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)

Avsnitt(1857)

Dmytro Kuleba: What are Ukraine's options?

Dmytro Kuleba: What are Ukraine's options?

Stephen Sackur speaks to former Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba. Russian forces are gaining ground along the frontline in eastern Ukraine, and US president-elect Donald Trump wants the war to end. What are Ukraine’s options now?

20 Dec 202422min

Marty Baron: Is mainstream media in terminal decline?

Marty Baron: Is mainstream media in terminal decline?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the former editor of the Washington Post, Marty Baron. Donald Trump accused him of peddling lies and fake news. He called it independent evidence-based journalism. Does the re-election of Trump suggest the mainstream media is in terminal decline?

18 Dec 202422min

Terumi Tanaka: Is nuclear war unthinkable?

Terumi Tanaka: Is nuclear war unthinkable?

Stephen Sackur is in Oslo for an exclusive interview with 92-year-old Terumi Tanaka who survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and is receiving the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of Japanese survivors’ group Nihon Hidankyo. Eight decades on, is nuclear war unthinkable, or not?

13 Dec 202422min

Mark Alford: Is America ready for Trump 2.0?

Mark Alford: Is America ready for Trump 2.0?

Stephen Sackur speaks to Republican congressman and Trump loyalist Mark Alford. The president-elect has already made clear his intent to blow up the Washington status quo, from swingeing tariffs to the mass deportation of migrants. Is America ready for Trump 2.0?

6 Dec 202422min

Arab Barghouthi: Will his father shape Palestinians' future?

Arab Barghouthi: Will his father shape Palestinians' future?

Stephen Sackur speaks to Arab Barghouthi. His father, Marwan, is serving life for murder in an Israeli jail, but is widely seen by Palestinians as a potential leader who could unify his people. Does his son believe he will ever be free?

5 Dec 202422min

Peter Boehringer: Is Germany's far right in a powerful position?

Peter Boehringer: Is Germany's far right in a powerful position?

Germany, Europe’s most powerful economy, will hold elections in February after the collapse of Chancellor Scholz's ruling coalition. Stephen Sackur speaks to Peter Boehringer, who is a senior MP for the far-right Alternative for Deutschland party. Is his party too extreme to be a serious contender for national power?

4 Dec 202422min

Barbara Taylor Bradford: A woman of substance

Barbara Taylor Bradford: A woman of substance

Following the death of Barbara Taylor Bradford at the age of 91, another chance to listen to Stephen Sackur’s 2009 interview with the best-selling novelist. A talent for storytelling made her one of the richest women in Britain; her first novel, A Woman of Substance, has sold more than thirty million copies around the world. Adored by her fans and ignored by the critics, Bradford's books featured strong women overcoming life's slings and arrows.Image: Barbara Taylor Bradford (Credit: Caroll Taveras/Bradford Enterprises via PA)

2 Dec 202422min

Liz Carr: The UK's assisted dying debate

Liz Carr: The UK's assisted dying debate

The UK parliament is considering landmark proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. They would, if approved, establish the right for some terminally ill people to choose a medically assisted death. Several European nations, Canada, and a number of US states have already gone down this road. Stephen Sackur speaks to actor and disability rights campaigner Liz Carr. Is the focus on a ‘good death’ detracting from the right to a good life?

28 Nov 202422min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

svenska-fall
p3-krim
rss-krimstad
motiv
flashback-forever
aftonbladet-krim
rss-viva-fotboll
spar
krimmagasinet
rss-sanning-konsekvens
rss-krimreportrarna
blenda-2
politiken
fordomspodden
rss-vad-fan-hande
rss-frandfors-horna
olyckan-inifran
grans
rss-flodet
svd-nyhetsartiklar