Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen team up for new Spotify podcast

FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama arrive to the 59th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2021. Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

LOS ANGELES — 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 “Renegades: Born in the U.S.A.,” is available exclusively through Spotify Technology SA’s 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 “we find our way back to a more unifying American story.” One of his friends, Obama said, “just happened to be Mr. Bruce Springsteen.”

“On the surface, Bruce and I don’t have a lot in common,” Obama added. “But over the years, what we’ve found is that we’ve 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 that’s given us both so much.”

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.