Sunday Edition: ASMR Tingles w/ The French Whisperer

Summary

The Nightly – Sunday Edition: ASMR Tingles w/ The French Whisperer

Episode Date: August 9, 2026
Hosts: Greta Johnsen, Matt Bragg
Guest: The French Whisperer (Vincent)
Topic: A Deep Dive into ASMR and Its Use as a Nightly Distraction

---

Episode Overview

This episode of The Nightly focuses on ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) as a method for relaxation before sleep. Prompted by a listener conversation earlier in the week about using audio—and specifically ASMR—for bedtime distractions, Greta invites Vincent, known as The French Whisperer and a prolific ASMR creator, to discuss the genre, its misconceptions, and its effects. The tone is thoughtful, introspective, and calming, matching the subject matter.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introducing the Topic: Why ASMR?

• Greta recounts a conversation with co-host Matt and caller Greg about using ASMR for relaxation, noting Matt's unfamiliarity with the phenomenon.
• To address this, the show aims to explain ASMR and invite expert insight, providing listeners with a practical, human perspective.
• [00:01–01:51]

What is ASMR?

• Vincent's definition:
  • “If I was in charge of the terminology, I would just call that the tingles.” (Vincent, 05:04)
  • Describes it as "a sensation that apparently some people experience and others don't... typically when listening to certain sounds or certain voices, especially voices with accents, or people speaking softly..." (Vincent, 05:16–05:34)
  • Physical sensation: tingles in the scalp or back, leading to relaxed engagement.
• Clarifies that ASMR refers to the sensation, while "ASMR content" is designed to trigger or reproduce that sensation in listeners.
• Emphasizes the subjectivity (“It's very personal...as far as I'm concerned, it happens to me maybe twice, three times a year…”) and that ASMR content is often appreciated for its soothing, calming qualities, even if it rarely triggers the full ASMR response.
• [04:38–07:05]

The “Soothing vs. Boring” Dilemma

• Greta asks: How do you toe the line between soothing and boring?
• Vincent: "I don't know. Actually, people draw the line. I just do what I feel like doing." (02:59)
• The goal is to calm without boring: gently engaging listeners as a way to distract from daily stresses.
• ASMR is often associated with whispering, but this is only a small part of a wide practice.
• [02:50–07:05]

The Art of ASMR Content Creation

• Vincent’s background:
  • Inspired by late-night radio; enjoyed the muted, calm atmosphere of interviews on NPR/BBC.
  • Began creating ASMR content after learning about the phenomenon and recognizing the sensation from his own life.
• Educational “Sleep Ed” Approach:
  • “I do like homemade documentaries to fall asleep to.” (Vincent, 02:37)
  • Finds it important to include stories or educational material, especially in audio-only formats, to keep people gently engaged:
    • “I try to inject content or things to say... I needed to find stories to tell or something educational.” (Vincent, 08:29)
• Each episode can involve 50–70 hours of work, largely driven by personal curiosity and enjoyment of research.
• [03:08–13:36]

Challenges and Choices in Topic Selection

• He avoids topics that could be upsetting or too stimulating, even though personally interested in military history or horror.
  • “If I had my way, there would be plenty of stuff on my channel about military history, about horror stories, that sort of thing. But many people don't like to fall asleep to that for some reason.” (Vincent, 14:30)
• Listener sensitivities can be unpredictable—he mentions viewers who were distressed by the mention of “Schrödinger’s Cat.”
  • “I had immediately half a dozen people complaining that thinking about a dead cat was upsetting.” (Vincent, 15:59)
• [14:19–16:22]

Techniques for a Relaxing Audio Experience

• Voice Qualities:
  • A relaxing voice should be “a little bit monotonous,” but above all, natural.
  • He consciously maintains a slower pace to avoid rushing, edits out breathing noises, and regulates his tone for consistency.
  • Begins each recording with intentional slowness but lets editing do some of the smoothing work.
  • “When I start speaking softly, my voice immediately, naturally goes down, it becomes deeper. So I speak like this, basically.” (Vincent, 20:45)
• Accent as Asset:
  • Started producing content in English because “voices with accents were very appreciated in the ASMR community.”
• [11:10–13:18; 20:22–21:05]

