Music Features

Origins, the debut album by 14- and 11-year-old siblings Giri (left) and Uma Peters, is a set of traditional folk and blues songs that puts the duo's intention to spotlight the black musical traditions that shaped and spread the tunes.

Music & Culture

Giri And Uma Peters Are Picking Prodigies On A Mission

2:39pm June 06, 2019

by Jewly Hight

The 14- and 11-year-old siblings, who just released a debut album of folk and blues songs, know that highlighting the real diversity of the music's roots makes room for more voices in the present.

Raveena's debut album, Lucid, is comforting but nuanced, balancing cultures old and new by mashing up contemporary R&B with traditions from the South Asian diaspora.

Music & Culture

Make Room For Raveena

4:41pm June 05, 2019

by Sidney Madden

On her debut album, Lucid, the 25-year-old singer mashes up contemporary R&B with traditions from the South Asian diaspora. "I just think there's room for more stories."

García's new album Candela is the sparkling finale in a trilogy of albums with Dominican-influenced sounds.

Music & Culture

Vicente García: A Pop-Fusion Star On A Mission To Stay Authentic

11:58am June 05, 2019

by Marisa Arbona-Ruiz

The higher the Dominican singer-songwriter's star rises, the tighter he grips his artistic freedom. The new Candela caps a trio of albums connecting dots between bachata, merengue, trap, pop and more.

Music & Culture

Searching For Disco's Cro-Magnon

6:00am June 04, 2019

by Jason Heller

A writer thinks he's found disco's progenitor, but none of the experts agree with him, or each other — and the end result is beside the point.

Roky Erickson cemented his rock immortality with the 13th Floor Elevators song "You're Gonna Miss Me" and, through a career interrupted by struggles with schizophrenia, he made music that caught the ear of the mainstream while remaining tantalizingly out

Music & Culture

We're Gonna Miss Him: Roky Erickson Brought Soulfulness To Psychedelia

8:27am June 02, 2019

by Jason Heller

Through a career that spanned six decades, the psychedelic pioneer captivated the rock establishment while remaining at an arm's length from the mainstream.

Left to right: Scarface, Bushwick Bill and Willie D of the Geto Boys perform in Houston in 2015.

Music & Culture

Stressed Out: How 'Mind Playing Tricks On Me' Gave Anxiety A Home In Hip-Hop

10:23am May 29, 2019

by Rodney Carmichael

Gangsta rap had been known as aggressive, rebellious and political, but the Geto Boys' 1991 hit made it something new: vulnerable. Hip-hop's relationship with mental health has never been the same.

Queue Listen Now

Life In 'Songland': The Reality Behind NBC's New Reality Show

5:52am May 28, 2019

by Marissa R. Moss

A new competition show from the producers of The Voice will search for a hitmaker — but what's it actually like to be a professional songwriter?

Music & Culture

ECM At Big Ears: A Boundless Label Meets A Broadminded Festival

12:22pm May 24, 2019

We head to the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville for the 50th anniversary of ECM Records. Hear three riveting performances by Carla Bley, Avishai Cohen and Nik Bärtsch's Ronin.

Joel Ross performs at Lantaren Venster on May 2, in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Music & Culture

Joel Ross And His (Exceptionally) Good Vibes

8:46am May 23, 2019

by Nate Chinen

The vibraphonist has a "love-hate relationship" with his instrument that has been helpful in perfecting his craft — but it wouldn't mean much without the deep emotional well he pulls from.

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Clockwise from top left: Lauren Weintraub, King Hoodie, Bandits On The Run, The Collection, Grayson Erhard, Blessing Offor.

Music & Culture

Top Shelf: 2019 Tiny Desk Contest Entries Our Judges Loved

12:01pm May 22, 2019

An incredibly strong pool of artists entered this year's Tiny Desk Contest. And though there's just one winner, there were so many more entries our judges loved.