Audible Hits a New Creative High Note with Original Music Series, “Origins”

Audible today announced a new original series that furthers their dedication to music storytelling and compliments their acclaimed Words + Music catalog, which now features over thirty volumes. Produced by Fresh Produce Media, Origins is an eight-part audio experience featuring boundary-breaking musicians in their most intimate form as they interpret the question, “Where are you from?” Each episode brings listeners closer to the moments that shaped some of today’s most notable artists through a mix of spoken narrative, immersive sound design, and original music performances. All eight installments of Origins will be available November 17 on Audible.

The line-up of artists that will be featured in the debut season of Origins includes Academy and multi-Grammy Award winner Billie Eilish, Grammy winner Doja Cat, Latin Grammy-winning artist Camilo, the youngest recipient of the Best Reggae Album Grammy award, Koffee, emerging audio-visual artist and rap pioneer Tobe Nwigwe, Grammy Award-winning producer, filmmaker, composer and rapper Flying Lotus, pop sensation King Princess and Grammy-nominated country music star Mickey Guyton.

“Audible has been fortunate to work with some of the most beloved and iconic musicians of our time through our ‘Words + Music’ series – one that focuses on the work of immensely talented artists and their incredible and varied impacts musically and personally, and has struck a chord with Audible listeners,” said Rachel Ghiazza, Executive Vice President, Head of US Content at Audible. “As we continue to dive head first into our expanding music vertical, we are thrilled to introduce Origins, a transcendent audio experience. This series breaks down the barrier between artist and human, as we get up close and personal with these remarkable contemporary musicians and find the source of each of their creative drives.”

In reflecting on her own origin story and where it has led her, Billie Eilish said, "It was so weird to me when I was first coming up and, and the thing everybody said was, like, ‘Billie Eilish's music is so depressing and it's so sad and it's too dark,’ and I was like, ‘What are you talking about? Have you listened to The Beatles and As My Guitar Gently Weeps, and Yesterday and Lana Del Rey? Like, what the hell?’ It was so surprising to me that people thought anything I was creating was dark. I mean, it's real.”

Doja Cat said, "I've always tried to bring my fans into my world. I am more interested in being myself than what others want me to be. I want people to get a real understanding of who I am, and I think Origins will help them do that."

The award-winning musicians bringing Origins to life join an extensive list of artists spanning genre and generation that have collaborated with Audible for their innovative ‘Words + Music’ originals including John Legend, Pete Townshend, Beck, Chuck D, Liz Phair, Eddie Vedder, Sharon Van Etten, Alice Cooper, Elvis Costello, Laura Jane Grace, Santana, Rhiannon Giddens, Tenacious D, Tariq Trotter, Gary Clark Jr., Sleater-Kinney, Steve Earle, Billie Joe Armstrong, Yo-Yo Ma, Sting, Jonathan Biss, Smokey Robinson, Rufus Wainwright, Alanis Morissette, T Bone Burnett, Sheryl Crow, Tom Morello, St. Vincent, Common, James Taylor and Patti Smith.

For more information on Origins, please visit audible.com/Origins

ORIGINS EPISODE LOGLINES:

• Billie Eilish challenges origin, resists definition, and rejects the very idea that who she was yesterday is who she has to be tomorrow.
• Doja Cat rediscovers her origin through a process of reinvention.
• Camilo lives and breathes origin, not only as the source of everything he has ever known, but also as his most inspiring teacher.
• Koffee reflects on the importance of trusting instinct and her love of the island that nurtured her creativity.
• Tobe Nwigwe, whose origins have led him far from his initial ambitions, recalls the path that led him to his true calling.
• Flying Lotus looks at origin through the lens of loss and longing to consider if the most powerful lessons are those that encourage us to return to the simplest version of our story.
• King Princess takes on origin in the frame of identity, a place where we are formed, informed, and then transformed.
• Mickey Guyton, whose story is full of triumph in the face of rejection, unpacks origin with survival as her only point of reference.

About Fresh Produce Media

Fresh Produce Media is a talent-driven audio entertainment company founded to meet the moment, as new and diverse opportunities for innovation and audiences shape what narrative audio content can be. From historical fiction and documentaries to sports and music-focused stories, Fresh Produce’s roster of series brings a range of genres - and a consistency of quality - that sets it apart.

Founder Jason Ross built his career in different mediums of audio (from recording and touring, to music live streaming, and starting and successfully exiting a music-focused creative agency) before coming full-circle with Fresh Produce and narrative audio.

Combining his penchant for identifying the next big thing and diving head-first into emerging industries with his audio know-how and passion for storytelling, Ross recruited a team of founding partners to propel narrative audio into the mainstream.

Colin Moore built a career developing great stories and finding the best means of telling them; Maureen Traynor brings cutting-edge understanding of the intersection of audio content and emerging commercial models honed over a career at Spotify; and Joe Killian has spent his Emmy-winning career at the highest levels of music and entertainment finding new ways to identify and shape cultural trends and moments.