In February, Spotify hosted The Free Studio, a four-day residency that brought nine Black musicians and creators together under the same roof. Part of the Frequency initiative to amplify Black voices, The Free Studio not only provided access to studio spaces and production resources, but also allowed these artists to connect and collaborate with one another.
The residency included creators like artist Doechii and producer Sango, in addition to Vic Mensa, Indigo Mateo, and Richie Reseda from the podcast Abolition X. One of the many talented creators asked to participate was Mike Brown, host of the podcast The Art of Letting Go. Mike started the show on a whim to talk through his own life experiences, but the series expanded and now serves as a platform for Mike and his guests to explore the idea of Black male vulnerability and their path to personal growth.
After five years of juggling his work on the podcast with his responsibilities as a teacher, Mike is stepping away from the classroom to work on his podcast full-time. For the Record caught up with Mike to talk about his experience taking part in the Free Studio residency, the evolution of his podcast, and his personal journey along the way.
In what ways has The Art of Letting Go evolved since it first started? Was there anything new that you tried during your residency? I remember I used to do a lot of editing . . . chopping up what I wanted in the podcast and what I didn't; putting music in and taking music out. But fast-forward to now, and I like to keep the conversation in the rawest form because I want listeners to feel like they're in the conversation with me.
But recording at The Free Studio opened me up to some of the ideas that I've wanted to try out because I had the space and the time to consider them. Sometimes when I'm recording or working on something at home, I'll get distracted by all the other stuff I need to do. Just being there in that space allowed me to completely focus on the podcast, record some freestyles and some raps. I asked a friend who wasn't able to come by to send me some meditations and I created a segment for people to ask me questions. And I was like, Wow, like I could have been doing all of this.
What was it like taking part in the Free Studio residency? It still has a lingering effect on me. I'm thinking about it right now and it almost felt like a psychedelic trip. I feel like I went into my real life and came back into this fantasy world because it felt like what I was supposed to be doing. It felt very natural. Starting this podcast, I was just trying to just get my feelings out. The Free Studio showed me that I can really do this. Frequency created this space that felt safe enough to be and do whatever I wanted.
What was the spirit of collaboration like within the studio? Not to be corny, but I think we were all on the same frequency. But seriously, there was just a level of safety. I really connected with the group that works on Abolition X. Everybody was friendly, everybody just felt like they were there on some really positive vibrations. It felt natural to ask somebody like, Hey, you know we're working in this space together, would you want to work together? I'm actually supposed to be connecting with Indigo from Abolition X this weekend and possibly recording something for my show. But yeah, it was really dope.
Having spent the last five years working on The Art of Letting Go, did the Free Studio opportunity change, challenge, or help you expand your role as a podcaster? I would say going into it, that impostor syndrome kind of came up. And that was the challenge to get over. Like, Am I supposed to be here? Then actually being in the space and connecting with people, the answer was, Yes, I'm supposed to be here.
It made me comfortable asking people to collaborate. I've always been hypercritical of creating and art in general, and sometimes it didn't feel safe to tell someone I want to work with you. But being there just made me think, Let's just see what we could do, what we can make happen. The last day right before the closing party I asked Anthony Prince Leslie, the director of the Free Studio documentary, if he wanted to record an episode for my podcast. And he was like, Absolutely, let's record. And we ended up with a really beautiful episode. So that was a challenge I feel like I ultimately overcame.
You've spoken previously about how one of the core topics of The Art of Letting Go is the idea of Black male vulnerability. Can you speak a little on the ways that this podcast has helped you explore that aspect of yourself? Yeah, it's definitely made me almost, like, hyper self-aware and just more compassionate toward myself. Because I feel my growth in sharing my experience, and even on those days where I am kind of down on myself, there's always somebody to remind me of how my journey is affecting them. So you know, it's definitely taught me to be kinder to myself to really feel safe within my own body, to communicate and express my feelings and just understand. Like the result of my authenticity is beyond my control. But as long as I'm being authentic, that's all that matters.
Is there anything about Frequency's approach that caught your eye prior to starting your residency? Is there anything that you've come to appreciate after the experience? Coming into it, I really had only known Frequency for music. But being on the creator side of it and seeing how much the Frequency team poured into me, you know, like not only just giving me this opportunity to create, but really just showing me that they really were in support of what I'm doing. It just felt like people were genuine about really wanting to build up my voice. I guess that could be Black voices, but also my voice, f
Europe Stories
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
15/09/2025
Global K-Pop sensation aespa is redefining what it means to be rich with the r...
15/09/2025
Every day, millions of people around the world turn to Spotify to enjoy the audi...
15/09/2025
After months of intensive planning and implementation, Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic...
15/09/2025
Unique sports content orchestration platform builds momentum among SES's cus...
15/09/2025
-- Opens door to growth in renewable energy New Delhi, India - 15th September -- Global business and industry leaders from around the world are joining technol...
13/09/2025
Harmonic's Software-Based XOS Advanced Media Processor Provides Unparalleled Efficiency and Unlocks New Business Models SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 13, 2025 -...
12/09/2025
For fans, we know how important it is to stay plugged into music culture and dis...
12/09/2025
Link ping, Sweden and Shipley, United Kingdom, September 12, 2025 - Agama, the expert in video observability and analytics for service quality and customer expe...
12/09/2025
Feature-length retrospective from Studio Crook to air in 2026
Sir David Jason returns to the nation's favourite comedy channel, U&GOLD, for Open All Hours:...
12/09/2025
Friday 12 September 2025
The Boomtown Rats, Nyah Grace, Soweto Kinch, Royal Ballet and Madness also announced to perform at the ceremony on Tuesday
Sky today ...
