'Take 5 With Zan Rowe' Season Five Guest Stars Line-up Revealed

Shania Twain

After four excellent seasons with increasingly famous guest stars, Take 5 with Zan Rowe returns for its fifth season next month.

Hosting an incredible line-up of global music, cultural, and political icons, the fifth season premieres on ABC TV on Thursday, 20 August, at 8:30 pm. Plus, all episodes will be available to stream on ABC iView.

This year, Zan Rowe will interview country music superstars Shania Twain and Lainey Wilson, former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Midnight Oil singer Peter Garrett, Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, Savage Garden’s Darren Hayes, the genre-defying Genesis Owusu, and ARIA Hall of Fame sister duo, Vika & Linda Bull.

Across each episode, Take 5 with Zan Rowe will explore each star’s memories and key moments, outlining the moments soundtracked by music. Every guest selects five songs tied to a personal theme selected by Rowe, with stories of love, loss, identity, and resilience often captured in the conversations.

According to a press release, Twain is set to recall childhood experiences of poverty; Hayes will share a deeply personal story of healing; Byrne will unveil the creative curiosity that has defined his career; Jacinda Ardern will reveal the songs that guided her leadership journey; and Garrett is set to share his soundtrack for change.

Elsewhere, Wilson will discuss the songs that keep her grounded amid whirlwind success, Genesis Owusu is set to examine his remarkable evolution, and Vika & Linda will reveal stories of family, harmony, and sisterhood.

Take 5 with Zan Rowe was renewed for a fifth season in November, and it was also announced that, for the first time, the new season would expand from six to eight episodes.  

Rowe addressed the renewal on Instagram, thanking fans and the ABC for their support and reminding followers that Take 5 began and continues as a dedicated podcast.

“Take 5 returns to @abciview in 2026 and we’re making more!” Rowe said. “8 episodes of beautiful music convos for your eyes and ears. Thank you for your support and love of this show, and celebration of how songs tell the story of who we are. 🩷

“Take 5 began - and continues - as a long running podcast. So while you wait for the next season, dive into the Take 5 pod for literally hundreds of life affirming conversations. 🧡 Thanks x.”

Season four of Take 5 aired last September and October. It featured an impressive roster of entertainers, including Spice Girls’ Melanie C, comedian Aaron Chen, Mystic River actor Kevin Bacon, global pop superstar Lorde, Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, and Australian troubadour Paul Kelly.

Previous seasons of Take 5 With Zan Rowe have featured songs and interviews with Dannii Minogue, Bill Bailey, Neil Finn, Noel Gallagher, Bernard Fanning, Jimmy Barnes, Natalie Imbruglia, Missy Higgins, Keith Urban, and others.

For more Take 5, check out the podcast on Double J and ABC Listen, and watch seasons one to four of Take 5 with Zan Rowe on ABC iView.