Meghan Markle’s first Spotify series is finally headed to the heir-waves.
An Archewell Audio spokesperson confirmed to HuffPost in a statement on Thursday that the Duchess of Sussex will release her first podcast series this summer. The highly anticipated new show comes from Archewell Audio (an offshoot of the couple’s foundation) and their exclusive partnership with Spotify.
The spokesperson added that Archewell Audio was continuing to have discussions with Spotify and the company’s senior leadership regarding misinformation and the importance of trust, safety and transparency with its audience. The new statement confirms that the royals will continue their partnership with the streaming giant. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a statement in January regarding Spotify’s ongoing partnership with Joe Rogan — whose podcast has spread misinformation to millions of listeners — though they did not mention the podcaster directly.
“Since the inception of Archewell, we have worked to address the real-time global misinformation crisis. Hundreds of millions of people are affected by the serious harms of rampant mis- and disinformation every day,” a spokesperson for the couple said in the statement, which was shared with HuffPost. “Last April, our co-founders began expressing concerns to our partners at Spotify about the all-too-real consequences of COVID-19 misinformation on its platform.”
“We have continued to express our concerns to Spotify to ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public health crisis,” the statement added. “We look to Spotify to meet this moment and are committed to continuing our work together as it does.”
Spotify announced that it had closed a multiyear partnership deal with Meghan and Harry’s Archewell Audio in December 2020. The couple’s intention was to highlight diverse voices with their podcasts and release “programming that uplifts and entertains audiences around the world.”
“What we love about podcasting is that it reminds all of us to take a moment and to really listen, to connect to one another without distraction,” Meghan and Harry said in a joint statement shared with HuffPost at the time.
“With the challenges of 2020, there has never been a more important time to do so, because when we hear each other, and hear each other’s stories, we are reminded of how interconnected we all are.”
Just two weeks after the deal was announced, the couple released a 2020 holiday podcast. The special featured interviews with tennis pro Naomi Osaka, mental health campaigner Hussain Manawer, voting rights activist Stacey Abrams and more, along with a sweet cameo from their son, Archie.
Outlets have been clamoring for the release date of the first Spotify project from the couple.
Archewell Audio landed a major hire last year in podcast producer Rebecca Sananes, who previously worked for New York Magazine’s “Pivot” podcast with journalist Kara Swisher and New York University professor Scott Galloway.
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