Music & Culture

Sure, you can sing "Happy Birthday" twice to time your hand-washing — but one hand-washer recommends a 20-second excerpt from Beyoncé's "Love on Top."

My Hand-Washing Song: Readers Offer Lyrics For A 20-Second Scrub

5:05pm March 17, 2020

by Marc Silver

Yes, you can sing "Happy Birthday" twice. Or the ABC song. And you'll hit the recommended time for effective hand-washing. But why stop there? Our readers have groovy musical alternatives.

He Wrote The 'All Things Considered' Theme. What Happened To His Instruments?

4:26pm March 17, 2020

by Maureen McCollum

Don Voegeli wrote the original theme for All Things Considered on a Putney synthesizer. When he retired in 1982, all his synths were auctioned off. A lot of people have wondered where they went.

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Bad Bunny performs onstage during Calibash 2018 in Los Angeles, California.

Music & Culture

The Classist History Behind Bad Bunny's 'Bichiyal'

3:25pm March 17, 2020

by Frances Solá-Santiago

When Bad Bunny released YHLQMDLG, he coined a new term: "bichiyal." It fuses two Puerto Rican slang words—"bicha" and "yal"—and illustrates reggaeton's complicated relationship with class and women.

Laura Benanti performs in Washington in 2015. She recently asked high school students to send her videos of their musical theater performances after many of them were canceled.

A Broadway Star And #SunshineSongs Bring High School Musical Theater To Small Screens

1:37pm March 17, 2020

High school musicals are canceled around the country over coronavirus concerns. Broadway star Laura Benanti asked disappointed high school singers for the next best thing: performance videos.

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Dutch band DeWolff photographed on March 14, 2020, in Maastricht, while performing in an empty venue due to a ban on gatherings to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Music & Culture

From Hand To Merch: Some Of Our Favorite Indie Wares

12:08pm March 17, 2020

by Ann Powers

The global pandemic has caused extreme financial uncertainty for artists, particularly those who work independently.

Music & Culture

The Austin 100: Loyal Lobos

6:28am March 17, 2020

by Stephen Thompson

Singer-songwriter Andrea Silva is enormously adept at dreamy, languid balladry. Even when crisp, gorgeous guitars dominate the mix, it's hard not to hang on her every word.

Music & Culture

Canadian Rapper Drake Breaks A 'Billboard' Record

6:26am March 17, 2020

Drake holds the distinction of placing the most songs ever on the Billboard Hot 100 chart over the course of his career. It's all thanks to the track: "Oprah's Bank Account."

Music & Culture

The Austin 100: Catholic Action

6:23am March 17, 2020

by Stephen Thompson

Joy and aggression coexist in this band from Glasgow, Scotland.

Angelica Garcia's new album, Cha Cha Palace, is a celebration of her Mexican and Salvadoran roots and her childhood on the eastern edge of Los Angeles.

Music & Culture

Angelica Garcia On Embracing Her Identities With 'Cha Cha Palace'

6:12am March 17, 2020

NPR's Noel King speaks with the singer-songwriter about her new album, a love letter to her Mexican and Salvadoran roots as well to as her childhood on the eastern edge of Los Angeles.

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Music & Culture

The Austin 100: Pillow Queens

5:01am March 17, 2020

by Stephen Thompson

The four women in Pillow Queens write queer punk and pop songs with sharp, anxious edges — imagine a gnarlier Cranberries, maybe? — and endearingly thick Irish accents.