Shanon Cook is a writer, podcaster and media personality who grew up in Australia, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York (where she insists growing up is still happening). Formerly a CNN broadcast journalist and Spotify podcast host, Shanon has brought her interviewing skills to bear on many prominent artists, including Katy Perry, Lil Nas X, BTS, Dolly Parton, Kanye West, Britney Spears, Sting, Shakira, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Yo-Yo Ma, Davido, Jennifer Lopez, Annie Lennox and Mariah Carey.
Most recently, Shanon was at Spotify as the company’s spokesperson and trends storyteller. She joined Spotify in 2013, and via countless TV and radio appearances she introduced audiences to insights about how music listening habits were changing through streaming. Identifying trends and developing compelling and timely global data stories were her forte, exploring a diverse range of topics spanning a rise in nostalgia streaming during the Covid-19 pandemic and wacky song choices on wedding playlists. Shanon also curated numerous playlists herself for Spotify, her favorite being a midwife-approved “push playlist” to assist moms in the delivery room.
During her time at Spotify, Shanon’s insights and predictions featured regularly in global media, and she’s been quoted in publications including The New York Times, Rolling Stone and Billboard, and appeared on national and international networks on high-profile shows such as Access Hollywood, CBS This Morning and NBC’s Morning Joe. In 2020, Shanon helped launch Spotify’s innovative corporate podcast “Spotify: For the Record,” which she hosted and co-produced. While confined to her apartment - don’t ever ask her where she set up her mic - Shanon explored how the pandemic was affecting artists and other topics such as the growing influence of African music, the explosion of K-Pop and the business of streaming.
Prior to joining Spotify, Shanon was at CNN for more than a decade where she covered music and entertainment news as a producer and reporter. Her candid interviews with musicians - from breakthrough talent to global superstars - aired regularly on the network, and while music was her focus, a live interview with Kermit the Frog was particularly memorable. Forty seconds into the segment, the director told Shanon to cut things off for breaking news, but she refused because, well, Kermit. Shanon got into lots of trouble for this. And that wasn’t the last time.
Shanon is the author of “The Baby Bumps,” a humorous memoir detailing the challenges of juggling new motherhood with a glam TV job. Born in Melbourne, Australia, she earned her Journalism degree from the Queensland University of Technology. She lives in Brooklyn with her two young daughters and their two shy hamsters. Shanon is currently writing her debut novel.
Most recently, Shanon was at Spotify as the company’s spokesperson and trends storyteller. She joined Spotify in 2013, and via countless TV and radio appearances she introduced audiences to insights about how music listening habits were changing through streaming. Identifying trends and developing compelling and timely global data stories were her forte, exploring a diverse range of topics spanning a rise in nostalgia streaming during the Covid-19 pandemic and wacky song choices on wedding playlists. Shanon also curated numerous playlists herself for Spotify, her favorite being a midwife-approved “push playlist” to assist moms in the delivery room.
During her time at Spotify, Shanon’s insights and predictions featured regularly in global media, and she’s been quoted in publications including The New York Times, Rolling Stone and Billboard, and appeared on national and international networks on high-profile shows such as Access Hollywood, CBS This Morning and NBC’s Morning Joe. In 2020, Shanon helped launch Spotify’s innovative corporate podcast “Spotify: For the Record,” which she hosted and co-produced. While confined to her apartment - don’t ever ask her where she set up her mic - Shanon explored how the pandemic was affecting artists and other topics such as the growing influence of African music, the explosion of K-Pop and the business of streaming.
Prior to joining Spotify, Shanon was at CNN for more than a decade where she covered music and entertainment news as a producer and reporter. Her candid interviews with musicians - from breakthrough talent to global superstars - aired regularly on the network, and while music was her focus, a live interview with Kermit the Frog was particularly memorable. Forty seconds into the segment, the director told Shanon to cut things off for breaking news, but she refused because, well, Kermit. Shanon got into lots of trouble for this. And that wasn’t the last time.
Shanon is the author of “The Baby Bumps,” a humorous memoir detailing the challenges of juggling new motherhood with a glam TV job. Born in Melbourne, Australia, she earned her Journalism degree from the Queensland University of Technology. She lives in Brooklyn with her two young daughters and their two shy hamsters. Shanon is currently writing her debut novel.
Photo: Chris Sorensen