SiriusXM and Futuro Studios Announce New Astrology Podcast Stars and Stars with Isa, Beginning March 19
Host Isa Nakazawa sits down with celebrities to find what their birth charts reveal about them
Show is the first launch from SiriusXM’s Listen Next initiative to develop diverse audio talent and promote inclusivity in podcasting
NEW YORK – March 5, 2024 – SiriusXM, in collaboration with Futuro Studios, today announced their new podcast, Stars and Stars with Isa. Beginning March 19, host and astrologer Isa Nakazawa will sit down with interesting celebrities to find what their birth chart reveals about them and their purpose.
Each week on Stars and Stars, host Isa Nakazawa will be joined by some of the most talented stars of our time to examine what the planets and stars above reveal about the way the guests walk the world, experience love, and determine their life's purpose. Listeners can expect emotional moments, explorations of self-love and self-discovery, and lots of laughs. An initial slate of guests includes Aja Monet, UMI, Jia Tolentino, W. Kamau Bell, Ana Fabrega, Sam Sanders, and more.
Co-produced by Futuro Studios and SiriusXM’s Stitcher Studios, new episodes of Stars and Stars with Isa will be available every Tuesday beginning March 19 on the SiriusXM app and all major podcast listening platforms. For more information, please visit listen.stitcherstudios.com/5K78m8Cg.
In a statement, Isa Nakazawa said: “This show is my love letter to the wise celestial intelligence alive within all of us. I am honored to be part of a long lineage of astrologers and ordinary people who feel moved by the beauty and mystery of the cosmos. Astrology has much more to offer us than stereotypes. It is my hope that this show reveals how our birth chart is a treasure trove of meaning for us to explore and uncover.
“I am grateful to our sparkling lineup of stars for their generosity, vulnerability and brilliance. Thank you to everyone at SiriusXM, Stitcher Studios and Futuro Studios for investing in the next generation of podcasters by providing the essential support and resources necessary to bring these big dreams to life.”
Stars and Stars with Isa is the first show launched from SiriusXM’s Listen Next program, a new initiative designed to develop diverse audio talent and promote inclusivity in podcasting. Listen Next pairs the power of SiriusXM with leading, diverse-led production companies to help the next generation of creators break through the audio landscape and launch successful, sustainable podcasting careers.
“We’re so pleased to have Isa’s Stars and Stars be the first launch from SiriusXM’s Listen Next initiative,” says Kameel Stanley, Program Director, SiriusXM’s Stitcher Studios. “By combining SiriusXM’s know-how with that of the incredible team at Futuro Studios, which has done such acclaimed and important work in the podcast space, we know that we’re setting the show up for success.”
“It has been so touching and fun to see Isa connect deeply with her guests. Actors, musicians and artists leave her readings more in touch with themselves and their purpose. Her sessions are revealing, warm, whimsical and juicy. Isa is both a deft interviewer and an incisive astrologer, often allowing her love of literature, philosophy and music to inform these revelatory conversations. She’s also very funny,” says Maria Garcia, the Executive Editor of Futuro Studios and the creator of Stars and Stars. “Isa’s lived experience as a Japanese-Uruguayan American allows for a wide-ranging, empathetic perspective. It’s so heartening to know that SiriusXM believes and invests in creators who bring a lens not often platformed on mainstream networks.”
Stars and Stars with Isa is hosted by Isa Nakazawa. Executive producers are SiriusXM’s Kameel Stanley and Futuro Studios’ Marlon Bishop & Maria Garcia. Original Show Concept also by Maria Garcia. Senior Producer & Sound Design by Jeanne Montalvo. Associate Producer Tasha Sandoval. Engineering by Stephanie Lebow, Julia Caruso, & Gabriela Baez. Music by Sandra Lawson-Ndu. Show art by Aaron Nestor.
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About Futuro Media
Futuro Studios is a Pulitzer Prize-winning podcast and original programming studio from the journalism non-profit Futuro Media, committed to uplifting voices, stories and perspectives that have been historically overlooked in the world of audio. Futuro’s team of podcast producers, editors, sound designers and engineers have collectively won some of the highest awards in narrative and investigative journalism, and have been at the forefront of critically-acclaimed projects such as Anything For Selena (WBUR), La Brega (WNYC), LOUD: The History of Reggaeton (Spotify), The Last Cup (NPR), and The Sum of Us (Higher Ground), among others. Futuro’s podcast Ídolo: The Ballad of Chalino Sanchez (Sonoro) won two 2023 Ambie Awards, and Suave (PRX) was the recipient of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Audio Reporting.
About Sirius XM Holdings Inc.
SiriusXM is the leading audio entertainment company in North America with a portfolio of audio businesses including its flagship subscription entertainment service SiriusXM; the ad-supported and premium music streaming services of Pandora; an expansive podcast network; and a suite of business and advertising solutions. Reaching a combined monthly audience of approximately 150 million listeners, SiriusXM offers a broad range of content for listeners everywhere they tune in with a diverse mix of live, on-demand, and curated programming across music, talk, news, and sports. For more about SiriusXM, please go to: www.siriusxm.com.
Source: SiriusXM
Ron Gaskill:
Ron.Gaskill@siriusxm.com
Released March 5, 2024