For Bartees Strange, Everything Is Everything
"I need to build a new world around this music." Bartees Strange speaks to NPR Music about the people and places that made Live Forever, his debut album.
Music Features
On Her Influential Debut, Peaches Seized Her Pain And Pleasure
From humble beginnings, The Teaches of Peaches has spent 20 years seeping into the mainstream, widening pop's window for abrasive sounds and NSFW sexual expression.
The Unforgettable Jessye Norman, One Year Later
The celebrated soprano died suddenly a year ago, leaving her fans, including one NPR producer, in grief, but with many fond memories.
'Medicating With Music': How One Tiny Desk Contest Entrant Heals Through Song
This year's Tiny Desk Contest attracted plenty of talent, including standout entrant Mama Haze, aka California songwriter Meaghan Maples. Her song "On Your Side" was written during a time of healing.
Five Decades On, An Eclectic Church Preaches The Message Of John Coltrane
In 1965, two young fans heard the jazz giant play at a San Francisco club and had a religious epiphany. Their church is an idiosyncratic and joyful blend of devotion to the divine — and to jazz.
How Dua Lipa's Day-Glo Nostalgia Found A Home In Dark Times
A pair of euphoric projects have helped to make the singer a ray of light for pop fans longing for the dance floor in a year filled with calamity.
City Scenes: Ensuring Philly's Next Generation Of Jazz Musicians
Philadelphia's jazz culture nurtures new artists through educational programs that work hard to ensure the genre's future.
Rediscovering The Enormous Social And Spiritual Legacy Of Black Jazz Records
As jazz experienced an awakening in the late '60s and early '70s , a record label from Oakland was at the forefront of capturing it. Now, those records are finally returning.
Anjimile Just Can't Wait To Be King
Ahead of the release of their debut album, Giver Taker, the Boston singer-songwriter talks to NPR Music about singing in choirs, healing through songwriting and being inspired by The Lion King.
The Sweet Escape Of 'Sayonara Wild Hearts,' Where Pop Music Is Recovery
The 2019 video game presents a world where shiny synth-pop is the key to unbreaking your own heart. One unthinkable year later, its comforts are more welcome than ever.