Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen team up for unlikely project

Barack Obama has teamed up with Bruce Springsteen for an unlikely project which gets them both into a recording studio.

The former President, who launched a production company called Higher Ground, following his US presidency, with his wife Michelle and now he is set to show off his skills.

Mr. Obama has followed in the footsteps of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex who signed a podcast deal with Spotify at the end of 2020, as he teams up with rocker Bruce to launch "Renegades: Born in the USA" podcast.

The unlikely podcasting pair open up on more personal topics such as fatherhood, marriage, and the state of America, Spotify told CBS news. And Mr. Obama has since shared a behind-the-scenes video from the recording with his followers on Instagram.

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The statement reads, "President Obama and Bruce Springsteen have formed a deep friendship since they first met on the campaign trail in 2008. Now, for the first time ever, Higher Ground and Spotify invite listeners to eavesdrop as they discuss their hometowns and role models, explore modern manhood, and confront the painfully divided state of America today and how we can all move forward together."

In the first of two episodes, titled "Outsiders: An Unlikely Friendship." Mr. Obama reflects on the strife caused by the coronavirus pandemic and racial injustice in America and talked about how the country can "find our way back to a more unifying story."

Mr. Obama said, "That topic came to dominate so many of my conversations last year, with Michelle, with my daughters, and with my friends. And one of those friends just happens to be Mr. Bruce Springsteen."

The podcast comes after Mr. Obama posted the sweetest birthday message to his wife.

And if you're wondering what else Bruce - a rock star from New Jersey - and Obama - a lawyer and a politician from Hawaii - have in common, it turns out they have a fair bit.

"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," Obama explained.

And it looks like fans will be in for a treat as they recorded the eight-episode podcast over a few days holed up in a converted farmhouse on Springsteen's property.

One of the first topics they touch on is why they felt like outsiders as kids. 

Mr. Obama said, "Not surprisingly, the conversation then shifted to what has been the central dilemma of America since its founding: the issue of race."

The second episode, American Skin: Race in the United States, which has also dropped, is a 42-minute episode in which Spotify says they "reflect on their early experiences with race and racism and the uncomfortable conversations we need to have." 

Before going on to recall Springsteen's "integrated" E Street Band and the central importance of the late saxophonist Clarence Clemons. 

This is Higher Ground's second original podcast available exclusively on Spotify, following "The Michelle Obama Podcast."