Trump fired him, but Preet Bharara is still defending the country he loves
Long before he became the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara was a first-generation Indian immigrant, listening to Bollywood music in his childhood home outside of Asbury Park, New Jersey. It’s no surprise that Bruce Springsteen became one of Preet’s heroes – though it was a surprise when ‘The Boss’ gave Preet a personal shoutout at a 2012 concert.
In this episode, Preet talks about his work fighting Wall Street corruption and organized crime, how his family’s American dream unfolded across decades, and his unashamed patriotism in an era when expressing love for America can feel complicated. Plus, Sophie (almost) gets the former prosecutor to sing along to one of their shared seven songs. Here are his songs.
Bruce Springsteen, “Thunder Road”
Kishore Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor, and Shailendra Singh, “Amar Akbar Anthony”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”
U2, “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For”
Daniel Rodriguez, “God Bless America”
Darius Rucker, “Wagon Wheel”
Zeshan B, “O Say, Can You See”
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How actress Pepi Sonuga keeps the faith, even when Hollywood says 'We don't need you'
Pepi Sonuga always knew she would become a performer. Even as a little girl in Lagos, Nigeria, watching “Barney” tapes that her flight attendant mother brought home, Pepi felt certain that someday, she’d be the one onscreen. That childhood conviction helped Pepi survive the culture shock of moving to Los Angeles at age 10, teen bullying, and years of grinding in an industry that tried to tell her, over and over, that she was replaceable.
With her star now on the rise – with roles in Tyler Perry’s “The Six Triple Eight” and Hulu’s “Pam & Tommy” – Pepi joins Sophie to reflect on her journey so far, the songs that defined her girlhood, and her ultimate dream: to lift up the country she came from and “the little girl just like me who deserves everything she dreams about, too.” Here are her songs.
"I Wanna Be a Rockstar" – Barney
"You Gotta Be" – Des’ree
"This Is What Makes Us Girls" – Lana Del Rey
"The Only Exception" – Paramore
"Dreamer" – Charli XCX
"Ready" – Tems
"Ojuelegba" – Wizkid
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Drag queen and activist Peppermint finds joy even when there’s ‘no tears left to cry’
Miss Peppermint wears a lot of hats (and wigs): drag queen, first openly trans woman on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Broadway actress, Traitors contestant – and through it all, vocal trans rights activist.
She’s also hilarious, fabulous, and unapologetically herself.
In this episode, Peppermint dishes on her early queer icons (think Prince and Amadeus), the danger and drama of the ’90s NYC nightclub scene – and why she’s always wanted to be anything but “basic and predictable.” Here are her songs.
Prince - 7
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Symphony No. 35 in D Major, K. 385 “Haffner”
Lenny Kravitz - Believe
Bush - Glycerine
Deborah Cox - Nobody's Supposed To Be Here
Stars On 54 - If You Could Read My Mind
Ariana Grande - no tears left to cry
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How music taught culture critic Sam Sanders to be grateful for his grief
As the host and creator of numerous hit culture podcasts, Sam Sanders is known for having a finger on the pulse of pop culture. But growing up strictly Pentecostal in Texas, non-religious music was forbidden – so Sam got resourceful, smuggling CDs into the house in his underwear and watching MTV in secret.
At 18 years old, just as he was getting ready to leave for Stanford, Sam’s life was turned upside down. Both of his parents suffered major health crises in the span of a few months, resulting in Sam becoming their caregiver. Years later, Sam would face another devastating double-whammy with the death of his mother followed a month later by a crushing breakup.
In this episode, Sam opens up about the music that carried him through – from Janet Jackson videos to soaring gospel tunes to revenge-fueled breakup anthems – and why today, he’s savoring the freedom he’s been chasing his whole life. Here are his songs.
Janet Jackson, “Love Will Never Do (Without You)”
Stevie Wonder, "Don't You Worry ‘Bout A Thing"
Richard Smallwood, "Total Praise"
John Mayer, “Stop This Train"
Labelle, "Isn't It a Shame"
Caroline Rose, “The Kiss”
Fleetwood Mac, “Silver Springs”
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From the South Bronx to Sesame Street: How Sonia Manzano made Maria a Latina icon
Sonia Manzano knows you think of her as Maria on Sesame Street – and that’s exactly the point. Growing up in the South Bronx in a household “ruled by domestic violence,” TV was Sonia’s refuge as a child – but she never saw anyone who looked like her.
Years later, when she landed the role of Maria on Sesame Street, Sonia made a choice. She wouldn’t play a character; she would be herself – on purpose. For 44 years, she served as an authentic and beloved role model for millions of kids. More recently, she’s created another iconic Latina heroine through the animated children’s show Alma’s Way — this one inspired by her childhood self.
In this episode, Sonia reflects on growing up “at a time when Latin people were absolutely invisible,” the power of seeing yourself reflected in pop culture, and the music that accompanied her journey. Here are her songs.
Numero 6 - Bobby Rodríguez y la Compañía
Lamento Borincano - Rafael Hernandez
When You Wish Upon A Star sung by Jiminy Cricket [aka Cliff Edwards]
Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes
I Wish I Knew How It Feels to Be Free - Nina Simone
Bang! Bang! - Joe Cuba Sextet
Sing - Joe Raposo, cast of Sesame Street
What songs tell your life story? Host Sophie Bearman asks this question of some of the world’s most fascinating people. Through seven songs, guests reveal the milestones—and the music—that have shaped their lives. New episodes every Tuesday.
USA