Barack Obama has launched a new podcast series called Renegades: Born In The USA with guest Bruce Springsteen.

The Boss joined the former president for “a long and meaningful conversation” last year, which will be presented to listeners over eight episodes.

The first two instalments of the series landed on Spotify earlier today (February 22), with the remaining six set to arrive in the coming weeks.

In a trailer for the podcast, Obama noted: “On the surface, Bruce and I don’t have a lot in common. He’s a white guy from a small town in Jersey. I’m a black guy of mixed race, born in Hawaii. He’s a rock ‘n’ roll icon. I’m… not as cool.”

Last year, I sat down with my good friend Bruce @Springsteen for a long and meaningful conversation that touched on so much of what we’re all dealing with these days. I’m excited to share it with you over the next few weeks: https://t.co/sQACD08AWx pic.twitter.com/biMoxCLhAG

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 22, 2021

However, the 44th President of the United States said the pair had been on “parallel journeys, looking for a way to connect our own individual searches for meaning, truth, and community with the larger story of America”.

“Over the course of a few days, all just a few miles from where he grew up, we talked,” he added. “What we discovered in these conversations is that we still share a fundamental belief in the American ideal. Not as an act of nostalgia, but as a compass.”

In the trailer, Obama and Springsteen are seen talking about a variety of subjects, from their relationships with their fathers and masculinity, to the rock star’s beginnings in music. Watch it above now.

The first two episodes deal with their friendship and growing up as outsiders, and their early experiences with race and racism.

Springsteen and Obama first met while the latter was on the campaign trail ahead of his 2008 election victory and became friends. In 2017, they went on a yachting holiday together, along with Oprah Winfrey and Tom Hanks.

The musician has also supported Obama’s former vice-president Joe Biden, performing at a virtual inauguration event for the current president last month.

In 2019, Obama and former First Lady Michelle signed a multi-year podcast deal with Spotify, which would see them “develop, produce and appear” on select podcasts through their Higher Ground production company.

The company has also launched its third series Tell Them, I Am, which explores “the small moments in life that define who we are”. The episodes include contributions from actors Ramy Youssef and Alia Shawkat, as well as Queer Eye’s Tan France.