Alanis Morissette fought tooth and nail for a career in a male-dominated industry. She explains how writing her hit song You Oughta Know helped her work through issues of depression, anger and disillusionment.

Robyn is the queen of reinvention. From an overworked prodigy to a seasoned pop giant, she redefined what success could mean for female popstars. She discusses her song With Every Heartbeat and her well-earned artistic freedom.

Not every R&B album draws comparison to the Beatles’ Sgt. Peppers, but Thundercat’s charm and appeal defies genre. In this episode, he breaks down his song Dragonball Durag and the universal power of humor.

Singer and cellist Kelsey Lu revels in change. In this episode, she walks through the creation of her newest song, the importance of embracing growth and the singular joy of surprising yourself.

Run The Jewels boasts one of the most prolific partnerships in rap. Killer Mike and EI-P reflect on a key touchstone in their origin story, A Christmas F***ing Miracle, and how they learned the art of vulnerability.

Patti Smith made a career by staying true to herself and her art, especially in the face of backlash. In this episode, the ‘punk poet laureate’ explains why her song Pissing In The River is the perfect case study.

The driving force behind Rapsody’s creativity has always been championing Black women. She shares how her song Afeni, the ultimate love letter to Black women, represents the culmination of her artistic vision.

Art is a powerful tool – it can bridge connections, provide catharsis and even make you cry. No one knows this better than Joe Talbot. In this episode, he shares how writing his song 1049 Gotho was an exercise in empathy.

David Byrne, former Talking Heads frontman, found his voice by venturing outside his comfort zone. He shares how a love of Latin music led to his genre-breaking song, Loco de Amor, and his own personal musical liberation.

From concepting to songwriting, making something new isn’t always straightforward. Host Shirley Manson and acclaimed musicians take stock of the moment in their careers that solidified their artistic identity.

Few people can make, or take, a hit like Liz Phair. Confident and true to herself, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who changed the stage for a generation of women like Liz. 6’1” was just the beginning.

Shirley visits Laura Jane Grace at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles during the 10 year anniversary of her song, I Was A Teenage Anarchist. A decade later, it’s core message is still true for Laura, but in a totally new context.

Open Mike Eagle’s song, Qualifiers, is made up of the uplifting and humbling moments from his life. Nothing is off the table. He explains the spectrum of interests that inspire him, and what it means to be an independent rapper.

Brazen, female, a bit saucy, and self-aware, Angel Olsen tells the whole truth of how it feels to write the breakaway song Shut Up Kiss Me, when the stars align and the fans take hold.

Peaches created a whole new sound when she picked up her drum machine and wrote one of the most iconic needle-drops in pop culture history. She is empowering, unpredictable, and electric. The same is true for F*** the Pain Away. 

Juliette Lewis prioritizes art above all else and has dedicated herself to making music full of magic and fiery spirit. She explains what it is to be a Hard Lovin’ Woman, as well as the agony and the ecstasy of songwriting.

DJ Shadow created a category of his own. A champion of his genre, and a “pure of heart” music lover, he discusses exactly how he was able to create Six Days and the dedication it takes to work alone.

Alabama Shakes frontwoman, Brittany Howard, shook the world with her voice. She explains the changes that come with success, writing Sound & Color, and how she prevents those changes from taking away from her love of making music.

Through Sigur Ros, Jonsi showed the world his unique voice and transcendent music. Many have said that his song Svefn-g-englar inspired tears, despite the lyrics being indecipherable. Hear now why this song makes Jonsi laugh.

Matt Berninger leads us backstage, discussing the creation of Fake Empire, how The National survived the early 2000’s New York City rock scene, and what it means to get lucky in the evolving landscape of the music business.

Sharon Van Etten is always learning and evolving. In this episode, she speaks on Love More, a vulnerable and heart-breaking song about a friendship that saved her life; and the ways that her life has changed since recording it. 

George Clinton is an incomparable legend. With his musical identity forever linked with his style, George’s history, mantras, and the future of funkadelic are all on the table when discussing the political groove, Chocolate City.

Get ready, The Jump’s second season is coming soon. All new episodes available on August 11th

This week Neko Case joins Shirley from backstage on her first night of tour, to talk about the isolation of growing up under thick cloud layer of the Pacific Northwest, finding family on the road and the importance of Ukrainian Folklore, including the character that inspired her song The Fox Confessor Brings the Flood.

Dave Macklovitch - AKA Dave 1 - has a very cerebral take on creating music...which makes sense considering he’s a PHD candidate in French Literature at Columbia University.  This week the ever stylish Dave 1 sits down with Shirley to talk about devouring music biographies,  the toll the life of a rock and roll star can take on a person’s mental health and the exact right lab settings that gave birth to what Dave considers the quintessential Chromeo song: 100%.

This week Shirley sits down with Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to talk about what it’s like to perform in front of unimaginably large crowds when you’re the shyest person you know, and the emotional video shoot for what would become a career-defining hit: Maps.

This week Courtney Love joins Shirley in the studio to talk about what’s behind the song Boys on the Radio, what it’s like to have to tend to such an important legacy and what goes into the making of a great record.

This week, the electrifying Esperanza Spalding tells Shirley why she rejects the myth of overnight success and how people’s perceptions of Veruca Salt’s character in Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory are misguided.

This week Big Boi joins us from the world famous Stankonia Studios, to talk about his constant hunger for music, the importance of family, and the inspiration that Git Up, Git Out provided not only himself, but the entire Dungeon Family crew.

At 25, Mike Hadreas wrote his first song, Learning. It’s a delicate and beautiful, haunting piece of music; but for Mike, the vulnerability it unearthed became his superpower. This week Mike sits down with Shirley to talk about what led him to music, the strength he derives from writing and performing, the song that started it all.

Introducing The Jump, a new podcast from Mailchimp. Coming to a podcast provider near you on June 24th.