12/09/2025
Wuppertal September 12, 2025
Riedel Unveils Ultra-Light Bolero Mini Wireless Intercom BeltpackAt IBC2025 in Amsterdam, Riedel Communications unveiled Bolero M...
12/09/2025
Wuppertal September 12, 2025
Riedel Communications Acquires hi human interfaceRiedel Communications today announced the acquisition of hi human interface fro...
12/09/2025
CORE+ virtually removes distortion, setting a new standard for church sound and giving worship teams the clarity and confidence they need.
Read the full artic...
12/09/2025
The Late Late Show is back with a bang after the summer break, and Patrick Kielt...
12/09/2025
The World Athletics Championships, Ireland v France in the Women's Rugby World Cup quarter-final, the Irish Champions Festival, and two Sports Direct Men...
12/09/2025
The Records Show starts Sunday at 6.30pm on RT One and RT Player.
Katie Hanno...
11/09/2025
RADAR, Spotify's program for emerging talent, recently hit a major milestone...
11/09/2025
Link ping, Sweden, September 11, 2025 - Agama, the expert in video observability & analytics for service quality and customer experience, announced today the la...
11/09/2025
Under the USD 89.6 Million award, SES Space & Defense will provide global commer...
11/09/2025
Leading Balkan DTH provider adds capacity to consolidate its m:Sat TV platform at 23.5 degrees East and serve more customers across the region
Luxembourg, 11 S...
11/09/2025
UKTV's free streaming service U launches on Sky Q
Free streaming service U has launched on Sky Q in the UK, UKTV and Sky confirm today, expanding the footp...
11/09/2025
From the discreet 2061 lavaliers to 4099 and 4011 mics, the setup delivered clean, natural sound in one of the most challenging broadcast environments.
Read th...
11/09/2025
From rugged build quality to natural, detailed sound, the verdict is clear: big performance can come in a very small package.
Read the full review here!...
11/09/2025
Tonight on Prime Time
RT One and RT Player at 9:35pm
Tonight RT Prime Time...
11/09/2025
RT Statement: 2026 Eurovision Song Contest
At the General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in July, a number of EBU members raised concerns ...
10/09/2025
Lossless on Spotify Premium is here.
Lossless audio has been one of the most a...
10/09/2025
The Television Will Be Revolutionised Sep 10, 2025
Written by Sunit Kotecha, Director of Delivery and Operations, YouView
2025 marks a century since the f...
10/09/2025
First of Spains F110 frigates get future-ready with Rohde & Schwarz communicatio...
10/09/2025
Harmonic's cOS Platform Supports DOCSIS and Fiber, Enabling Midco to Deliver Reliable Multi-Gigabit Connectivity to Subscribers SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 10,...
10/09/2025
RT brings three days of live radio, live entertainment, live news, live weather, personal appearances, and more
Join RT Radio 1: Morning Ireland, The Oliver ...
09/09/2025
Since 2020, Spotify's RADAR program has been a launchpad for emerging talent...
09/09/2025
In 2020, Spotify launched RADAR with a clear mission: to identify, nurture, and ...
09/09/2025
If you're on BookTok, you know the drill. You scroll, you tap, and suddenly your To Be Read list is overflowing with trending must-reads. Not unlike Spoti...
09/09/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
09/09/2025
Harmonic's VOS360 Ad SaaS Enables Personalized Ad Delivery and Seamless Integration with the Ad Tech Ecosystem SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 9, 2025 - Harmonic ...
09/09/2025
St. Luke's Episcopal Church in New Jersey needed audio that truly connects and they found the answer.
Read the full case study here!...
09/09/2025
From AI-driven sound design to adaptable systems and uncompromising audio quality, the discussion highlights how innovation is shaping the future of performance...
09/09/2025
The conversation covers DPA's natural, uncolored sound, how to choose the right mic for any application and the company's latest innovations including C...
09/09/2025
From the origins of CORE to the latest CORE+ upgrade, the article explores how DPA minimizes distortion, expands dynamic range and ensures clarity at every SPL ...
09/09/2025
September 9 2025, 07:22 (PDT) Dolby Revolutionizes Entertainment on Four Wheels...
09/09/2025
The Autumn Schedule has begun on RT Raidi na Gaeltachta, with a feast of music, entertainment, news and current affairs programmes as well as an interesting s...
08/09/2025
The company continues to focus on its own training programs. Recently, 20 new ap...
08/09/2025
How an MVP-first approach helps you move faster, stay flexible, and deliver smarter.
Too often, media technology projects aim to solve everything at once ma...
08/09/2025
Fox Corporation Announces Resolution of Murdoch Family Trust Matter New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA - September 8, 2025 - Fox Corporation ( FOX or the Comp...
08/09/2025
Fox Corporation Announces Secondary Offering of Class B Common Stock New York, NY, and Los Angeles, CA - September 8, 2025 - Fox Corporation ( FOX or the Co...
08/09/2025
Fox Corporation Announces Pricing of Secondary Offering of Class B Common Stock New York, NY, and Los Angeles, CA, September 8, 2025 Fox Corporation ( FOX ...
08/09/2025
PantoneLIVE Adds New Color Libraries to Meet Growing Demand for Two-Piece Alumin...
In February, Spotify hosted The Free Studio, a four-day residency that brought nine Black musicians and creators together under the same roof. Part of the Frequency initiative to amplify Black voices, The Free Studio not only provided access to studio spaces and production resources, but also allowed these artists to connect and collaborate with one another.
