Come Together Podcast

Recorded live August 19 at Analog in Nashville as part of the monthly TEDxNashville Mixtape series, this episode features two songwriters on stage together for the first time in the series.

JP Saxe is a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter from Toronto who trained as a jazz pianist before he realized, in his words, that he was "a really bad jazz pianist" but "a really good jazz pianist for a pop songwriter." His new album, heavily influenced by Carole King's Tapestry, comes out October 23.

Daisha McBride is a rapper, singer, and songwriter from Knoxville who now calls Nashville home. She finished her first headlining tour last fall and writes across genres, from rap to acoustic pop, depending on what a session calls for.

They shared songs tied to home, the music their fans wouldn't expect, a parent, and hope.

Listen to the full playlist HERE.

Recorded live at a TEDx Nashville Mixtape, Come Together Music Project host Shaka Mitchell sits down with two Nashville icons: former CMT Senior VP of Music & Talent Leslie Fram (now founder of FEMco) and legendary "Rhinestone Rembrandt" tailor Manuel Cuevas. Across four song categories, they share the stories behind the music that shaped their teenage years, pulled them into country music, helped them through hard seasons, and still gives them hope — from Stevie Wonder and The Rolling Stones to Hank Williams Sr., Johnny Cash, Elvis, and Ronald Reagan.

Recorded live at Analog Nashville as part of the ongoing TEDxNashville Mixtape collaboration with the Come Together Music Project, this episode pairs two men whose public accomplishments almost overshadow the story underneath them — until the music brings it back out.

Blessing Offor is a two-time Grammy-nominated, Dove Award-winning singer-songwriter born in a village in Nigeria and raised in a small town in Connecticut. He is blind, and he will be the first to tell you that isn't the story he's interested in telling.

Dr. Eiman Jahangir is a Nashville cardiologist, author, and public speaker who emigrated from Iran with his family at age 4 and became the 704th person in history to travel to space — after being turned down by NASA's astronaut program more than once.

These two incredible men shared songs that link them to home, their professional pursuits, moments of loss, and times of redemption. Listen to the full playlist HERE.

Recorded as the country approached its 250th birthday, this episode brings together the two people most responsible for building Braver Angels Music — the songwriting community inside Braver Angels dedicated to using music as a bridge across the political divide.

John Carroll is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter and Co-Director of Braver Angels Music. He spent years playing small bars across Tennessee before Braver Angels became the place where his belief in music-as-connection found an organizational home.

Ben Caron is a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter and Co-Director of Braver Angels Music. Raised in a small farming town in Iowa, he moved to LA to pursue acting before turning fully to music — and later ran his own multi-summer project busing coastal friends into rural communities for service projects and conversation, the work that eventually connected him to Braver Angels.

Listen to the playlist and share it with a friend.

Recorded live at Analog Nashville as part of the TEDxNashville Mixtape collaboration with the — this episode brings two of Nashville's most beloved figures to the Come Together Music stage for an evening that was equal parts joyful, vulnerable, and deeply human.

Scott Hamilton is an Olympic gold medalist, four-time World Champion figure skater, cancer survivor, bestselling author, and one of Nashville's most treasured residents. He arrived in the city before it was cool and never left. What he's built here — in his family, his faith, and his community — is as impressive as anything he did on the ice.

Maneet Chauhan is a chef, restaurateur, television personality, and entrepreneur who built one of Nashville's most celebrated dining destinations, Chauhan Ale and Masala House. A TEDxNashville alum and Food Network Chopped judge, she grew up in a small town in Eastern India and arrived in America with a dream and not much else. She made it all come true — and she did it her way.

On this episode they share the songs and stories that have encouraged them over the years. Play list can be found HERE.

What does a former Baltimore County Police Chief listen to on the drive home after 9 days straight on the job during a city in crisis? And what song kept a Special Forces-trained Air Force Colonel grounded through a civil war evacuation in Libya?

In this live episode recorded at the Tomorrow City USA Conference, Shaka Mitchell sits down with two extraordinary leaders — Melissa Hyatt and Jerad Warren — both Aspen Institute Civil Society Fellows — to let music do what it does best: reveal who people really are.

Melissa picks Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'" — not for the reason you'd expect — and Billy Joel's "My Life," a quiet declaration of hard-earned authenticity. Jerad reaches back to Nine Inch Nails' most vulnerable track, then drops Cake's "The Distance" as a lifelong anthem for leaders who refuse to quit.

The conversation moves from the weight of public service, to what it means to build your legacy, to why the best leadership development might look more like Kilimanjaro than a conference room.

What songs shape well known artists and bring them together? In this live, "Mixtape" episode of the Come Together Music Project, hosted by TEDx Nashville, host Shaka Mitchell sits down with Rock & Roll Hall of Fame legend John Oates and rising country artist MŌRIAH for a powerful conversation about music, memory, identity, creativity, and hope.

Together, they share deeply personal stories connected to songs that made them smile, shaped their careers, carried them through turning points, and continue to inspire hope today. From Mexican wedding dance floors to Chuck Berry's influence on early rock & roll, from artistic burnout and reinvention to timeless classics like She's Gone and Get Together, this episode explores how music helps us connect across generations, cultures, and life experiences.

🎵 Featured artists discussed include: The Temptations, Chuck Berry, Kacey Musgraves, Rosalía, Elvis Crespo, Jessica Andrews, The Youngbloods, and more. Subscribe for more conversations exploring how music deepens relationships, creates empathy, and brings people together.

Find the full playlist at: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5hDlXQ5GnOHvVzA4OCFEZh?si=ZS_lcj4yRE--XQ6LHGJf-g #JohnOates #HallAndOates #MORIAH #ComeTogetherMusicProject #MusicPodcast #TEDxNashville #CountryMusic #RockAndRoll #MusicAndStorytelling #SongsThatBringUsTogether

In this episode of the Come Together Music Project, host Shaka Mitchell sits down with West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James and Chad Sourbeer of the First Responders Children's Foundation for a powerful conversation about music, identity, and legacy.

👉 Learn more or support the Come Together Music Project: www.cometogethermusic.org

Here's the playlist:

1. Choosin' Texas, Ella Langley

2. One Nation Under A Groove, Parliament Funkadelic

3. Beautiful Day, U2

4. Higher Ground, Stevie Wonder

On this episode of the Come Together Music podcast, Shaka Mitchell interviews Jason Caplan and Gilbert Smith. Jason an entrepreneur, musician, and founder of the Universal Language Room. Gilbert, aka, Chili G, is a rapper who also works in higher education administration.

Jason and Gilbert were asked to pick songs from their youth, that reminded them of a hero or mentor, that got them through a dark time, and songs that help them feel at peace.

Here's a link to their song selections: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7Lp8tmtT35iggkQthEZS02?si=rN1-sPV_QRWm6vSVRRYyVQ

Here's a link to their original song: https://divinesoulexperience.bandcamp.com/track/unity-one-god-one-human-family

Part 2 of the conversation between Hon. Freddie O'Connell and Devon Gilfillian at the TEDx Nashville Mixtape event on January 7, 2026. We asked them for a song that they associate with community. Once again, the song selections were GREAT!