Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Canada's Own Rupi Kaur Curates the Latest Edition of Local Spot, Revealing the Songs and Artists That Shaped Her

11/03/2025

For many people, music can serve as a reflection of their roots and upbringing. With Spotify's playlist series Local Spot, celebrated Canadians are given a cool, eclectic space to introduce fans to their favorite Canadian artists.

Featuring all-Canadian music curation, Local Spot offers global audiences a glimpse into the unique music tastes of the country's celebrated figures. For our latest edition of Local Spot, poet, artist, and performer Rupi Kaur takes over as our featured curator.

A breakout literary phenomenon and number-one New York Times bestselling author, Rupi wrote, illustrated, and self-published her first poetry collection, milk and honey, in 2014, followed by the sun and her flowers, home body, and healing through words. Together, these collections have sold more than 12 million copies and have been translated into more than 40 languages.

Rupi has also made her mark in film and television, producing a first-of-its-kind poetry special, Rupi Kaur Live, the film This Place, and the 2024 Academy Award-nominated film To Kill a Tiger.

For her contribution to Local Spot, Rupi takes listeners on a journey through the songs and artists who inspire her, including Shawn Mendes, Charlotte Day Wilson, The Weeknd, Avril Lavigne, Daniel Caesar, KAYTRANADA, and Celine Dion. Ahead of the playlist's release, For the Record sat down with Rupi to talk about her experience curating Local Spot, her influences and creative process, and how growing up in Canada has shaped her.

Talk to us about curating Local Spot. It was so much fun to revisit some of my favorite tracks from the last 15 years or so. I actually felt very at home listening to them and was moved to write.

In one sentence, how would you describe your playlist? The songs that raised and healed me.

What does your Canadian identity mean to you? As an immigrant, I have always felt like Canada is a place of inclusivity and hope. I have always existed between two worlds-my parents' homeland and the one we built here. That duality is in everything I write. Now, as I travel the world, I'm often reminded of how much the diversity of Canada has contributed to my art.

Who are some of your favorite Canadian authors and music artists? Canadian writers I have deep love for include Michael Ondaatje, Lawrence Hill, Alice Munro. My favorite Canadian music artists are Charlotte Cardin, Charlotte Day Wilson, and The Weeknd.

What's your writing process like? Writing is a conversation with myself. It starts with a feeling-something stirring deep in my gut. I sit with it and let it rise to the surface. My best ideas come when I give them space. They visit in the quiet moments-long walks, in the middle of a conversation, or right before I fall asleep.

How do you incorporate listening to music into that process? Music sets the tone and pulls me back into memories of the past or hopes for the future. Sometimes I need silence-to hear the rhythm of the poem itself. But oftentimes I use music to set the mood.

Do you think there's a crossover between music and literature? Absolutely. Both are rhythmic. Both tell stories. A poem is a song stripped of its melody, and a song is a poem brought to life through sound. Before he started his career as a musician, Leonard Cohen was a poet and novelist. That's just one of many examples that showcase that there's so much natural crossover between the crafts.

What writer or music artist has had the biggest influence on you? Khalil Gibran taught me about duality. Audre Lorde and Bell Hooks taught me about power. In music, I return to Nina Simone, Florence Welch, and the haunting melodies of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Your books milk and honey, the sun and her flowers, and homebody touch on love, loss, trauma, and healing. Is listening to music, podcasts, or audiobooks part of a healthy routine for you? Music, podcasts, books are all part of my healing. Some days, I need a song that holds me. Other days, I need words that remind me I am not alone.

What does it mean to you to know that your fans get to hear you read your works on the audiobook versions of your books? I write my poetry with sound in mind-the way the words flow, the rhythm of each line. Hearing me read it aloud brings that element to life. For a reader, poetry is personal and they interpret it through their own lens. For a listener, they hear it the way it was meant to be spoken.

What's your earliest memory of stories being read aloud to you? My father's voice. He would sit with me and recite Punjabi poetry, letting the words dance in the air between us. He taught me that poetry is meant to be felt, not just understood.

