Stephanie Shonekan

On this special season finale of "Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan," Cheryl Henson and Nick Raposo join the podcast to discuss "Bein' Green," a song from our beloved childhood friend Kermit the Frog. Cheryl Henson is the daughter of Jim Henson, Kermit’s original voice actor and creator of The Muppets. And Nick Raposo is the son of Joe Raposo, a songwriter and composer who was one of the producers for Sesame Street. Together, they break down the cultural significance of Kermit’s song and how Ray Charles interpreted the universal ode to self-acceptance just a few years later.

Nina Simone's "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," released in 1964, is both a personal plea for acceptance and a collective cry for justice. The Animals' version of the song — released just a few months later — maintains the same lyrics, but has a much lighter sound. On this episode of "Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan," Craig Thompson joins Stephanie to discuss the two versions and how they reflect the cultural landscape of the 1960s.

Kelvin McIlwain joins Stephanie Shonekan on this episode of "Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan" to discuss the song "Superstar." It was originally released in 1969 by Delaney & Bonnie under the name "Groupie," a word that describes someone who follows around a celebrity in the hopes of one day meeting them. The Carpenters released their own version of the song in 1971 and named it "Superstar." Luther Vandross released a cover of "Superstar" in 1983. Shonekan and McIlwain unpack the differences in the Carpenters and Vandross versions of the song, as well as the legacy the artists have left behind.

In this episode of "Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan," Michelle Appel joins Shonekan to discuss Peter Gabriel's "Biko." They explore the song's embodiment of the anti-apartheid movement and how Joan Baez's version resonated with Appel's story as a young activist in the 80s.

On this final episode of the season, Stephanie Shonekan brought in a special guest: her daughter, Ojurere Shonekan. Together, they unpack “Emotion,” a song by the Bee Gees released in 1994. Destiny’s Child covered it in 2001. The song is a vulnerable confession that the loss of a relationship is taking a serious emotional toll. As Stephanie and Ojurere discuss the song and its reinterpretation from disco to R&B, they take some time to reflect on their own shared memories of loss.

Stephanie Shonekan sat down with her sister dean, Kimberly Griffin, to talk about “Lately,” a classic breakup song that Stevie Wonder released in 1980. The song itself is a crushing glimpse into a relationship that’s slowly becoming one-sided. And when Jodeci covered the song in 1993, the group members infused it with their own range of emotion (because there’s lots of it to go around during a breakup, even the one-sided kind). In this episode, Stephanie and Kimberly break down the artists’ different approaches to “Lately” and reminisce over the era of ‘90s boy groups.

On this episode, Tom Flynn joins host Stephanie Shonekan to talk about “You Can’t Hurry Love,” an original song by The Supremes that Phil Collins covered in 1982. Though the songs were released a couple decades apart, the message is timeless – and, perhaps a bit frustrating: love takes time. Tom and Stephanie discuss their memories of youth, wanting love and how the song can stand as a light-hearted reminder to hold on.

Heather Gray joins Stephanie Shonekan during this episode to discuss the Bette Midler and Eddie and Gerald Levert versions of “Wind Beneath My Wings,” a song about love, death and what it does to those who live on. It’s a ballad that especially resonates with people who lost loved ones to the September 11 attacks in 2001. And in this episode, Stephanie and Heather also discuss how this song helps them treasure their relationships with their parents.

The third season of Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan is kicking off with a guest who’s pretty familiar with the show by now: our recording engineer, Nat Kuhn. Nat and Stephanie discuss “Killing Me Softly” and the power music holds to make us feel known, even at a level that’s surprisingly personal. Plus, Nat plugs in his bass to bring you an in-studio performance that mashes up elements of both Roberta Flack and The Fugees’ versions of the song.

This episode is dedicated to the memory of George Warren. Host Stephanie Shonekan chats with her good friend, Brian Booton about a song that’s very personal to him - “I’m Here" by Fantasia and Cynthia Erivo.