A Deeper Listen

Apr 08 2025 538 ep. 19 mins 427
A Deeper Listen Podcast artwork

On A Deeper Listen, host Emily Fox and other storytellers from KEXP talk with artists about the stories behind their songs and the experiences that inform their work. Through each conversation, we uncover the humanity behind the music, allowing us to hear it in a whole new way.

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Spotify and The Costs of the Perfect Playlist

Apr 08 2025 44 mins  
Liz Pelly, author of Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist talks through the many practices at Spotify over the years that have impacted independent musicians-- from outsourcing stock music Spotify pays a lower royalty rate for and flooding Spotify's in-house playlists with that stock music, to paying artists a 30% lower royalty rate in exchange fo

Lucy Dacus on Love and Stillness

Apr 01 2025 26 mins  
Songwriter Lucy Dacus talks about her new album, Forever Is A Feeling. In conversation with Emily Fox, she discusses everything from love, lyricism, and making conscious decisions to step away from boygenius and her solo work to find balance and stillness. She also breaks down some of her favorite songs and lyrical moments on the new record. “I keep saying this, how

La Fonda Quit Corporate Day Jobs For Band & Vintage Shop

Mar 25 2025 20 mins  
Valerie and Veronica Tapacio left their corporate day jobs to dedicate their time to their Seattle band, La Fonda and their vintage clothing shop, Delusional Bird, which is named after one of their songs. Last year was the first year they made more money doing music and running their business than they did at their 8-5 desk jobs. The sisters talk about how their father’s deta

Lupe Flores: Rock Drummer, Budding Restauranteur

Mar 18 2025 18 mins  
For years, Lupe Flores was primarily known as the drummer for a number of Seattle rock bands, including Wild Powwers. But as something to do to keep herself sane during pandemic lockdown, she reconnected with a childhood tradition. “I feel like a lot of musicians are like, 'Oh, I sang whatever in church' or 'My parents always had music,’” Flores says. “There

TOKiMONSTA Moves Through Grief

Mar 11 2025 27 mins  
Los Angeles-based DJ and producer, TOKiMONSTA is out with a new album called Eternal Reverie. The album was written while TOKiMONSTA’s best friend was diagnosed with cancer and ultimately passed away a few months later. TOKiMONSTA talks about how her friend informed this latest record, why it was important to delay this record and cancel her initial tour to be with her f

How Big Tech Inspired Marie Davidson’s New Album

Mar 04 2025 26 mins  
Montreal-based electronic artist Marie Davidson is concerned about the rise of big tech and intrusion of privacy. In this episode, host Emily Fox talks with Davidson about her latest album City of Clowns, how these themes show up on the record, and the inspiration it took from Shoshana Zuboff’s book The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. “I would say that I don't

Youth Lagoon: “I’m against nostalgia. I view that as a prison.”

Feb 25 2025 21 mins  
Trevor Powers of Youth Lagoon talks about how rediscovering home videos inspired his latest album, Rarely Do I Dream. He also discusses songwriting, meditation, and about a health crisis that gave him new life.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bonus: A Review of Neko Case’s Memoir

Feb 22 2025 8 mins  
Neko Case recently put out a memoir called “The Harder I Fight the More I Love You.” It’s a story largely about neglect and abandonment. KEXP's Emily Fox reviews the book and shares her personal connection to Neko Case. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bartees Strange on ‘Horror’ and Overcoming his Fears

Feb 18 2025 29 mins  
Bartees Strange talks with Emily Fox about his album, Horror. He talks about how his parents raised him on scary stories to showcase the fear and issues of being black in America, what his opera singing mother taught him about being a black performer in mostly white spaces, and how he’s feeling more comfortable, more empowered and more himself than ever through the process of

Oakland’s Flung Listens to the Hum of the World

Feb 11 2025 22 mins  
Flung is the moniker of Seattle-raised and Oakland-based multi-instrumentalist Kashika Kollaikal. Her 2024 album, 'All Heartbeat,' is the result of listening deeply to her surroundings, tuning into what she calls the “hum of the world.”Kollaikal joins KEXP’s Isabel Khalili to talk about her approach to the record and how she finds inspiration in her physical envir