WILLIAMSBURG — The ninth annual On Air Fest wrapped up its final day of programming on Thursday, Feb. 26, with appearances from Wyclef Jean, Alec Baldwin, Malcolm Gladwell, Jacob Collier, Seth Meyers, Philip DeFranco and many more.
The two-day festival, which spanned the grounds of the Wythe Hotel, Arlo Hotel and XXV Venue in Williamsburg, was attended by hundreds of podcasters, artists, creatives and fans. Thursday included 27 different panels and performances.
The storytelling summit with podcasting origins also hosted booths from NPR, B&H Photo and others.
A projection of the On Air Fest logo is displayed inside the XXV Venue Creator Hall on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. Photo: Owen Lavine/Brooklyn EaglePodcast Recap: Wyclef Jean tars and towels himself, then relives recording with Whitney Houston
Following a live recording of Seth and Josh Meyers’ podcast “Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers,” hip-hop hitmaker and Brooklynite by way of Haiti Wyclef Jean held court in the Wythe Hotel with Sam Sanders of SiriusXM’s “Vibe Check” and music journalist Justin Richmond of the “Broken Records” podcast.
Jean kicked things off with a retelling of how his “first” song was made.
It was Mardi Gras in the small Haitian village where Jean spent his first years, and he needed a costume. “So, I put a bunch of tar on … and then I put a bunch of rags [on],” the Fugees member explained.
Musician Wyclef Jean, left, and podcast hosts Justin Richmond, center, and Sam Sanders, right, speak during a panel at the Wythe Hotel during On Air Fest on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. Photo: Owen Lavine/Brooklyn Eagle
However, not everyone took a liking to his costume. Jean had befriended a pack of stray dogs in his village, and his new getup left him unrecognizable to his friends. “The dogs see me and they literally all come to attack because they couldn’t recognize me,” Jean said.
Jean let out a melodic yelp as they jumped on him. To his surprise, “they all just started licking me.” His mom dubbed the yelp his “first song.”
It was the “worst song I’ve ever written,”Jean said. “But it saved my life.”
Musician Wyclef Jean, left, and podcast hosts Justin Richmond, center, and Sam Sanders, right, speak during a panel at the Wythe Hotel during On Air Fest on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. Photo: Owen Lavine/Brooklyn Eagle
Later, Jean relived his time working with Whitney Houston, the “most intimidating” person he’s ever been in the studio with.
During the recording of their 1999 hit “My Love Is Your Love,” Houston had dropped a note he thought was “flat.”
“Ms. Whitney Houston,” Jean said squeamishly, reenacting the way he said it to her. “You’re gonna have to do that one again. It came out a little flat.”
The panel’s audience went silent, as did the studio, Jean said. “I was like, I’m f—ed.”
“Baby, it’s not flat … I bent the note,” Houston replied. Jean went back and replayed the tape. She was right.
“That just blew my mind,” Jean said.