Press play to listen to Rupi's collection of Canadian gems in the latest edition of Local Spot:
LINK: https://newsroom.spotify.com/2025-03-11/rupi-kaur-canada-local-spot-pl...
See more stories from spotify

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

09/10/2026

Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026

September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026 New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

24/09/2026

Manifold Technologies Appoints Ryhaan Williams as CCO for North America

Manifold Technologies Appoints Ryhaan Williams as CCO for North America Brie Clayton September 24, 2026 0 Comments Brings three decades of broadcast e...

24/09/2026

UNIFACHA Expands Educational Program with DaVinci Resolve Studio

UNIFACHA Expands Educational Program with DaVinci Resolve Studio Brie Clayton September 24, 2026 0 Comments Brazilian university empowers next generat...

24/09/2026

NABA To Convene Cyber University 2.0 To Address Cybersecurity Strategies

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/09/2026

Big Blue Marble Makes the Origin of Austrian Parliament V...

Viewers watching videos from the Austrian Parliament online will soon find it easier to verify the authenticity of the content. Big Blue Marble, an internationa...

24/09/2026

nsign and Sony collaborate to simplify digital signage de...

nsign, the digital signage SaaS platform built around its Simplify Complexity principle, is now officially certified for BRAVIA Professional Displays from Son...

24/09/2026

Viaplay Selects Encompass Altitude Scheduling to Transfor...

Encompass Digital Media today announced the successful migration of multiple Viaplay free-to-air channels, including TV3, TV6, TV8 and TV10, to its Altitude Sch...

24/09/2026

Standalone Streaming Services Continue to Decline in the U.S.

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/09/2026

Hollyland Unveils LARK M3 Wireless Audio System

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/09/2026

Adobe Completes Purchase Of Topaz Labs

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/09/2026

FCC to Vote on Satellite Spectrum, Unlicensed Ultra-Wideband Devices

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/09/2026

LYNX Technik Launches New Series 5000 Card

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/09/2026

KRK V SERIES MONITORS HELP INDUSTRY VETERAN SANTIAGO URI...

Music Supervisor, Composer, and Mixing Engineer Santiago Uribe has built a career around producing music for film and television, contributing to more than 40 p...

24/09/2026

NABA Cyber University to Convene Broadcast Industry Leade...

The North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) will hold a full-day cybersecurity summit focused on defending against growing cyber threats facing the broad...

24/09/2026

HARRY CORRY RENEWS LIVELINE SPONSORSHIP ON RT RADIO 1

The home interiors retailer signs up for third year as sponsor RT Commercial today announced that Harry Corry has signed up to a third year as sponsor of Live...

24/09/2026

How Open Science Can Help Researchers Prepare for the Next Pandemic

When COVID-19 emerged, scientists had a crucial advantage: Decades of prior research on coronaviruses meant they understood the virus' key proteins well eno...

24/09/2026

RT Radio 1 Folk Awards Tickets on Sale | Dolores Keane inducted into Hall of Fame

RT Radio 1 Folk Awards Tickets on Sale Dolores Keane to be inducted into the...

24/09/2026

Contain the Chaos: CONTROL Resonant' Launches on GeForce NOW

A warped Manhattan is waiting in the cloud this week. Remedy Entertainment's CONTROL Resonant brings Dylan Faden's extraordinary abilities and a paranat...

23/09/2026

University of Washington's New Sundodger Studios Leverages ST 2110 to Bring Broadcast, Videoboard, and Creative Under One Roof

Four control rooms support B1G+ streams, videoboard shows, creative content, and...

23/09/2026

Mountain West Conference Moves Replay Operations West, Cutting Late-Night Hours

By Andrew Cohen, SVG Coorespondant The Mountain West debuted its new Replay Operations Center at the start of this football season, bringing real-time collabor...

23/09/2026

SVG Students to Watch: Brian Short, Ball State University

The Taylorville, IL, native is pushing creative boundaries at Ball State, gaining reps across directing, technical directing, tape, and more than 100 ESPN+ broa...

23/09/2026

The Musical and the Power of Spiteful Thinking

Alexander Heller, Nevada Jose, Will Brill, and Giselle Bonilla pose with cast members at The Musical premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles...

23/09/2026

The Crow Hill Company release Children's Choir

Includes natural and processed patches The Crow Hill Company's latest sample library captures a children's choir comprising a troupe of boys perform...

23/09/2026

Kreuzberg Audio reveal Oberton

Plug-in offers six bands of saturation Kreuzberg Audio's product range includes a selection of plug-ins and virtual instruments aimed primarily at hard-...

