“If you like my storytelling, this is your jam.” Jason Reynolds Goes All Audio with “Soundtrack”

I’m going to need to preface today’s post.

Imagine you’re at work one day and a package, that looks like this, comes in the mail:

Naturally, you are curious. It’s a big box. Somewhat light but you figure there must be a book in there somewhere. Your figuring, as it turns out, could not be more wrong. Instead a book, what you see inside is this:

And this…

About this point you’re thinking to yourself, “That’s not a real record that you’d play on a record player is it? And the answer is…

It IS a real record! Apparently it plays Chapter 7. That’s because this is the newest Jason Reynolds project. It is an audiobook. And it is not, in any way shape or form, being rendered in a print form. It was described to me in this way by its publicist:

“PRH Audio is thrilled to be working with YA author Jason Reynolds on SOUNDTRACK, which will be available exclusively as an audiobook this June (Listening Library, on sale 6/3/25; additional detail is below). Jason wrote the book early in his career, before many of his most acclaimed works, but it’s never been published before – and it’s a perfect fit for the audio medium.

SOUNDTRACK tells the story of a group of New York City kids who form a band that becomes a sensation after they start performing in the subway. It features a full cast of 20 voices and original music by GRAMMY-winning composer Justin Ellington (who teaches at Yale and has worked with the likes of Usher and Nicki Minaj).”

This struck me as particularly interesting. Only audio? No print? I needed to know more. Good thing I was given a chance to talk to Jason himself, as well as his producers Dan Zitt and Brian Ramcharan. After all, I had more than a few questions:

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Betsy Bird: Jason! Thanks so much for answering some of my questions today. I confess that this latest project of yours has my poor children’s librarian mind a bit befuddled. You are, if I’m reading this correctly, releasing a story that is available ONLY through the audiobook format? Moreover, you wrote it early in your career but it’s never been published (until now). I think I speak for everyone when I say that I’d love a little more detail and explanation of what SOUNDTRACK really is. Did you always envision it as an audio version of itself alone? And what inspired you to release it now?

Jason Reynolds: I completely understand your befuddlement. And to be honest, I had no idea this story would come to life in this form. It was and is a novel, written back in 2015 just after As Brave As You. I loved it then and love it now, but before we—my editor and I—could even begin to edit it, Brendan and I turned in All American Boys. Obviously, at the time, that book was a bit more prescient, so Soundtrack got bumped. Then came Ghost and those books. After that came Long Way Down. And in the wake of the books that would ultimately build my career, Soundtrack got pushed into a corner, or should I say, tucked into a drawer, which is where it stayed until I got a call from Dan Zitt. Dan and I had worked together in the past and I have a lot of respect for what he does, and I trusted him enough to hear him out. He asked if I had anything that could go straight to audio. I told him I had this project about music that’s never seen the light of day. And that’s that. I’m just happy this story gets to live in the world.

BB: Since you just mentioned Dan Zitt, let’s talk to him and Brian Ramcharan about their part. Fellas, I really appreciate you talking to me about this incredible project. Honestly, I’d like to start by just getting the nitty-gritty down. How did you first hear about this project? What appealed to you about it? And what were some of the challenges that you detected right from the start?

Dan Zitt: ​​Jason Reynolds and I have known each other for quite a while, and I’d always hoped we’d collaborate on something meaningful. Then Soundtrack landed on my desk. I read it in one sitting and immediately thought, How is this not already an audiobook?

I knew right away that we needed to do more than just narrate it—we needed to build an experience. So I reached out to Brian, someone on my team with a deeper understanding of music and composition, and we started dreaming up what Soundtrack could become for listeners. We imagined a fully immersive production: a full cast, layered sound design, and of course, original music that could hold its own as a character in the story.

I felt we had a strong vision for how to take an already compelling text and turn it into something truly riveting. So we reached out to Jason, and we had a great conversation about how to bring it to life. In a way, it felt like destiny—because the very first time Jason and I ever hung out, we spent the evening talking about music. This felt like a natural continuation of that connection.

What drew me most to the project—beyond Jason having written it—was my love for New York City and its sound. Even the annoying ones. The city has its own rhythm, its own heartbeat, its own hidden melodies we often tune out because we’re so used to wearing headphones. I wanted to capture the sound of NYC in a way that hadn’t been done in an audiobook before.