ASMR and Bedtime Routines

• ASMR helps people break the “frantic rhythm of the day” and welcomes them into a slower, less stimulating pace suitable for sleep.
  • “It forces you to accept a much slower pace, an atmosphere in which the stakes are relatively low.” (Vincent, 16:34)
• Advice for better nighttime media:
  • "Long form content is absolutely necessary. If you jump from one piece of content to another, like scrolling on TikTok, you’re absolutely never going to go into a space where you can sleep." (Vincent, 17:21)
  • Suggests content that is “mildly engaging”—not boring, but not too fascinating or exciting either.
• The ultimate goal: form a positive routine so that listeners look forward to bedtime.
  • “It is so convenient when you're going to bed and you kind of anticipate this moment positively. It also helps you to go to bed earlier...if there’s something waiting for you that you are impatient or mildly impatient to return to.” (Vincent, 19:49)
• [16:22–20:22]

Favorite Topics and Aspirations

• Vincent would love to produce content on more complex science topics (“Gold Theory”), smaller pages of history, and under-the-radar subjects from European and African history.
• Finds research intrinsically satisfying and wants listeners to “learn a couple things and slowly drift to sleep.”
• [18:45–19:44]

Sample of ASMR Voice

• Greta asks for a demonstration of his signature “purring voice.” Vincent gives a brief example:
  • “Welcome to this podcast. That’s what I would call my purring voice, if you want...I speak slowly, intentionally, slowly and softly.” (Vincent, 20:34–20:45)
• Greta comments “Lovely.”
• No strain involved, just a slight veil after long sessions.
• [20:22–21:25]

Closing Ritual: Saying Goodnight

• Greta invites Vincent to close with a goodnight in his ASMR voice:
  • Vincent: “Thanks for listening to this podcast. Have a good night. Sweet dreams. Au revoir.” (21:37)
• Greta shares a personal goodnight to her college roommate, Ann, thanking her for introducing her to ASMR.
• [21:25–23:01]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On defining ASMR:

  • “If I was in charge of the terminology, I would just call that the tingles.” (Vincent, 05:04)

• On listener sensitivities:

  • “I had immediately half a dozen people complaining that thinking about a dead cat was upsetting.” (Vincent, 15:59)

• On the bedtime routine:

  • “It is so convenient when you're going to bed and you kind of anticipate this moment positively.” (Vincent, 19:49)

• On content creation:

  • “Each piece I make is just 50, 60, 70 hours of work, which doesn't really feel like work because I like researching...for my personal curiosity.” (Vincent, 13:36)

• ASMR demo:

  • “Welcome to this podcast. That’s what I would call my purring voice, if you want...I speak slowly, intentionally, slowly and softly.” (Vincent, 20:34–20:45)

---

Quick Reference Timestamps

• [01:17] – Listener Greg describes using ASMR for relaxation
• [04:38] – Vincent succinctly defines ASMR and its sensations
• [08:29] – Discussion on challenges in creating engaging yet relaxing content
• [14:30] – Decision to avoid intense topics in ASMR content
• [16:34] – How ASMR helps disrupt the day's frantic pace
• [17:21 & 17:58] – Advice on intentional, long-form, mildly engaging bedtime media
• [19:49] – Ideal effect of a positive evening listening routine
• [20:34] – Live example of Vincent’s “purring” ASMR voice

---

Summary: Why Listen?

This episode of The Nightly offers an accessible, deeply human look at both the practicalities and mysteries of ASMR from one of the genre’s most respected creators. Whether you’re ASMR-curious or a nightly devotee of sleep-inducing soundscapes, this conversation explores how gentle stories, soothing voices, and intentional content can help you unwind and build better sleep routines. The dialogue is warm, honest, and full of both practical tips and calming presence—perfect for anyone seeking a new ritual at bedtime.

Transcript

[A]

Audio for sleep by hatch. Hey, I'm Greta. Welcome to the nightly from Hatch where your late night thoughts go to rest. I am super excited to be back in the pillow fort. I did a couple episodes, I think it was probably last month, but this time I am actually sticking around. You will be hearing more of me. So I'm excited about that. I hope you are too. As you know, every Sunday we do a deep dive into a topic that was brought to us by one of our callers from the week. And today we are going to be talking a little more about the idea of distractions before bedtime. This week's episode featured our host Matt and caller Greg. And in their conversation they started talking about asmr. Actually, let's listen to a clip of that.

[B]

I listened to ASMR for relaxation, which very much is connecting with technology and using guided relaxation or things to help fall asleep. It's very, I find that to be very relaxing and helpful, but absolutely combines the two. Yeah, that's interesting. I find probably the best, the best thing that I've found is listening to myself. But apart from that, I don't think I've done anything else. What, what is when you say asmr? I don't know anything about it, so I don't have ever tried listening to it.

