Meghan’s first Spotify podcast to explore labels ‘that hold women back’
Meghan Markle is launching her first podcast series investigating the stereotypes that ‘try to hold women back’.
The Duchess of Sussex has finally unveiled her first Spotify series – over a year after a deal reportedly worth £18m was struck between the former actress and the streaming platform in November 2020.
Archetypes will launch this summer, hosted by Meghan who will speak to historians, experts and woman who have experienced being typecast.
In a trailer of the Archewell Audio project released on Thursday, audio clips of derogatory comments are played to the backdrop of dramatic music.
A voice over from Meghan says: ‘This is how we talk about women: the words that raise our girls, and how the media reflects women back to us… but where do these stereotypes come from?
‘And how do they keep showing up and defining our lives?’
The duchess adds: ‘This is Archetypes – the podcast where we dissect, explore, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back.
‘I’ll have conversations with women who know all too well how these typecasts shape our narratives.
‘And I’ll talk to historians to understand how we even got here in the first place.’
The announcement comes after Meghan and Prince Harry raised concerns about Covid-19 misinformation on Spotify.
The couple signed a lucrative deal with the audio streaming giant to host and produce podcasts, estimated to be worth around 25 million US dollars (£18 million), in late 2020.
But they had only released one show so far – a holiday special featuring their son Archie and celebrity guests.
Meghan had previously been joined by other prominent figures in urging a boycott of ‘misinformation’ spread by podcast host Joe Rogan.
His controversial series The Joe Rogan Experience was Spotify’s most popular series last year, with an estimated 11 million listeners per episode.
Neil Young reportedly offered Spotify an ultimatum to remove either his work or Rogan’s, which has been known to air vaccine-sceptical views.
Last week, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan confirmed that Archewell Audio would be resuming production with Spotify after briefly pausing following the information row.
The representative added that the couple have been working directly with the company to promote a safer, well-sourced audio landscape with more reliable and accurate information.
However, no details were given on what Meghan’s podcast might be about.
In a fresh statement today, Spotify said the duchess plans to uncover the origin of ‘the common stereotypes that have historically generalized women through the lens of popular culture and media’.
Spotify and Archewell Audio said on Thursday: ‘Spotify and Archewell Audio both value responsible stewardship of the audio landscape, and as explained recently, are committed to working closely to support transparency and strong principles of trust and safety.’
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