The biggest challenge was weaving all these elements—dialogue, music, ambient sound—into a cohesive symphony that honored Jason’s vision. Projects like this involve constant discovery. With every scene, we asked ourselves: How can we heighten this moment? How can we bring the soundscape of NYC to life in a way that makes you feel like you’re right there on the subway with the band?

They were big challenges—but the kind you dream of having.

Brian Ramcharan: Dan mentioned this title was ours in early 2024, and since Dan and I are both huge fans of music we thought it was only right that we co-produce this one.  Shortly after reading the script a few times, we immediately knew that we could truly push the boundaries of audiobook production and display our talents as producers on this title.  Dan and I have an affinity for the live music scene here in NYC, and in our opinion, this book is an accurate and true depiction of live music in this city that we love so much.  Since we are so passionate about the subject, we pushed ourselves to give listeners a fully immersive experience.

BB: Well, Jason, many is the book written with a print audience in mind foremost, and an audiobook listening audience secondary (at best). You’ve upended these expectations. I know you wrote this years ago, but when you were re-reading it again with this project in mind, did you approach it differently than you might a print text?

Jason: You know, what’s funny is that I actually didn’t want to touch it. I think it would’ve been slippery for me to go back into it with an audio audience in mind. So, I handled this the way I handle all my collaborations, which is to say I trust my partners. I told Dan and his team that I would submit the raw manuscript, and they, the experts, could tweak however they saw fit to make it work for audio. Turns out, they didn’t have to tweak it much! I made it as a musical experience on the page, so it matters to me that my instincts were pretty close to being spot-on as it pertains to the feel of it.

BB: Along those lines, Dan and Brian, in what ways is this project different, say, than a standard audiobook production? What were some of the logistics?

Brian: First, the band SOUNDTRACK is a jam band, meaning all of the music they perform is fully improvisational.  There are no pre-written songs, so we had to work with the brilliant Justin Ellington (the composer for SOUNDTRACK) to develop a workflow in which he could score the audiobook as one would score a film.  We sent Justin a fully assembled VO track and he was able to score the audiobook based on text clues in Jason’s writing.  Second, the sound design aspect was incredibly detailed.  We really tried to paint as accurate of a picture that we could of living in NYC.  Everything from subway announcements, to door knocks/locks, to street food vendors, to tone and reverberations of voices in different environments were considered.  There are elements we incorporated to this title that have also never been done in an audiobook before, such as recording a live tap dancer to replicate clips of Savion Glover.  All of these elements happening around our incredible cast of 21 narrators turned out to be a recipe for magic. 

 Dan: We’ve produced many full-cast, fully sound-designed projects, but this was the first time we brought on a composer to create music for an improvisational band. It was a leap of faith. You can talk about what the music should sound like, but there’s always the risk that you and your collaborators aren’t hearing the same thing in your heads.

That’s where Justin Ellington came in. His music—and the stems he provided throughout the production—made this project something truly special. Justin has an intuitive grasp of improvisational sound, and he brought in a group of incredibly talented musicians to help us craft the authentic feel of this band.

Another major challenge was giving each character a distinct and believable voice. They all have strong, individual points of view, and we needed actors who could fully embody their personalities—while also sounding like real kids from New York City. Jason gave us an incredible roadmap with his dialogue, but until you hear the right actor bring that dialogue to life, you’re flying a plane without a pilot.

BB: Well, here’s a thought. Jason, in terms of audience, I just don’t have a clear cut sense, personally, of how kids today use audiobooks. For this project to get off the ground in the first place, you clearly have a much better understanding. So if you could, tell us a little bit about the relationship between kids and audiobooks today and how SOUNDTRACK fits into all of that.

 Jason: I think it has less to do with making sure every kid listens to this, and more to do with making sure the kids who gravitate toward this kind of storytelling and this kind of format listen to it. It’s not meant to be a catch-all. None of my stories, in all their various forms, are. Soundtrack is simply meant to be interesting. To be cool. And to activate the senses in a way that sparks the imagination. Whether it’s being listened to in class, or in the car on the way to school, or while cleaning the house on Saturday morning doesn’t really matter to me. It belongs where it belongs and it belongs to who it belongs to. There are so many people who have listened to my books and haven’t ever “read” a single word. This shouldn’t be any difference. If you like my storytelling, this is your jam.