[A]

So given the fact that Matt probably isn't the only person on earth who isn't familiar with asmr, we thought this would be the perfect topic to kind of dive into. We are bringing on an ASMR content creator who actually has made ASMR content for Hatch. The French Whisperer. Welcome to the pillow fort.

[C]

Hi Greta, thanks for having me.

[A]

How are you this evening?

[C]

Excellent.

[B]

Oh good.

[A]

So for those of us who have not had a chance to listen to your content on Hatch or elsewhere, how would you describe it?

[C]

Actually, my content is educational or cultural. Sleep ed if you want. That's the kind of thing I do. I do like homemade documentaries to fall asleep too.

[A]

That's so cool. So how do you toe the line between like soothing and boring?

[C]

I don't know. Actually, people draw the line. I just do what I feel like doing.

[A]

I love that. So how did you get into it?

[C]

Well, it was a bit by chance actually. And it started something like 12 years ago at the time. For a long time, long before I ever started to create content, I liked to listen to radio shows, the kind of thing that airs at night. Maybe in America on NPR or on BBC Radio in the uk you see interviews or little lectures with scientists, historians, artists And I love the atmosphere, the very calm, a bit muted atmosphere that you have in these radio shows. I use that to fall asleep. And I had in the back of my mind, because I had seen that YouTube was becoming a thing at the time that was around 2012, 13, 14, that maybe I could do something with it, but I didn't really get started. And second thing, one day I read an article about this phenomenon or little niche called ASMR, which was apparently starting to take off on YouTube. I recognized the sensation because I had known it since I was a kid. Basically, it was the first time I found a name that I could put on it. And that was like the trigger that made me want to mix these two things, like the calm atmosphere that I liked in these radio shows and the idea of just trying myself at asmr. And that's how I got started.

[A]

So for people who maybe haven't heard of ASMR since apparently they still exist in the world, shockingly. Can you explain what that is?

[C]

Yeah, actually it's an acronym that was coined, I think, on online forums at the beginning of the 2010s. It doesn't really matter what the letter mean. Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. Because this gives you no idea of what it is. If I was. It sounds like sciencey, but it's really not. It was invented online. If I was in charge of the terminology, I would just call that the tingles.

[A]

Or I was just gonna say the tingles.

[C]

Yeah, that's it. And it's a sensation that apparently some people experience and others don't, that is very personal. But typically it appears when you are listening to certain sounds or certain voices, especially voices with accents, or people speaking softly or seeing certain moves, hand movements, people tapping on objects, brushing things, or absorbed in a meticulous task, that kind of situation. And what it does to you basically is that you feel very engaged. It's not a very deep sensation. I mean, you can easily shake it out, get out of it if you want. It can be disturbed very easily, but you feel very engaged, so very calm, focused on what is happening. And physically, you have like little tingles that appear in the scalp, in the back. And as I said, it's a mildly intense sensation, I would say, and you feel relaxed. It's not very frequent here. Again, it's very subjective and personal, but as far as I'm concerned, it's something that happened to me maybe twice, three times a year, and it's not very common. But the misunderstanding or misconception about asmr, now that it has become more mainstream is that you have people thinking it means whispering or doing weird stuff with objects.

[A]

Yeah, I'm just sitting here doing this, right?

[C]

Yeah. And it's not really it. ASMR is just the name of the sensation and what we call ASMR content, videos or podcasts are pieces of content that are made to trigger, reproduce the sensation in listeners.

[A]

Yeah. It seems to me so much of it is about sort of like feeling soothed.

[C]

Yeah, there is something of it too. I think feeling soothed and ASMR are two different things. The point is that the situations that trigger ASMR are also very calm and potentially soothing situations. And that's why from the beginning here, again, let's be honest, these ASMR videos on YouTube, they rarely succeed at triggering ASMR. People listen to them especially because they are weird. So that makes them attractive or appealing. And because they are soothing, that's the kind of thing you can listen to when you get to bed or when you want to break the frantic rhythm of everyday life. It's like a little pocket of calm, of slow, slow slowness that people may appreciate.

[A]

I think there is something really lovely about that as a mission. I mean, obviously it's kind of what we're doing here at the nightly as well. But the idea of sort of keeping people company at a moment when they really are trying to relax as much as possible is really nice.

