’s put out 4 albums since 2008, and she’s been featured as a... more

Celeste Ng is an American writer and author of three novels. Her second novel, Little Fires Everywhere, was published in... more

King Princess is the project of Mikaela Straus, a singer, songwriter, and producer from Brooklyn. She’s a platinum-selling artist, and... more

Tayari Jones is the author of four novels. She won the 2019 Women's Prize for Fiction, and received a Lifetime... more

Panic! At the Disco is the Grammy-nominated project of Brendon Urie, who originally started it as a band with his... more

Carmen Maria Machado is the award-winning author of In the Dream House, a memoir where each chapter has its own... more

(This is a re-issue of Björk’s episode from December 2015.) In January 2015, Björk released Vulnicura. She described it as "a... more

Michael Cunningham is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hours. He’s the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts... more

Madonna is the best-selling female recording artist of all time. She has twelve albums that have gone multi-platinum. She’s won... more

Min Jin Lee is the author of the best-selling novel Pachinko. She’s a Guggenheim Fellow, and the recipient of South... more

Kae Tempest is a songwriter, rapper, an award-winning poet, and best-selling novelist. They’ve been nominated for the UK’s Mercury Prize... more

Introducing a new miniseries: Book Exploder, where authors break down a passage from one of their books, and discuss the... more

Sudan Archives is a singer, songwriter, producer, and violinist. She grew up in Cincinnati before moving to LA. Her music... more

Maia from mxmtoon released her first EP in 2018. She was 18 years old, recorded it in her bedroom, and... more

Monica Martin is a singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. Before that, she was based in Madison, Wisconsin, where... more

Maren Morris is a Grammy-winning, multi-platinum artist. She’s also won multiple country music awards, including CMAs for Female Vocalist of... more

Rick Astley is a singer and songwriter from England, whose debut single, "Never Gonna Give You Up," became an international... more

Kevin Morby is a singer and songwriter based in Kansas City. He’s put out seven albums since 2013, including his... more

Arooj Aftab is a singer and composer based in Brooklyn. She grew up in Saudi Arabia, but her family is... more

This week, I want to introduce you to another podcast that I make, called Partners. It’s a show about partnerships... more

Peaches is a musician, producer, and performance artist. She’s released six albums and in 2015, she won the Polaris Heritage Music... more

Steve Reich is a legendary composer who was one of the pioneers of minimalism. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize... more

This week, I want to revisit one of my favorite episodes of Song Exploder, with Perfume Genius telling the story... more

Sarah Kinsley is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Her most recent release is an EP called The King, which came... more

Brandi Carlile is a singer and songwriter from Washington State. She's  released seven albums and won six Grammys. Her most... more

The band Franz Ferdinand formed in 2002, in Glasgow, Scotland. They’ve won the Mercury Prize and two BRIT Awards, they... more

Joy Oladokun is a singer and songwriter from Arizona, now based in Nashville, who’s been releasing music since 2015. Last... more

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas came out in 1993. It’s a stop-motion animated musical, with music by legendary composer... more

Halsey is an award-winning singer and songwriter from New Jersey. She's been nominated for two Grammys, and sold over a... more

The movie Dune was released on October 21. It's the most recent adaptation of Frank Herbert's epic science fiction novel... more

The War on Drugs is a band from Philadelphia who formed in 2005. They won the Grammy for Best Rock... more

Willow Smith is a singer and songwriter from Los Angeles. She’s also a member of one of the most famous... more

This summer, I gave a TED Talk at the TED Conference. My talk was about what you discover when you... more

Earlier this year, I got an amazing email—the estate of John Lennon said that they have a treasure trove of... more

Lucy Dacus is a singer and songwriter from Richmond, Virginia. She put out her first album in 2016, and in... more

Mustafa is a singer, songwriter, and poet from Toronto. He gained national recognition in Canada for his poetry. in 2016,... more

Lykke Li is a singer and songwriter from Sweden. She started releasing music in 2007, and for much of her... more

Singer, songwriter, and producer James Mercer of The Shins wrote “New Slang” when he was living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It... more

The song "Surrender" by Cheap Trick was released in 1978. Rolling Stone called it the ultimate 70s teen anthem, and... more

The story of how the song "Deep End" came into existence and became a hit is kind of wild. One... more

AURORA is a singer and songwriter from Norway, who released her first EP in 2015, when she was 19 years... more

Sparks are the brothers Ron and Russell Mael, a legendary duo from Los Angeles. Over the last 50 years, they’ve... more

Arlo Parks is a singer and songwriter from London. In January 2021, she released her debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams.... more

Imagine Dragons are a Grammy-winning band from Las Vegas. They’ve sold over 20 millions albums so far, and they were... more

Marie Ulven is a singer, songwriter, and producer from Norway, who makes music under the name girl in red. She... more

Porter Robinson is a Grammy-nominated electronic artist and DJ from North Carolina. In 2014, his first album hit #1 on... more

Lianne La Havas is a singer and songwriter from London. She’s been nominated for a Grammy and a Brit award,... more

