Make It Up As We Go: Season 2 Starring Garrett Hedlund, Scarlett Burke,
Elle King, Nile Rodgers and Shooter Jennings to Premiere May 3
Sonic Leap Starring Anthony Anderson, Trippie Redd
and Hero The Band to Premiere May 3
Sneak Preview of Both Shows to Premiere on SiriusXM’s Volume Channel May 2,
Along with Other Special Programming Across SiriusXM and Pandora Featuring Show Stars and Creators
NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES – SiriusXM and innovative podcast content studio Audio Up today announced the forthcoming launches of two new original scripted musical podcasts, the first co-branded productions under the creative and strategic partnership between the two companies.
The two new scripted podcast series – season two of critically-acclaimed country-themed musical Make It Up As We Go, and highly-anticipated new sci-fi/comedy musical series Sonic Leap – were co-produced by Audio Up and SiriusXM, and will premiere on May 3 across SiriusXM audio entertainment platforms — including the SXM App, Pandora, and Stitcher — and other major podcast platforms in the U.S.
Make It Up As We Go: Season 2 continues the gripping story of ambitious young country singer Charlotte Sayles (portrayed by singer, songwriter, actor, and series co-creator Scarlett Burke), who has now made her way into Nashville’s male-dominated country hit factory to shake things up and make her fame. Burke and Audio Up Founder and CEO Jared Gutstadt, who co-created the series, both star in the show and provide original music along with acclaimed actor Garrett Hedlund, GRAMMY Award-winning producer and recording artist Shooter Jennings, music icon Nile Rodgers, Grammy-nominated artist Elle King, award-winning Nashville songwriter Liz Rose, Kat and Alex, Breland, Abby Anderson, and Chord Overstreet. Shooter Jennings and Elizabeth Cook, who both host shows on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country (ch. 60), have also joined the cast, with Jennings co-producing the show’s soundtrack with Audio Up’s Gutstadt. Watch the full trailer here.
Sonic Leap is the completely made-up backstory of real-life rock act Hero the Band – four Atlanta-based fraternal brothers who get sent back to 1985 to “change their future and the future of music.” The series was created and co-written by Audio Up Founder and CEO Jared Gutstadt and features original music from Gutstadt, Jeff Peters, and Hero the Band. Actor Anthony Anderson (Black-ish, Law & Order) makes his podcast acting debut in this nostalgic scripted musical series. Rap star Trippie Redd co-stars and contributes music. The series will also unlock the debut album from the Atlanta-based band, to be released on Audio Up Records. The album’s first single, “Might Find Love,” recently premiered on SiriusXM’s Alt Nation (ch. 36) in its Advance Placement new music showcase, and is currently in regular rotation. Watch the full trailer here.
Gutstadt will appear on SiriusXM’s Volume (ch. 106) on May 2 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm EST for a special program featuring an exclusive interview with Debatable co-host Alan Light and the world premiere of the debut episodes of Sonic Leap and Make It Up As We Go: Season 2. The program will be available on-demand via the SXM App following the broadcast.
The stars and creators of both shows will also appear on a wide range of other special programming across SiriusXM and Pandora, from in-studio music performances to exclusive interviews to guest DJ sets – introducing the new series to millions of listeners.
“These projects speak to our abilities as storytellers, songwriters and music producers,” said Audio Up Founder and CEO Jared Gutstadt. “With SiriusXM, Audio Up has an alliance with shared creative vision and unprecedented opportunity for scale. The unique value of this collaboration will be expansive: on SiriusXM, Pandora, Stitcher and beyond across other major audio entertainment platforms, and also down the road as potential film, music and TV franchises that are unlocked through the power of audio first.”
“This is a testament to the way SiriusXM and Audio Up complement each other in producing, promoting, and monetizing great original podcast entertainment,” said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Creative Officer of SiriusXM. “Whether it’s SiriusXM radio hosts appearing in podcast episodes or stars from the series playing guest DJ on SiriusXM channels and introducing them to millions of new listeners, we’ve created a unique launch pad for these great podcasts and the original music within them.”
Garrett Hedlund added: “Happy to be at it again with Audio Up. I’ve had my first number one podcast with Strawberry Spring, our Stephen King project. I was excited to hop back into country music, revisiting my love of songs and storytelling which I hold dear in season 2 of Make It Up As We Go. Scarlett and Jared have this incredible dynamic and I love being in their world. Jared is a visionary when it comes to how music plays into the world of podcasts, and I think this is one of the most unique spaces in media to be in at the moment.”
“I met Hero the Band on a Zoom call earlier this year when I was working on the project,” said Anthony Anderson on Sonic Leap. “They were late and I gave them shit! But for real these guys are really bringing something fresh to pop music. They’re like, if Prince, Terence Trent D’Arby, and Lenny Kravitz had four incredibly gifted and talented kids. It’s the magical combination of rock, soul, and psychedelic pop. The band is telling their story with this exciting time travel adventure. I’ve never done anything quite like this before, and I know I’ll be excited to say that I’ve known them since the jump.”
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