Former U.S. President Barack Obama and rock music legend Bruce Springsteen debuted a new podcast on Monday where the pair discuss topics ranging from fatherhood and marriage to race and the state of America.
The eight-episode series, called āRenegades: Born in the U.S.A.,ā is available exclusively through Spotify Technology SAās music streaming service. The first two episodes were released on Monday.
In the introduction to episode one, Obama said he and his family and friends had been discussing divisions in the United States and how āwe find our way back to a more unifying American story.ā One of his friends, Obama said, ājust happened to be Mr. Bruce Springsteen.ā
āOn the surface, Bruce and I donāt have a lot in common,ā Obama added. āBut over the years, what weāve found is that weāve 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 thatās given us both so much.ā
The podcast was unveiled as Spotify announced it would launch in 85 new markets in the next few days, making the service available to more than 1 billion people around the world.
Spotify offers more than 2.2 million podcasts alongside its music library, including one hosted by Michelle Obama.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine, Editing by Rosalba OāBrien)