Raffi

23rd April 2024

Throughout his nearly fifty year music career, Raffi has fought for kids. He’s done it with beautiful, fun, and funny music. He’s also done it as an activist. Raffi is on the really short list of children’s performers who connect directly with the youngest people. When we last chatted with Raffi, he had just released his 2014 album Love Bug. He talked to us about the album, his early childhood in Egypt, his social activism and why he’s dedicated his life to entertaining children.

Episode notes

(Photo: Craft Recordings)

Throughout his nearly fifty year music career, Raffi has fought for kids. He’s done it with beautiful, fun, and funny music. He’s also done it as an activist. Raffi is on the really short list of children’s performers who connect directly with the youngest people. With an open heart, untainted by the slightest condescension.  

He’s one of the best known children’s performers in the world. Over the years he’s released memorable tracks like “Baby Beluga” and “Bananaphone” and renditions of folk songs like “Down By the Bay.”

After years of working on his foundation – the Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring – he returned to the road and record stores with his 2014 album Love Bug. At the time, it was his first new album in over a decade. 

Well now it’s 2024 and Raffi is still recording, still touring and still advocating for young, vulnerable voices. He just released a brand new album – his 24th – it’s called Penny Penguin.

When Raffi joined us back in 2014, he talked to us about his early childhood in Egypt, his social activism, and why he’s dedicated his life to entertaining children.

In this episode...

Senior Producer
Producer
Maximum Fun Producer
Maximum Fun Production Fellow
Video Editor

Guests

  • Raffi

About the show

Bullseye is a celebration of the best of arts and culture in public radio form. Host Jesse Thorn sifts the wheat from the chaff to bring you in-depth interviews with the most revered and revolutionary minds in our culture.

Bullseye has been featured in Time, The New York Times, GQ and McSweeney’s, which called it “the kind of show people listen to in a more perfect world.” Since April 2013, the show has been distributed by NPR.

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People

Senior Producer

Producer

Maximum Fun Producer

Maximum Fun Production Fellow

Video Editor

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