Hrishikesh Hirway

Hrishikesh Hirway was born on February 1, 1979, in Peabody, Massachusetts. He pursued higher education at Phillips Exeter Academy for high school and later attended Yale University, where he majored in art. Hirway’s musical career began in 1999 under the name The One AM Radio, releasing four albums between 2002 and 2011. He also formed Moors in 2013, a project with actor Lakeith Stanfield, which released an EP in 2014. Beyond his own musical endeavors, Hirway has explored various aspects of the music industry including co-producing two albums for the band Eulogies.

In 2014, Hirway launched the Song Exploder podcast, where musicians deconstruct their songs. He serves as the host, producer, and editor of the show, which was recognized as Podcast of the Year by Quartz in 2015 and later adapted into a Netflix original television series in 2020. As a composer, Hirway has created original scores for film and television projects. His work includes the thriller “Companion” (New Line Cinema), the Netflix series “Everything Sucks!” (2018), the Sundance film “Save the Date” (2012), the CNN documentary “Our Nixon” (2013), and the video game “The Red Lantern” (2020).

Hirway has expanded his podcast work by co-hosting and producing several other successful shows. These include “The West Wing Weekly” (2016-2020) with Joshua Malina, “Home Cooking” (2020-present) with Samin Nosrat, and “Partners” (2020). He also played a role in Google’s first original podcast, “City Soundtracks” (2017), and is the executive producer of Shirley Manson’s podcast, “The Jump.” Hirway delivered a TED Talk titled “What you discover when you really listen” in 2021, and collaborated with Salt & Straw on a specialized ice cream flavor, Mom’s Mango Pie, in 2022. Fast Company named him one of the Most Creative People in Business in 2021, and he was included in AdWeek’s Creative 100 in 2022. He currently serves as an advisor on digital strategy for the Library of Congress.