[C]

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I think it is. Maybe the problem, quote unquote, with ASMR content is that it can turn very repetitive. You need to find something to say basically, to tell people, especially when it's under an audio form and you have no video in which you can do movements or show things to people. And that's why early on I started trying to inject content or things to say basically to the kind of content I make. I needed to find stories to tell or something educational that would keep people engaged.

[A]

So. Yeah, but not too engaged.

[C]

Right, but not too engaged. Maybe it can be interesting, but I think it sounds paradoxical. People are trying to get to go to sleep. Why tell them a story that could potentially be interesting. But I think it works because people need to break from the worries, the rumination that they had. And you're not going to achieve that by just counting sheeps or telling them something that is entirely boring. You need to offer an alternative to their worries, a story or a storyline and information they can feel a little bit engaged with. Not too much, but just a little bit that will guide them to sleep.

[A]

So how do you choose what sort of stuff to talk about then?

[C]

I talk about things I'm interested in, basically.

[A]

Nice.

[C]

For as long as I can remember, I was always jumping from one rabbit hole to the next, investigating just for my personal curiosity, investigating topics. History, science, mythology, art, architecture. There are lots of things I like to discover. I was an avid reader of Wikipedia already in the 1990s, even as a kid. That's a bit scary. But I read encyclopedias as a kid, not an 8 year old, but as a young teenager.

[A]

Amazing.

[C]

So I love that. And primarily I do it because now it's already a kind of, of part time job, but genuinely because I enjoy it at the beginning.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, how lucky. That's really amazing. What do you think makes a voice relaxing again?

[C]

I don't know. More than anything, maybe it has to be a little bit monotonous. And that's where it's a bit weird for a French guy to start making content in English. If it's going to be cultural, it would be so much easier to do it in French. Initially I started doing that because voices with accents were very appreciated in the ASMR community. So many people went out of their way to make videos in other languages that were not their native tongue.

[A]

Interesting.

[C]

And that's why I started to do it in English basically. And then it worked. So I stick with it.

[A]

Well, I mean, clearly your English is very good. Was that. Did you feel like, have you always been this fluent or was that part of the process of doing these videos too is getting more comfortable for a part?

[C]

It's been part of the process, but with many other things like watching TV shows. I worked in English before. Long before I did all that. I had a corporate job and I was working a lot with Americans and English people. So I got used to it.

[A]

Are there specific things you do try to emulate or maybe keep in mind when you are recording to make sure that you are sort of like staying in a range or anything like that?

[C]

Not really, because I want it to stay natural, but I have to make a conscious effort to not accelerate too much when I speak. Because the natural move, when you know that you're going to record one hour, one hour and a half of content, there's still a lot of things to say. So the temptation to accelerate and just quote, unquote, get rid of it always hits. So I have to make a conscious effort to stay slow. But then, you know, the sound is edited after that I had poses, I eliminate breathing sounds, that sort of things. So it also Helps to make the pacing more regular.

[A]

That makes sense. So, going back to topics, I love the organizing principle of just like, if you're interested in it. Because I do think that's one where I think listeners can tell if you're not interested in it. And to your point, also, you're putting all this work into it. It might as well be something that you are interested in.

[C]

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I mean, each piece I make is just 50, 60, 70 hours of work, which doesn't really feel like work because I like researching and just reading things out of curiosity. I think to me, it's also very entertaining to organize your thoughts, to put yourself in the shoes of the person who's going to listen and try to deliver the information in an orderly manner in a way on which you can build on what you told before. I always liked this little practice. So, yeah, I genuinely enjoy the process of making that.

[A]

Do you have any particular favorite topics you've covered or is that just an impossible question?

[C]

Quite impossible.

[A]

I think

[C]

actually there are lots of topics I don't cover because they wouldn't be considered soothing. Oh, sure, yeah, absolutely. If I had my way, there would be plenty of stuff on my channel about military history, about horror stories, that sort of thing. But many people don't like to fall asleep to that for some reason.

[A]

For some reason.

[C]

So I. I try to focus on things that are not too horrible. I do history, I do science stuff. Mythology. Even though some people find mythology a bit upsetting sometimes. And it's true that there's violence, very violent.

[A]

That's true. I do think. I mean, I wonder what you think about this. Like, I could imagine horror would be difficult, but especially military history. Like, I could picture a very boring series of facts about an army or something that would sort of like, could straddle the topic without getting too intense. Right?

[C]

Yeah, but just the topic itself. People associate ideas and it's very. It's very subjective. You know, I've had people complaining about things I wouldn't have imagined before. For recently, for example, I made a science talk in which I explained things about the shredding a scat experiment in which, you know, there's a virtual cat put in a box and he may or may not be alive.

