There's almost nobody better at creating complex musical worlds, but on her new album The Age of Pleasure, Janelle Monáe's aim is to stop thinking. Or at least start thinking about feeling.
By training her eyes on multiple targets, the singer challenges listeners to widen their points of view, compelling them to place her in spaces she's found belonging, not where she's been assigned.
Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto, whose beguiling rendition of "The Girl From Ipanema" made her world famous, has died at 83. (Story aired on All Things Considered on June 6, 2023.)
One of the shining voices of bossa nova, the Brazilian artist made both herself and the song world famous with her beguiling rendition, kicking off an illustrious career.
As part of NPR's series highlighting female songwriters through history, we look at Cynthia Weil, who wrote hits like "You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling" and "On Broadway" with her husband Barry Mann.