Mavis Staples, Yola to Kick Off New Spotify Show ‘Duet’

Musicians and celebrities will discuss songs that are meaningful to them on Duet, a new Spotify show launching Thursday.

As part of Spotify’s Music + Talk, each pairing will choose songs based on a theme interwoven throughout every episode. Mavis Staples and Yola will kick off the first episode by sharing songs for difficult times, while the second episode features Nick Kroll and Ayo Edebiri on songs to calm an anxious mind. Later episodes include Big Freedia and RuPaul’s Drag Race star Shangela highlighting songs from pivotal moments, as well as John Darnielle and Jack Antonoff on songs that exorcise pain.

The series is a collaboration between Spotify and Gimlet. Episodes will be released each Thursday, and are hosted by Matthew Boll. “The Duet team and I wanted to explore music’s unique ability to tether you to a time and place, and to connect you to the people in your life,” Boll said in a statement.

Spotify concluded 2020 by having Dolly Parton join their podcast For the Record, as well as curating a playlist of holiday songs by Julien Baker, Black Pumas, Ruston Kelly, Dashboard Confessional, and others. In December, the streaming service donated $500,000 to struggling indie music venues amid the Covid-19 pandemic.