Barack Obama Shares His 2020 Summer Playlist Featuring Billie Eilish, Bob Marley, And More
The former president continues his tradition of great song recommendations with a playlist featuring artists from a wide span of genres and decades.
After previously releasing a summer playlist for 2019, plus a collection of his favorite songs of the previous year, former President Obama continued his tradition of fantastic song recommendations with this year’s summer playlist, featuring songs old and new, and some artists who performed at this year’s Democratic National Convention.
“Over the past few months, I’ve spent a lot of time listening to music with my family,” he wrote on social media. “I wanted to share some of my favorites from the summer – including songs from some of the artists performing at this week’s Democratic Convention. As always, it’s a mix of genres that travels through various eras. I think there’s something in here for everybody – hope you enjoy it.”
Over the past few months, I’ve spent a lot of time listening to music with my family. I wanted to share some of my favorites from the summer—including songs from some of the artists at this week’s @DemConvention. Hope you enjoy it. pic.twitter.com/2ZFwdN46jR
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 17, 2020
The playlist features 53 songs from different artists of various genres, including hip-hop, soul, country, and pop. It also features a good mix of classics (Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved,” Stevie Wonder’s “Do I Do”) and contemporary (Billie Eilish’s “My Future,” HAIM’s “The Steps”). Other artists listed include J. Cole, Teyana Taylor, Jorja Smith, The Chicks (F.K.A. The Dixie Chicks), Jennifer Hudson, Childish Gambino, Bonnie Raitt, Frank Ocean, and Jason Isbell.
“WOOOOW!!!!! thank you so much!!!!!” Khalid wrote on Twitter, while Teyana Taylor added, “Wow my president be jamming to my music!!!!” Rising pop artist Maggie Rogers, who was featured on last year’s playlist as well, wrote, “LOVE YOU (and Michelle) FOR A VERY LONG TIME.”
Obama has a track record of great taste in music, and hosted several musicians at the White House during his tenure, including recurring visitors James Taylor, Jill Scott, and the late Aretha Franklin. Recently, Barack and former First Lady Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground signed a deal with Spotify to produce a series of podcasts, including the inaugural and aptly-titled The Michelle Obama Podcast.
The playlist was released the same night as Michelle Obama’s speech at the DNC, an 18-minute call-to-action that ABC News called “blistering.” Barack Obama is expected to speak later in the four-day convention.
Watch performances from the Democratic National Convention here.
