Chrissie Hynde launches The Duets special podcast to accompany new album

Chrissie Hynde has launched The Duets Special Podcast with Chrissie Hynde, a new six-part series exploring the stories behind her latest studio album, Chrissie Hynde & Pals – Duets Special. The first episode is available now, with new episodes released every Monday until November 24.

Hosted by Hynde and journalist Gareth A. Davies, the podcast reflects on the collaborations that shaped the record, which featured duets with artists including K.D. Lang, Mark Lanegan, Lucinda Williams, Dave Gahan and others.

Speaking on the first episode, Hynde discusses how a casual conversation with Jörn Weisbrodt, Rufus Wainwright's husband, inspired the project. "I said maybe Rufus and I should do an album together," she explains. "Then I realised I know a lot of singers; it seemed like a good idea to make it a collection of duets."

The album includes reimagined versions of well-known songs. Hynde describes her duet with Brandon Flowers on 'I'm Not In Love' as a particularly challenging duet due to the original's production. "We tried to strip it back to get bare bones...Brandon delivered."

Duets Special includes 13 tracks and follows Hynde's recent work with The Pretenders on Relentless and the live album Kick 'Em Where It Hurts.

Aside from music, Hynde continues to pursue painting, with recent exhibitions in London and Edinburgh under the title Hynde Sight II

The first episode of The Duets Special Podcast is available to listen to now.

• Listen to the first episode down below: