Bastille’s Dan Smith and academic Emma Nagouse have announced a new podcast series, ‘Muses: An Ampersand Podcast’, which explores the historical figures behind Smith’s upcoming album ‘&’.
The podcast, which launched on 18th September, features Smith and Nagouse discussing the stories that inspired the tracks on ‘&’, set for release on 25th October. Each of the twelve episodes focuses on a different song from the album, delving into the lives of historical, mythological, and pop culture figures.
Smith explains the collaboration’s origins: “When starting the Ampersand album project, I reached out to Emma for suggestions of lesser-known figures from the past, and some of those ideas became songs. What began as me annoying Emma over Twitter became an exchange of ideas and stories across different mediums and disciplines.”
The series will feature discussions on various historical figures, including Eve, Narcissus, Emily Dickinson, and Edvard Munch, with future episodes set to cover personalities such as Pirate Queen Zheng Yi Sao, Leonard Cohen, and Oscar Wilde.
Nagouse, known for her work on BBC Radio 4’s ‘You’re Dead to Me’ and BBC Sounds’ ‘Homeschool History’, brings her academic expertise to the podcast. The duo explore how these figures have been represented in popular culture and discuss Smith’s process of transforming their stories into songs.
‘Muses: An Ampersand Podcast’ also promises guest appearances from expert academics, musicians, and producers. As the series progresses, Smith will write new songs based on historical figures and moments chosen by Nagouse.
The first four episodes of ‘Muses: An Ampersand Podcast’ are scheduled as follows:
SEPTEMBER
18 Eve
25 Narcissus
OCTOBER
2 Emily Dickinson
9 Edvard Munch
Listeners can find the podcast on major streaming platforms, with new episodes released weekly.
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