Jon Batiste is a pianist, songwriter, and composer from New Orleans. He’s been nominated for multiple Grammys, and just won... more

Glass Animals is a band from Oxford, England. They’ve released three albums since forming back in 2010. One of their... more

Sasha Sloan is a singer and songwriter based in Nashville. She put out her debut album, Only Child, last year.... more

PJ Morton is a singer, songwriter, and producer. He’s the first artist ever to be nominated for a Grammy for... more

HAIM is a band from Los Angeles, made up of the sisters Danielle, Este, and Alana Haim. They’ve released three... more

The legendary singer/songwriter Yusuf / Cat Stevens released his first album in 1967. He’s a member of the Rock &... more

Common is a Grammy- and Oscar-winning rapper, actor, and activist from Chicago. He’s been making records since 1992, and in... more

Jewel is a singer-songwriter from Homer, Alaska, who’s received four Grammy nominations and sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Her debut... more

Billie Eilish started releasing music when she was 14 years old. Her debut album came out last year, when she... more

This episode is a little different. It’s a re-issue of Phoebe Bridgers’ Song Exploder episode from January 2019, along with... more

Deftones are a Grammy-winning band from Sacramento who’ve sold over ten million albums. Their ninth album, Ohms, came out this... more

Rapper Killer Mike and rapper/producer El-P first met in 2011. They both had established rap careers, but they entered a... more

Dua Lipa is a Grammy-winning singer and songwriter from London. Her second album, Future Nostalgia, came out in March 2020.... more

Selena Gomez is a singer, songwriter, and actress, who’s spent most of her life in the public eye. She started... more

On August 28, 2020, actor Chadwick Boseman died. He was only 43 years old. Unbeknownst to many, even some of... more

Kelly Lee Owens is an electronic music producer and songwriter originally from Wales. She’s released two critically acclaimed albums and... more

Black Pumas formed in Austin, Texas in 2017, when singer Eric Burton met producer Adrian Quesada. Their self-titled debut was... more

The 1975 are a band from Manchester, England, made up of Matty Healy, Adam Hann, Ross MacDonald, and George Daniel.... more

Katie Crutchfield is a singer and songwriter from Birmingham, Alabama. She’s been making music under the name Waxahatchee since 2010.... more

Khruangbin is a band from Houston, Texas, who first formed in 2010. NME called them the "low key superstars" of... more

The Netflix original series Dark debuted in December 2017. It’s a really mysterious, mind-bending German science fiction show with a... more

The rappers Prodigy and Havoc met when they were still in high school in New York. Havoc grew up in... more

Instead of a new episode this week, revisiting this episode originally published in May 2017. Please consider donating to local... more

100 gecs is a duo, made up of Laura Les and Dylan Brady. In 2016, they put out an EP... more

Laura Marling is a singer and songwriter from London. She won the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist—she’s... more

Tame Impala is the project of Kevin Parker, a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer from Perth, Australia. Since putting his first... more

FKA twigs is a singer, songwriter, and producer from London. She’s released three EPs and two albums. Her most album,... more

Nathaniel Rateliff is a singer and songwriter from Colorado. He’s released four solo albums, and two with his band, the... more

Eric Nam is a Korean-American pop singer from Atlanta. He’s currently lives in Seoul, South Korea, where he found fame... more

Sophie Allison makes music under the name Soccer Mommy. Her debut album came out in 2018, when she was 20... more

Dan Snaith has been making Caribou records since 2001. He won Canada’s Polaris music prize in 2007, and this month,... more

When Laetitia Tamko started making the second Vagabon album, she really wanted to produce the entire thing on her own.... more

The song “Closing Time” by the American rock band Semisonic came out in March 1998. It hit #1 on the... more

The band Vampire Weekend started in 2006, in New York. Their third album came out in 2013, and was named... more

Thao Nguyen has been guest hosting Song Exploder this year, with Christian Koons producing, to give Hrishikesh a little room... more

Meek Mill is a rapper from Philadelphia. He’s put out five albums. His most recent, Championships, debuted at #1 on... more

Natasha Khan makes music under the name Bat for Lashes. She’s released five albums, including Lost Girls, which came out... more

Melina Duterte goes by the name Jay Som. She’s a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. She’s released three albums as Jay... more

Slipknot is a Grammy-winning metal band from Des Moines, Iowa, who first formed in 1995. They’ve sold over 30 million... more

Raphael Saadiq is a Grammy-winning songwriter, producer, and artist from Oakland, California. He was the lead singer of the legendary... more

Claire Cotrill is a singer, songwriter, and producer who goes by the name Clairo. She started releasing music in 2014... more

Brittany Howard is the guitarist and lead singer of the four-time Grammy-winning band Alabama Shakes. This month, she’s releasing her... more

Robyn is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Her first album came out in 1995, when she was 16 years old.... more

Justin Vernon founded the band Bon Iver in 2006. Bon Iver’s released four albums, and won two Grammys, including Best... more

Sleater-Kinney was formed in 1994 by Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein. Drummer Janet Weiss was a member of the band... more

