Hrishikesh Hirway: From Monikers to Podcasts to Music Under His Own Name, ep. 349
About this episode
Hrishikesh Hirway discusses his journey in music and podcasting, touching on personal themes of grief and identity.
If you have been paying attention to music circles for the past 25+ years, you will be familiar with Hrishikesh Hirway. He formerly released music under the moniker The One AM Radio and has also produced and hosted THE premiere music podcast of the 21st century (the only century with podcasts so far, so clearly we feel strongly): Song Exploder. Until recently, his name had not been front and center on any of his projects until his newest album, 'In the Last Hour of Light.' Hrishi grew up in Massachusetts the son of Indian immigrants, immersed and in love with music. After releasing music as The One AM Radio until 2011, he started the podcast Song Exploder in 2014. He's hosted and produced numerous shows and has been a crucial part of the podcasting landscape for 12 years. In our Basic Folk conversation, Hrishi expands on the power of grief after his mother died and how his came gradually because of her long illness. He spoke of his name and what it's felt like to reclaim it in a public space in 2026 versus 1999, and he gives a little shout out to Obama. He gets into his feelings about his speaking voice and the person who likes it the most (his wife). We also hear from Hrishi…
People in this episode
Host: Basic Folk
Guest: Hrishikesh Hirway
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The One AM Radio, Song Exploder
Books & works: In the Last Hour of Light
Places: Massachusetts
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