‘Sinners’ Songwriter Raphael Saadiq
Fresh Air
NPR
4.3 • 36.1K Ratings
🗓️ 13 February 2026
⏱️ 47 minutes
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Summary
Singer, songwriter, and producer Raphael Saadiq is known for his work as a member of Tony! Toni! Toné!, as a solo artist, and for his work producing and writing for artists like Solange, D’Angelo, Beyoncé, John Legend, and more. “I Lied to You,” the song he co-wrote for the film ‘Sinners,’ has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song. He spoke with Tonya Mosley.
Also, we remember jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist Ken Peplowski. His playing was influenced by classical techniques, swing and traditional jazz.
Justin Chang reviews Emerald Fennell’s ‘Wuthering Heights.’
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all. |
| 0:11.5 | On the web at theshmit.org. |
| 0:15.0 | This is fresh air. I'm David B. and Cooley. |
| 0:17.8 | Raphael Sadiq is a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. |
| 0:23.6 | Something I've been going to tell you for a long time. |
| 0:28.6 | It might hurt you. |
| 0:30.4 | Hope you don't lose your mind. |
| 0:33.1 | Well, I was just a boy. |
| 0:35.5 | About eight years old, |
| 0:37.9 | and threw me a Bible on my Mississippi rope. |
| 0:42.5 | See, I love your papa. |
| 0:45.0 | You did all you could do. |
| 0:47.3 | And they say the truth hurts. |
| 0:49.4 | So I lied to you. |
| 0:52.0 | The song I Lied to You, which he co-wrote with Ludwig Gorenson for the film's Sinners, |
| 0:57.5 | is nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song. |
| 1:01.0 | It's a gospel blues ballad inspired by his own church roots and gospel upbringing and recurged throughout the film. |
| 1:08.6 | At the start of his career, Sadiq toured with Prince, playing bass |
| 1:12.8 | in Sheila E's backup band. Then, with his brother and cousin, he formed the R&B band, Tony, Tony, |
| 1:19.8 | and followed that with his R&B supergroup, Lucy Pearl. He's had numerous solo albums and singles. |
| 1:33.3 | Raphael Sadiq also has built a career writing and collaborating with some of the biggest names in music, including Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Stevie Wonder, Solange, DeAngelo, Earth Wind and Fire, and Erica Badoo. |
| 1:42.3 | Tanya Mosley spoke with Rapha Rafael Sadiq last summer. |
... |
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