Denzel Curry is a rapper from Miami. He started his career at age 16 as part of the hip hop... more

Jamila Woods is a singer, songwriter, and poet from Chicago. She’s released two albums, and she’s collaborated with artists like... more

Big Thief is a four piece folk-rock band from Brooklyn, New York. In May 2019, they released their third album,... more

Sheryl Crow is a singer-songwriter from Missouri. She’s released ten studio albums, sold over 50 million records, and has won... more

Raleigh Ritchie is the musical alias of Jacob Anderson, a musician and actor who’s probably best known for playing the... more

John Darnielle has been writing and recording songs as the Mountain Goats since 1991. He’s released 17 studio albums, and... more

The Cranberries formed in Limerick, Ireland in 1989. Singer Dolores O’Riordan joined a year later, and the group went on... more

Panda Bear is musician Noah Lennox. He’s a founding member of the experimental, genre-defying band Animal Collective, and as a... more

Sharon Van Etten is a singer and songwriter who’s put out five albums. She's also an actress—she’s in The OA... more

Nakhane is a singer and songwriter from Johannesburg, South Africa. His first album, Brave Confusion, won the South African Music... more

Mumford & Sons are a Grammy-winning band that formed in London in 2007. They’ve put out four albums, and sold... more

Phoebe Bridgers is a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles. In September 2017, she released her debut album, Stranger in the Alps.... more

The Daily is a hit podcast from The New York Times, hosted by Michael Barbaro. Every weekday, over 1.7 million... more

Japanese Breakfast is the musical project of Michelle Zauner, who’s been making music under that name since 2013. In July... more

Andrew Hozier-Byrne is a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter from Ireland. His debut single from 2013, “Take Me to Church,” was a massive,... more

Yo-Yo Ma is perhaps the most famous and well-loved cellist in the world. He was born in Paris in 1955;... more

Thao Nguyen is taking over as the new host of Song Exploder in 2019. This is a reissue of an... more

Lindsey Buckingham is a singer-songwriter, a guitarist, and a producer. In 1974, he joined the band Fleetwood Mac, along with... more

Four years ago, on November 24, 2014, the first episode of the podcast Reply All came out. It’s a podcast... more

Lorely Rodriguez is a singer, songwriter, and producer who goes by the name Empress Of. She’s released two albums, and... more

Big Boi is a rapper from Atlanta. When he was a teenager, he and Andre 3000 formed OutKast, and went... more

In 1978, John Carpenter wrote, directed, and scored the film Halloween. It was made on a $300,000 budget, and ended... more

Janelle Monáe is an award-winning musician and actress who released her first record in 2007. She’s been nominated for multiple... more

Chan Marshall is a singer-songwriter who’s been making records under the name Cat Power since 1995. In 2018, she put... more

Blood Orange is the project of songwriter and producer Devonté Hynes. He’s produced and co-written songs for artists like Carly... more

Last week, Netflix released the fifth season of BoJack Horseman. I wanted to revisit this episode about the show’s Main... more

The Decemberists are a Grammy-nominated five-piece band from Portland, Oregon. They released their first album in 2001, and since then... more

In honor of Mitski’s new album, “Be the Cowboy,” here’s the episode she did in 2016. — Mitski has been... more

Christine and the Queens is a singer, songwriter, and producer from France. Her debut album was first released in 2014... more

Neko Case is a singer and songwriter. She’s been nominated for multiple Grammys, and in addition to her own music,... more

Earlier this year, in May 2018, Courtney Barnett released her second album, Tell Me How You Really Feel. And last... more

Action Bronson is a rapper from Queens who’s been making records since 2011. He also stars as the host of... more

Jhené Aiko is a Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter. She’s released three albums so far. In addition to her own records,... more

I interviewed the Scottish band CHVRCHES back in March 2016, in Austin, Texas. A few weeks ago, in May 2018,... more

Yo La Tengo formed in 1984. The band is made up Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley, and James McNew. In March... more

Wolf Alice is a band from North London. Their second album, Visions of a Life, was released in September 2017.... more

In November 2015, I interviewed Kelela about her song “Rewind,” from her debut EP, Hallucinogen. Since that EP was released,... more

Jon Hopkins is an electronic music producer whose been nominated twice for the UK’s Mercury Prize. Along with his frequent... more

In 1993, Liz Phair released her debut album, Exile in Guyville. It was an instant hit, critically and commercially. It sold hundreds of... more

Arcade Fire is a Grammy-winning six-piece band originally from Montreal. They’ve released five albums, and the last three have all... more

Kimbra is a singer from New Zealand. Her first album came out in 2011, and in 2013 she won two... more

Jack Johnson is a grammy-nominated singer-songwriter from Hawaii. He's had four number one albums on the Billboard charts. In September 2017,... more

Marvel’s Black Panther was released in theaters on February 16, 2018, and in just a few weeks, it made over a billion dollars... more

Natalie Prass released her debut album in 2015. That year, Time Magazine called her an Artist to Watch, Pitchfork gave the album Best... more