Music & Culture

Yo-Yo Ma played Ukraine's national anthem and brought the audience to its feet at the Kennedy Center on Monday.

Yo-Yo Ma performs a musical protest outside the Russian Embassy

2:20pm March 08, 2022

by Bill Chappell

The world-famous cellist made a personal stand with Ukraine on Monday, setting up his instrument on the sidewalk in Washington, D.C., next to an improvised street sign reading, "Zelensky Way."

Patricia Kopatchinskaja performs a Tiny Desk (home) concert.

Music & Culture

Patricia Kopatchinskaja: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

8:48am March 08, 2022

by Tom Huizenga

A fearless risk-taker who makes warhorses sound freshly minted, Kopatchinskaja, from her Vienna apartment, sets fire to Beethoven and offers rarely heard American music.

Music & Culture

Entries We Love: Selina Moon, 'Let It Go'

3:47pm March 07, 2022

by Jill Britton

Selina Moon is no stranger to the Tiny Desk Contest. In this year's entry, the uplifting "Let It Go" transports the listener from behind their screen to a place of enchantment.

Music & Culture

Entries We Love: Devin + Tori, 'Better'

3:46pm March 07, 2022

by Taylor Jennings-Brown

In this Tiny Desk Contest entry, Devin's soft pop-meets-R&B instrumentals feel like the foundation of a home, and Tori's soulful vocals are its building blocks.

Music & Culture

Artists will perform in a benefit concert for Ukrainian families

5:01am March 07, 2022

Next month's benefit concert, hosted by a Washington-based chamber music group, will raise funds for families affected by the war in Ukraine. All proceeds will be donated to Save the Children.

The making of the Cartography Project, a work honoring victims of racial violence

5:17pm March 06, 2022

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with artists Marc Bamuthi Joseph and Liz Gre about The Cartography Project — a multi-year art commission that explores the effects of racial violence.

Music & Culture

Miami-based musician riela's new EP 'Llorar y Perrear' is a big 2022 mood

8:43am March 06, 2022

by Adrian Florido

Adrian Florido speaks to Miami-based musician riela about her new EP, "Llorar y Perrear," which translates to "crying and twerking."

Music & Culture

Stromae channels the complexity of humanity in long-awaited album 'Multitude'

12:10pm March 05, 2022

by Scott Simon

Scott Simon speaks with electro-pop sensation Stromae about his new album, Multitude, and the musical influences from around the world that inspired it.

Queue Listen Now

What's making us happy: A guide for your weekend reading, listening and viewing

7:00am March 05, 2022

Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: new music from Drug Church, learning to knit and Judy Greer.

Music & Culture

Kaina's 'It Was A Home' samples the mood and music of her childhood

4:13pm March 04, 2022

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Kaina about her new album, It Was A Home. Much of it serves as a tribute to her family and the home she grew up in in Chicago.