BB: You’ve had your books produced as audiobooks before in the past. How has this particular production differed from those adaptations?

 Jason: The only difference this time around is the production value. They really went all in. It’s not just transitional ditties to get from one scene to the next. No, this time, it’s full-on sound design, making it feel like just as much movie as it does book. I’ve never experienced anything like it.

BB: Speaking of which, Dan and Brian, the press for SOUNDTRACK mentions that the production team interviewed a hundred people for this project and then cast twenty. What qualities did those twenty, specifically, bring to this project?

Dan: Authenticity above all. From the start, our mission was clear: cast native New Yorkers who could genuinely inhabit these characters. That kind of casting takes time. There’s no shortage of talent here, but we were looking for something specific—voices that naturally embodied the spirit and nuance of each band member.

Stuy is thoughtful and a bit naïve. Dunks is eccentric—an alien, as he puts it. Alexis is quiet but carries enormous presence. And Keith? Keith doesn’t suffer fools. These personalities are distinct, and it was essential that listeners could hear those distinctions.

What was remarkable—and honestly, a little magical—was how closely the actors mirrored the characters they were playing. Mehki Hewling originally came in to read for Alexis because he’s a big guy, but the moment we heard him, we thought, this dude’s an alien too. So we asked him to read for Dunks—and just like that, Dunks came to life.

All of the actors shed their own skin and fully inhabited these roles. Their performances are believable, nuanced, and deeply personal—not just to them, but to us. That’s the beauty of going deep, of really taking the time to cast a project like this with care.

If you do the work—and stay patient—you’ll find the right people. And we did.

Brian: Jason always writes his characters with so much depth, and it was important to us to find actors that can display that depth appropriately.  All of the band members have very unique and BIG personalities, and most importantly they are all creatives.  We also made sure we cast true New Yorkers in order to capture the slang and accent correctly.  In our group recording session, it was so heartwarming seeing all of our actors together building relationships just as the band does in the book.  After our first hour of being in the studio with everyone, Dan and I knew we had the right folks to voice these characters.

BB: Well, Jason, would you be interested in pursuing more audio-only literary productions in the future, or was this a single time you wanted to try it?

Jason: Hmmm, I never say never. Art is about openness. I’m open.

BB: What about you, Dan and Brain? Would you have any potential interest in doing more productions like SOUNDTRACK in the future?

Brian: I would love to, and I know we will!  I have a musical background, and I feel like I had the opportunity to use practically everything I’ve learned in audio over my 10+ year career during this audiobook production.  This was an experience that I believe is a highlight of my career.

 Dan: I’ve been producing audiobooks for nearly thirty years, and this production stands out as one of the most meaningful of my career. The team behind it—the actors, our sound designer, the composer, Jason Reynolds, and so many others who lent their talents—made it feel like a true family affair.

This project transcends the audiobook medium. You don’t just hear the story—you feel the love, the collaboration, and the passion that went into every moment. It was a humbling experience—the most creatively fulfilling of my career.

So yes, I would jump at the chance to make a hundred more like Soundtracks.

BB: Finally, and this is for you, Jason, what’s next for you? What do you have coming up in the future?

Jason: What’s next? So much! I have a few picture books coming. I have Coach, the fifth and last book in the Track series coming in a few months. I’ve got an adult thing coming and a few other projects I’m just not ready to talk about yet. But like I said, I’m open! There’s so much beauty coming in, and I hope a sliver of it might just be returned to the world through me. Trying to give some beauty back. So…I’m open. And I’m working, Betsy. I’m working. 

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Yes. He. Is.

I can’t thank Jason, Dan, and Brian enough for taking so much time to answer my questions today. And thanks too to Kate Smith and the team at Penguin Random House Audio Listening Library for helping to put this talk all together. The audiobook of Soundtrack is out June 3rd so be sure to listen for it then. Incredible stuff from an incredible author and team.

Filed under: Interviews