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A year later, Lydia Liza and Josiah Lemanski talk about rewriting ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’

by Jay Gabler

December 09, 2017

Last December, Minneapolis singer-songwriters Lydia Liza and Josiah Lemanski found themselves with an unexpected viral hit: their rewrite of the holiday standard "Baby It's Cold Outside" climbed the streaming charts and zipped across the internet. The pair gained widespread media attention as the country debated: is "Baby It's Cold Outside" a creepy song? Is this a good way to emphasize the importance of consent? What's so funny about peace, love, and understanding?

This year, the rewrite — released as a single by local nonprofit label Rock the Cause, with proceeds going to organizations addressing sexual violence — is surging in popularity again. I invited Lydia and Josiah to stop by The Current and talk about everything that's happened. Below, watch the interview and their 2016 in-studio performance of the song.

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This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.