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Starting today, your subway trip may sound a lot different.
As we reported back in November, the MTA has teamed up with @NewYorkNico (Nicolas Heller), the “unofficial talent scout of New York City,” to find the perfect New Yorkers to provide the new voices of the MTA. (AKA that robotic "Stand clear of the closing doors" message may soon be a thing of the past.)
Back then, Heller told us that the criteria for selecting the voices weren’t exactly set in stone. “There is no real determination for who is iconic,” he said. “It’s really just who the people think is worthy of the honor! I want the people of New York to be a huge part of the whole process.”
After recommendations were crowdsourced through Instagram, the 25 new voices are set to be rolled out throughout the subway and bus system today. The illustrious list of brand-new underground narrators includes Jerry Seinfeld, Whoopi Goldberg, Debi Mazar, Desus & Mero and even noted New Yorker Fran Lebowitz.
The MTA provided the talent with rough scripts but encouraged them to improvise with their messages. If you want to hear them in full, you’ll have to catch a subway or bus in the future. And as always, don’t forget that face mask when you do.
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