23/09/2026

SoundBridge 3.2.0 arrives

Latest DAW update now live SoundBridge have announced that the latest update for the remote-collaboration-focused DAW is now available. The release of Sound...

23/09/2026

Koori Knockout returns home exclusively to NITV and SBS On Demand in 2026

Koori Knockout returns home exclusively to NITV and SBS On Demand in 2026 11 September, 2026 Media releases Fans can catch all the live action exclusively ...

23/09/2026

Rohde & Schwarz acquires NEOSAT and PHYTRONIC and strengthens its competencies in sovereign satellite communications

Rohde & Schwarz acquires NEOSAT and PHYTRONIC and strengthens its competencies i...

23/09/2026

NFVF SEDIBA CREATIVE ENTERPRISE PROGRAMME CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

1. ABOUT THE PROGRAMME The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites applications from experienced producers who own or manage a South African product...

23/09/2026

CALL FOR THE SEVENTH PRESIDENTIAL EMPLOYMENT STIMULUS PROGRAMME(PESP 7) FOCUSED ON THE AUDIO-VISUAL INDUSTRY IS OPEN

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce the opening...

23/09/2026

NHK Technologies Inc. Chooses Calrec for Sports Production

Download Now! To receive a short case study showcasing NHK Technologies, Inc. (NT) s audio setup, please enter the following details: -- First Name* Fir...

23/09/2026

McDonald's takes top spot as New Zealand's fast-food tastes evolve, according to Nielsen

Nielsen CMI data reveals a changing fast-food landscape, with value, convenience...

23/09/2026

AFP, Dalet To Collaborate On News Video Provenance, Authenticity

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

Spectrum News NECN Launches Across New England

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

COW Jobs: Blender on Windows - Generalist - Remote

COW Jobs: Blender on Windows - Generalist - Remote Brie Clayton September 23, 2026 0 Comments Application Users - Blender on Windows - Generalist Se...

23/09/2026

Bitfocus wins IBC2026 Best of Show Award for latest Butto...

Version 1.8 recognised for new workflow tools, boosted control panel flexibility and ease of integration into IP networks...

23/09/2026

Hiltron Reports a Successful IBC2026

Hiltron Communications reports a successful 2026 International Broadcasting Convention, held at the RAI Amsterdam. Exhibiting on stand A37 in Hall 1, Hiltron ex...

23/09/2026

LiveU Showcases AI Driven Production Alongside Resilient...

Reinforcing its long-term commitment to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) broadcast market, LiveU is presenting the Q Era at CABSAT 2026, on Stand H1-D35 ...

23/09/2026

AFP and Dalet Partner to Strengthen the Provenance and Au...

Agence France-Presse (AFP), a global news agency, and Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced a partnersh...

23/09/2026

Berklee Connect Unlocks the Power of a Global Network

Berklee Connect Unlocks the Power of a Global Network Katie Vitolins BM '04 knows firsthand what Berklee's alumni community can make possible. Now she...

23/09/2026

Study: Renewals for Streaming Shows Continue to Decline

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

Study: More Than 4 in 10 U.S. Adults Own or Are Interested in Smart Glasses

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

Television Critics Association Revises Bylaws to Address AI

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

eX Celebrates Completion of Holland Mich. FTTP Network

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

Gray Media Renews Ohio Valley Conference Deal

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

QuickLink StudioPro Powers Next Generation Student Media...

Westminster Schools, a K through 12 school in Atlanta, Georgia with approximately 2,000 students, has transformed its student broadcast and digital storytelling...

23/09/2026

UK Pavilion Brings Leading British Technology to CABSAT a...

The 2026 edition of CABSAT and SATExpo may have a new home and dates in the diary, but it still retains a strong presence from UK companies in the GREAT Britain...

23/09/2026

Glensound marks 60 years with new audio developments at C...

Glensound will return to CABSAT with new developments in professional monitoring and Dante interfacing, alongside its established commentary, esports and parlia...

23/09/2026

Dolby and Meta Expand Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision Across Metas Ecosystem

September 23 2026, 17:00 (PDT) Dolby and Meta Expand Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision Across Metas Ecosystem Across Meta AI glasses, Instagram, and VR devices, ...