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For Thundercat, distraction can be a powerful creative tool

There are a million things competing for your attention. Your job. Your family. That errand you need to run. That chore you still haven't finished. And, of course, your phone — and the entire internet and social media ecosystem that's designed to pull you away from everything else.

But do your best to stay focused today, because our guest knows exactly how you feel.

Thundercat is a renowned bassist whose Grammy Awards include one for his work on Kendrick Lamar's "These Walls" from To Pimp a Butterfly, as well as one for his 2020 album, It Is What It Is. His new album is Distracted, and in this conversation, we talk about distraction — and why it might actually fuel creativity. He also reflects on his friendship with the late Mac Miller, who appears on the album.

This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Miguel Perez. Our senior producer is Kimberly Junod and our engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Raina Douris, an award-winning radio personality from Toronto, Ontario, comes to World Cafe from the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), where she was host and writer for the daily live, national morning program Mornings on CBC Music. She was also involved with Canada's highest music honors: hosting the Polaris Music Prize Gala from 2017 to 2019, as well as serving on the jury for both that award and the Juno Awards. Douris has also served as guest host and interviewer for various CBC Music and CBC Radio programs, and red carpet host and interviewer for the Juno Awards and Canadian Country Music Association Awards, as well as a panelist for such renowned CBC programs as Metro Morning, q and CBC News.
Miguel Perez
Miguel Perez is a radio producer for NPR's World Cafe, based out of WXPN in Philadelphia. Before that, he covered arts, music and culture for KERA in Dallas. He reported on everything from the rise of NFTs in the music industry to the enduring significance of gay and lesbian bars to the LGBTQ community in North Texas.