Brandi Carlile, singer-songwriter: I believe in the separation of church and state
The Interview14 Nov 2025

Brandi Carlile, singer-songwriter: I believe in the separation of church and state

‘I believe so profoundly in the separation of church and state, and in the dangers of theocracy creeping into the corners of a democracy’

BBC Music Correspondent Mark Savage speaks to US singer-songwriter, producer and performer Brandi Carlile about the personal and political stories behind her songs.

An LGBTQ icon, she sets out her fears about the threat to same-sex marriage in today’s United States, and the impact that has had on her own family. And she shares the strain her own sexuality put on her relationship with her mother while growing up in rural America. It was country music, she says, that brought them together.

Brandi Carlile has won eleven Grammy awards, been nominated for an Oscar, and worked with Elton John and Joni Mitchell. Now releasing her eighth album, she reveals she went into the studio with no songs prepared, only feelings and nostalgia, resulting in a deeply personal record reflecting on childhood memories, parenthood and politics.

Thank you to Mark Savage for his help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Mark Savage Producer: Lucy Sheppard Editor: Justine Lang

Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.

(Image: Brandi Carlile Credit: Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Episoder(1893)

Melanie Perkins, Canva CEO: From information to imagination

Melanie Perkins, Canva CEO: From information to imagination

Zoe Kleinman, the BBC’s Technology editor, speaks to Canva CEO Melanie Perkins about the current tech and AI revolution that is transforming the internet and the world. Perkins, who is still only in ...

5 Des 202522min

Anika Wells, Communications Minister: Australia’s social media ban

Anika Wells, Communications Minister: Australia’s social media ban

“This is giving parents another weapon in their arsenal for their lives and for the happiness and mental wellbeing of their children.”Katy Watson speaks to Australia’s Communication Minister Anika Wel...

3 Des 202524min

Shabana Mahmood, British Home Secretary: Do not make that boat crossing

Shabana Mahmood, British Home Secretary: Do not make that boat crossing

Nick Robinson speaks to Shabana Mahmood, British Home Secretary, about her far-reaching proposals to shake up the UK immigration system, designed to make asylum seekers think twice before attempting t...

1 Des 202524min

Maria Ressa, freedom of speech campaigner: The information apocalypse is threatening democracy

Maria Ressa, freedom of speech campaigner: The information apocalypse is threatening democracy

Marianna Spring, the BBC’s social media investigations correspondent, speaks to Nobel Peace Prize-winning journalist Maria Ressa, co-founder of the independent Filipino news outlet Rappler.With over 4...

28 Nov 202525min

Sir Nick Clegg, former global affairs chief at Meta: Social media’s power paradox

Sir Nick Clegg, former global affairs chief at Meta: Social media’s power paradox

Amol Rajan speaks to Sir Nick Clegg - former deputy Prime Minister of the UK and, more recently, former President of Global Affairs at Meta - about big tech, AI and the future of social media.Sir Nick...

26 Nov 202522min

Twinkle Khanna, author: Indian women’s aspirations have changed

Twinkle Khanna, author: Indian women’s aspirations have changed

‘When it comes to women's lives, things have progressed, maybe not always in a linear way.’Devina Gupta speaks to author and columnist Twinkle Khanna about the lives of women in 21st century India. ...

22 Nov 202522min

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google: AI prone to errors

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google: AI prone to errors

“The current state of the art AI technology is prone to some errors… you have to learn to use these tools for what they are good at, and not blindly trust everything they say.”Faisal Islam speaks to S...

21 Nov 202522min

Sir Anthony Hopkins, actor: I turn turmoil into energy

Sir Anthony Hopkins, actor: I turn turmoil into energy

‘So-called turmoil or shortcomings in my life? I turn them into power or energy’Best known for playing the serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the 1991 thriller ‘The Silence of the Lambs’, Sir Anthon...

19 Nov 202522min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
forklart
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
stopp-verden
popradet
fotballpodden-2
nokon-ma-ga
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-gukild-johaug
det-store-bildet
rss-ness
hanna-de-heldige
aftenbla-bla
rss-dannet-uten-piano
rss-utenrikskomiteen-med-bogen-og-grasvik
frokostshowet-pa-p5
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk