Interviewing artists on their lives and creative processes, this podcast consists of genuine conversations and therapeutic moments.
The Zane Lowe Interview Series is a must listen for lovers of popular music. This podcast, which is from Apple Music, features new episodes weekly where Lowe interviews a variety of some of the world’s biggest musical artists, ranging from Brandi Carlile to Lil Nas X, from Taylor Swift to The Who.
The interviews, which last anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour, span a variety of topics. Often, artists join Lowe whenever they have a new album to promote. Over the course of the interview, musicians discuss their creative process, how they produced their newest albums, and their opinions on some of life‘s biggest questions. As a New York Times article put it, Lowe has taken on the role of a therapist for both the artists as well as the listeners. Sometimes, the reviews can be lighter in nature, but the conversation is always genuine.
I love listening to episodes that feature my favorite artists. These candid conversations go deeper than a radio or TV interview, allowing fans to better understand an artist’s intention and inspiration behind an album. An interview with Lady Gaga about her most recent album, “Chromatica,” comes to mind. Through her conversation with Lowe, I found myself more appreciative of this next stage in her career after hearing about how she overcame struggles with addiction and mental health over the last few years.
Sometimes, I also discover artists that I never listened to before prior to hearing their interview. The interview becomes a jumping point for me to dive into their music. It is an interesting way of discovering an artist in a world where we hear so many songs, but often don’t take the time to dive deeper into the behind-the-scenes aspects of a single or album.
The episode that featured Jon Batiste was an instance in which I hadn’t really listened to his music before but I loved everything that he covered over the course of his interview. It makes the music so much better.
Some of my personal favorite episodes as of late include the most recent interview Lowe has done with Halsey. It was so interesting to hear them talk about their experience of womanhood and what it means to be a mother. I am a big fan of Taylor Swift, so I love listening to her describe her writing process for her most recent album, “evermore.”
This podcast might also be especially valuable for those who are aspiring singer-songwriters or even just creators in general. I find it helpful to listen to creative people talk about their work and how their projects change with each of the different stages of producing albums.
Besides getting to hear some of my favorite artists talk about their work, I’ve grown to appreciate Lowe as an interviewer. He is incredibly genuine and you can tell that he loves and truly appreciates music. He treats every artist, regardless of status, with the utmost respect for their work.
All of these factors come together to make this podcast one of my favorites. I love how the interviews move beyond simply talking about the albums. The artists aren’t afraid to get vulnerable. It makes for such an insightful and enjoyable podcast.
This podcast is available on all streaming platforms.
