Who hasn’t felt the pangs of embarrassment at shedding a tear during a film with the perfect musical score? Or the equally cringe moment as your teenage music taste is revealed. Either way, when humans come together, music is usually there too.
We love music and the talented people who make it. For some, it's a desert island necessity they can’t live without, whether it's about nostalgia or creative inspiration. Music can lift your mood, fix your focus, or send a message. But what drives and inspires the creators themselves? Here we’ve curated a list of compelling audiobooks created and narrated by a collection of influential artists.
1. Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter | Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson
50 Cent was a household name of rap music but post “Power”, he’s now an executive producer and ambitious marketer. His gripping crime drama explores the darkly glamorous world of cash-cow narcotics mixing dramatic fiction with his own unique perspective. Curtis Jackson himself narrates Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter and offers a window into both the creative and commercial side of his life. It is a testament to his eponymous motif of getting Rich or Die Tryin’, which not only put him on the road to international stardom but helped rap music break into the global mainstream, where it has remained ever since.
2. Natives | Akala
London born Kingslee James McLean Daley, better known as Akala, is a British rapper, journalist, author, activist and poet. His audiobook Natives is a story of contemporary London. He offers a personal insight into how issues of race, class and identity have shaped him over time, forging his character in the crucible of early childhood experience. Akala talks of growing up in one of the world’s most open and multicultural cities, but from a world where historical animosities and prejudices continue to develop narratives. It’s an audiobook that is uncomfortable in parts, but extremely topical in our current environment.
3. Me | Elton John
The world-famous showman Elton John is also widely acknowledged as a national treasure, thanks to the recent success of hit film, Rocketman. Me chronicles the story of the shy boy from suburban London growing up to live out his dreams of becoming a world-famous pop star. Narrated by Taron Egerton, who plays Elton in the film. Me explores the crucial moments, outfits, friendships and tabloid dramas that have made Elton who he is.
It’s a fascinatingly expansive story, packed with joyful and moving tales told in the words of the man himself, who also narrates the introduction and conclusion. From his friendships with John Lennon, George Michael and Lady Diana to his love for his partner David Furnish and their two sons, Me will take you on a journey through the life of one of the world’s most recognisable musicians.
4. Open Book | Jessica Simpson
Open Book tells the story of Jessica Simpson, one of America’s best-known female musicians, who quickly became a national sweetheart after bursting onto the scene at age 15. The audiobook features six new exclusive songs and is brimming with insight, humour, and intimacy.
First celebrated for her voice, she became one of the most talked-about women in the world. Known for her music, fashion and personality, this is the first time she has revealed how it truly feels to be Jessica. It’s a behind the scenes look away from the pop-culture clichés. What results is a delight for the earbuds, mixing equal parts of inspiration, gratitude and compassion.
5. A Better Me | Gary Barlow
While Gary Barlow remains one of the most successful British musicians and songwriters of all time, his personal life hasn’t always been so rosy. After splitting from Take That, Gary started hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons, and his life spiralled downwards. A Better Me tells the story of how he hit rock bottom as an obese, out-of-work and depressed ex-pop star but then found the courage to turn his life around and become full of vitality, fitter, happier and more successful than ever before.
A Better Me is packed with unique anecdotes, profoundly personal insight and honest stories of hope and resolution in the face of despair. The audiobook is a remarkably frank memoir of Gary's life as he battled with weight, stress, fitness and depression, before staging one of the most thrilling professional comebacks in years
6. Chronicles | Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan's Chronicles explores the critical junctions in the life of one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century. Exploring the various literary, artistic and cultural dimensions for which his music would become legendary. This listen is not only revealing and rhythmic but also a passionate and witty portrayal of Dylan’s life and music.
Volume One tells the story of his rise to prominence as a musician, poet and artist, living and working in Greenwich Village, New York City during its legendary golden era as the home of Beatnik culture. Through tales of nightlong parties; literary awakenings; transient loves and unbreakable friendships, not only does Dylan reflect on how his music came to define the zeitgeist of this specific era but he also acknowledges the many people and places that helped shape both the man of yesterday and the artist that we continue to know and love.
7. Acid for the Children | Flea
Acid for the Children tells the unlikely tale of a boy named Flea, whose difficult childhood and rebellious teenage years inspired the music of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Mixing heart-breaking stories of abuse and alcoholism with his fascination for jazz, Flea takes us on a journey from humble origins to the years of his life that define the man and the music we know today.
Now formally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Red Hot Chili Peppers became one of the most successful bands of their era. However, if it wasn’t for Flea’s experience of parental divorce, teenage drug abuse and social delinquency, he would never have met vocalist Anthony Kiedis. Together they formed the band that was to become so famous and influential in the decades to come.
8. Just Kids | Patti Smith
In 1967, a chance meeting in New York City led to a romance and friendship that would take two young people on a journey to global fame. Set against a backdrop of Beatnik literary lights, featuring musicians and artists including Bobby Neuwirth, Allen Ginsberg, Sandy Daley and William Burroughs, Just Kids begins as a simple boy meets girl story. It develops into a beautiful elegy for a generation, exploring the passions, politics and personalities that would go on to shape an era.
Just Kids is not only a prelude to fame but also a scrappy coming-of-age story that will linger long in the memory. Whisking you away into the legendary era of the Chelsea Hotel, Coney Island and Andy Warhol, this listen provides an unforgettable portrait of New York City in its prime. It was the 1960s cultural entrepot where the art and music worlds were continuously meeting, exploding and colliding, fuelled by the ideas of the age.
9. Secrets for the Mad | dodie
Secrets For The Mad: Obsessions, Compulsions and Life Lessons is a compendium of lessons, lyrics and life stories made famous by the British vlogger Dodie Clark, known online as Doddleoddl, created as the audiobook edition of the bestselling book.
Presented as an honest guide for how to deal with obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours. This audiobook tells the story of how to resist, persist and ultimately thrive as a creative professional seeking hope in dark times.
Secrets For The Mad offers a unique insight into the mind of Dodie, whose songs also feature exclusively on the recording. What’s more, it conveys useful and practical advice for all of us with open hearts and restless minds on how to be a more robust, kinder and a better adjusted human.
10. Rise Up | Stormzy
Stormzy is now widely acknowledged as one of the most successful and influential musicians of a modern era. Yet behind the scenes of this seemingly overnight success story is a tale of struggle, passion, fight, grit and grime that often goes untold.
Rise Up is the story of how Stormzy got here—about faith and the ideas worth fighting for. It’s about knowing where you’re from and where you’re going and following your dreams without compromise.
Set against a South London backdrop, Rise Up is Stormzy’s story, in his own words and with his own voice. A tale of his upbringing, his origins as a rap artist and his eventual breakthrough success after years of persistence and hard work, inspired by his Christian faith and by all those who doubted him.
For more inspiring listens, check out our extensive collection of best-selling biographies and memoirs here.
