Good food, good conversation, and amazing music. Is there anything better?
That's what was served up last week in London at our annual Spotify Supper, which included a live performance by Olivia Dean, our EQUAL UK & Ireland ambassador and recent Mercury Prize nominee.
Spotify Supper began in 2016 as a way to bring together executives with advertising and publishing partners for an evening to remember. The dinners have become a much-anticipated staple of our brand, and the latest, held in London, was no exception. Guests were treated to a multisensory experience with Blend -inspired cocktails and enjoyed desserts from the Soft Serve Society that took a cue from our Sonic Science research.
The evening kicked off with a panel session featuring Goalhanger Podcasts -part of the Spotify Audience Network-with football legends Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer, who discussed their new podcast, The Rest is Football, alongside The Rest is Money host Robert Peston.
After dinner, guests were treated to more than dessert when Olivia Dean took center stage and delivered a stunning performance full of hits from her debut album, Messy.
For the Record had a chance to sit down with guests Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer to talk about their favorite dishes to cook and the sage advice they have for the next generation of podcasters.
What's your favorite dinner recipe? Gary Linekar: I have a lot of favorites because I cook all the time. I probably make the most of Gambas al Ajillo, which is basically prawns and garlic. I used to love it when I played for FC Barcelona years ago.
Alan Shearer: As I'm not a chef like Gary, someone would have to cook it, but I love a nice bit of healthy fish.
What's your favorite tracker podcast to listen to while you're cooking dinner? Gary: My favorite podcast to listen to aside from our own would probably be one of our others, which is The Rest is Politics, because it's a subject I'm really very interested in.
Alan: It would have to be The Therapy Crouch with Peter and Abbey Crouch. Those two are great fun as hosts and tell it how it is.
What advice do you have for aspiring podcasters? Gary: My advice is that if you're thinking about making a podcast and you've considered it for a long time, just do it. The great thing about podcasts is you don't need to get a commission. Just get that microphone and try it. You never know, it might be fun.
A night out with Olivia Dean For the Record also chatted with Olivia Dean about her music career, feelings on being nominated for a Mercury Music Prize, and her thoughts on the word messy
Tell us a bit about your musical journey. I started singing when I was eight years old. I remember watching CBeebies and seeing someone sing and thinking, That could be me. Back then I couldn't sing and was very shy, but I started doing musical theater classes and just kept pushing down that path. Now I have my debut album out, so it's going quite well, I think!
Who are some of your musical role models? I love female songwriters and voices. Aretha Franklin, Amy Winehouse, Carole King . . . I could go on forever. Ms. Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, Andy Stone . . . I love all of those people.
What's been your biggest hurdle in your musical journey? Believing in myself. During the process of making Messy, I learned a lot about myself and how to build that self-confidence. There was a moment in that span where I was writing such big music and I felt almost scared. But once I got past that and tried to expel the external voices and worries about what people would think about my music, then I started making good music that I was proud of.
What's been some of your favorite career highlights? Playing Glastonbury this year. I've wanted to do it since the very beginning. I performed three of the nights and I got to meet Elton John. It was one of the best moments of my life.
Now that your debut album has been released, what message do you hope your fans get out of it? For the album, my goal was to reverse the meaning of the word messy. I think it's been a word with a lot of negative associations, but it's really a beautiful part of life. To be imperfect and sitting within imperfection is where you find all of life's new and exciting things. So I hope people feel accepted and warm and that even though life may be chaotic at times, that's okay.
How did it feel to have Messy nominated for a Mercury Prize? I know that we shouldn't let awards validate us so much because I think it's important to feel it within, but that one specifically meant a lot to me. I cried a lot when I found out because even being nominated is very important. I feel very proud of myself.
Throw away the napkin and get Messy with Olivia Dean's debut album now.
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Good food, good conversation, and amazing music. Is there anything better?
