The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are ringing in the new year on Spotify with a few friends.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have released the first podcast through their multi-year deal with the audio streaming giant. The holiday special reflects on 2020 and offers hopes for the new year.
A number of guests are joining the couple on the podcast, which they are producing via their Archewell Audio production company alongside Spotify-owned Gimlet. They include Stacey Abrams, José Andrés, Brené Brown, Deepak Chopra, James Corden, Elton John, Naomi Osaka and Tyler Perry. Others who appear on the special include activist Christina Adane, writer Rachel Cargle, novelist Matt Haig, mental health advocate Hussain Manawer and spoken word performer George the Poet.
At the beginning of the half-hour podcast, Harry says that he and Meghan wanted to “honor the compassion and kindness that has helped so many people” get through a tough year. Meghan adds that their goal is also to “honor those who have experienced uncertainty and unthinkable loss.”
Spotify announced Dec. 15 that it had struck a multi-project deal with Archewell Audio, the couple’s newly created podcast shingle. Their first full podcast series is expected to be released on Spotify in 2021.
The deal follows a similar pact between Harry and Meghan and Netflix, where they will produce documentaries, feature films and children’s programming.
