Making the jump to podcasting! Nearly two years after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their Archewell Audio partnership with Spotify, its inaugural podcast series finally has a launch date.
“I’m Meghan, and this is ‘Archetypes:’ the podcast where we dissect, explore, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back,” the Duchess of Sussex, 40, said in a Thursday, March 24, teaser for the new venture. “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. ‘Archetypes.’ Coming soon.”
The audio clip featured a mashup of throwback media footage, highlighting the ways women are addressed and talked about.
“This is how we talk about women: the words that raise our girls, and how the media reflects women back to us,” Meghan explained. “But where do these stereotypes come from? And how do they keep showing up and defining our lives?”
Spotify announced the production of the “groundbreaking series” in a Thursday statement, noting the Suits alum will investigate “the labels that try to hold women back.” Meghan is set to speak with historians and experts to “uncover the origin of these stereotypes and have uncensored conversations with women who know all too well how these typecasts shape narratives.”
“Archetypes” — which gets its name from Meghan’s joint Archewell foundation with her 37-year-old husband, the Duke of Sussex, and pays tribute to their son Archie’s moniker — will be the first podcast series in Spotify and Archewell Audio’s multi-year partnership.
“In partnering with Spotify, Archewell Audio has committed to producing programming that uplifts and entertains audiences around the world; spotlights diverse perspectives and voices; and builds community through shared experience, narratives, and values,” the statement for the new series read. “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.”
The California native and Harry announced their podcast venture in December 2020, months after stepping down from their roles as senior royals.
“What we love about podcasting is that it reminds all of us to take a moment and to really listen, to connect to one another without distraction,” the royal couple — who wed in May 2018 — said in a statement at the time. “With the challenges of 2020, there has never been a more important time to do so, because when we hear each other, and hear each other’s stories, we are reminded of how interconnected we all are.”
The pair — who share son Archie, 2, and daughter Lilibet, 9 months — released a holiday teaser of what to expect from their new podcasts.
“One of the things my husband and I have always talked about is our passion for meeting people and hearing their stories,” the Bench author noted in a December 2020 clip, while praising her spouse’s podcasting voice. “No matter what the story, they usually offer you an understanding of where someone else is coming from and at the same time, remind you, in some way, of a story about yourself.”
While the twosome had not released further podcasts since the 2020 trailer, they previously spoke out after the streaming service was the center of controversy. Earlier this year, several music artists — including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell — urged Spotify to remove their music catalogs amid COVID-19 misinformation that was publicized via their podcasts.
“Since the inception of Archewell, we have worked to address the real-time global misinformation crisis,” a spokesperson for the couple said in a January statement. “Hundreds of millions of people are affected by the serious harms of rampant mis- and disinformation every day.”
The statement continued: “Last April, our cofounders began expressing concerns of COVID-19 misinformation on its platform. We have continued to express our concerns to Spotify to ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public health crisis. We look to Spotify to meet this moment and are committed to continuing our work together as it does.”
Spotify has since issued content warnings for its programs that promote misinformation about the pandemic.
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