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In this episode, the guest, Mike Elizondo, and the host, Norah Jones, discuss the realities of artist development, the value of old-school full-album production, and the creative necessity of quiet space. Elizondo shares his approach to collaborating with both established icons and unsigned artists in his Nashville studio, reflecting on how modern industry pressures force artists to arrive fully formed and viral rather than giving them room to experiment. Later in the episode, the pair explore the collaborative songwriting process behind a new, unreleased track they created together, examining how bass-driven melodic choices shaped the song's unexpected structure and emotional tone.
The episode opens with the iHeart Podcast intro and a series of promotional ads for Grainger, OnDeck, and ChatGPT for Teens.
Norah introduces the second part of her session with producer Mike Elizondo and welcomes listeners to the show.
Mike explains how he supports emerging artists, the shift from traditional A&R to viral pre‑release, and the challenges of sustaining fame.
Mike talks about keeping his performance skills sharp by playing gigs with friends like John Coward while managing studio projects.
Norah and Mike describe how they co‑wrote a new song, starting from a bass line, shaping lyrics, and navigating the creative process together.
The hosts dissect the structure, chord progression, and lyrical evolution of the newly written track, highlighting its uplifting yet introspective feel.
The vanishing era of artist developmentinsight
The guest explains how modern record labels expect artists to arrive with finished, viral tracks and massive followings, contrasting it with past eras of genuine A&R development.
Why playing giant steps mattersinsight
The guest shares a private mental benchmark when dealing with record executives, asking himself if they can play through the complex chord changes of Giant Steps.
Finding songs in quiet spacesinsight
The host and guest discuss how being constantly inundated with phone notifications robs people of the quiet moments necessary for imagination and songwriting.
Playing Alone With My Thoughtsstory
The host performs her song Alone With My Thoughts with the guest providing backing instrumentation on his custom extended-range upright bass.
An upright bass with a low C extensiondata
The guest demonstrates his Czech upright bass equipped with a mechanical fingerboard extension that reaches down to a low C note.
Finding a bass with David Gagestory
The guest describes shopping for a better instrument in New York during 2007 or 2008 and finding the exact bass he still plays.
Six hours of bass shoppingstory
The guest recounts spending six continuous hours at David Gage's shop in New York trying out different upright basses while working with Fiona Apple.
Writing Find My Way Back Homestrategy
The host and guest break down how they co-wrote their new unreleased track in about an hour starting entirely from a bass part.
“I love it. I love a good sad song.”
“I don't think I was because he's so easygoing.”
“I love songwriting. It's so interesting to me where things come from and where they end up.”
“I think so, yeah. Or, and then also the fame might, they might not be cut out for the fame, you know?”
Mike Elizondo is back for Part 2, with more music and conversation. Plus, in a special segment, Norah takes listeners inside the creative process behind a song she recently wrote with Mike, sharing how their collaboration came together. Recorded 3/18/26. See omnystudio.com/listener https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
6,181 words · 8 speakers
Speaker names marked are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
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