[A]

Right.

[C]

And I had immediately half a dozen people complaining that thinking about a dead cat was upsetting.

[A]

Yeah, I get that.

[C]

So it can come from really subjective and I respect that. I mean, people are absolutely entitled to their reactions, but it's difficult to predict. What I try to do is minimize anything that could be potentially upsetting.

[A]

Yeah, that makes sense. I appreciate that. How do you think ASMR helps people kind of transition away from the stimulation of the day?

[C]

I think first and foremost, because it forces them to break the frantic rhythm of the day. It forces you to accept a much slower pace, an atmosphere in which the state are relatively low. Nothing too serious or too important is ever going to happen in an ASMR video or podcast. So people have to accept it. They have to embrace the vibe of asmr. But yeah, I think that that's what really helps.

[A]

That makes sense. What advice would you give to someone who wants to be more intentional about their media inputs at night?

[C]

Well, it's really going to depend on their personal preferences, but I think long form content is absolutely necessary. If you jump from one piece of content to another, like scrolling on TikTok, you're absolutely never going to go into a space where you can sleep. You also need to think something that, as we said before, is mildly engaging to you. Something that is going to distract you from your worries, but is not really fascinating or exciting either.

[A]

It's just such a. It's such an interesting middle ground that you're occupying there. You know,

[C]

going into sleep is kind of finding a middle ground between keeping your mind busy and. Yes. Yet not too engaged in something.

[A]

That's very, very true. It's funny you mentioned npr. I worked at a public radio station here in Chicago for over a decade and for a long time, even before that I was a Morning Edition host. So I was helping wake people up. And I'm very excited about this new chapter where I'm helping people fall asleep. The hours are much better. Vincent, is there an ASMR topic that you would like to cover but haven't gotten a chance to.

[C]

I would like to do stuff about. Yeah, very, very complex science stuff because it's a personal challenge. Cool. Yeah, like Gold Theory, that. That sort of things which are very challenging to explain and very challenging just for me to understand well enough to. To be able to explain them. That's something I have in the back of my hope I'll come to that one day. There are plenty of pages of history. I've been doing that for years now. I have hundreds of episodes. So I have covered a lot of historical topics that came to me during this period. But there are smaller pages of history that I would like to talk about about European, African history, stuff people does not really necessarily know about. People do not necessarily know, but that could be fascinating to discover.

[A]

I love that so what do you hope people feel when they listen to your work?

[C]

I hope they learn a couple things and slowly drift to sleep. What I would really like is for people to find a routine that works for them. It can be with me, it can be with other people. But it is so convenient when you're going to bed and you kind of anticipate this moment positively. It also helps you to go to bed earlier, maybe, and have a better sleep rhythm if there's something waiting for you that you are impatient or mildly impatient to return to.

[A]

I love that. So, Vincent, with some of your projects, I mean, you are talking very. In a very specific way. Can you give us an example of what that sounds like?

[C]

Actually, yeah, absolutely. Welcome to this podcast. That's what I would call my purring voice, if you want.

[A]

Lovely.

[C]

I speak slowly, intentionally, slowly and softly. And I think when I start speaking softly, my voice immediately naturally goes down, it becomes deeper. So I speak like this, basically.

[A]

And. Yeah. Does that strain your vocal cords or anything or.

[C]

Not particularly, no. Well, when I record myself, after one hour or two hours of recording, there's always a little veil or something that covers your voice because you've been using it, basically. But no, I'm not making any type of conscious effort to keep that voice.

[A]

Vincent, before I let you go, we like to have our guests say goodnight to someone or something. Would you mind doing that with your. With your ASMR voice?

[C]

Absolutely. So thanks for listening to this podcast. Have a good night. Sweet dreams. Au revoir.

[A]

If you want to come on the show to talk about anything that is on your mind, whether it's ASMR or something else you like to listen to while falling asleep, send us an email or you can send a voice memo to the Nightlyatch co. Or you can text us or leave a voicemail 904-nightly. That's 904-644-4859. Tonight, I would like to say goodnight to my college roommate, Ann, because she is maybe the first person I met who responded to ASMR content. She would get those tingles in the back of her head and she loved it it so. And good night. I hope you sleep well.

[B]

Sa. To learn more about our phone free light and audio experience, head to Hatch co. You can also follow us at HatchPodcasts.