Music Interviews

Music & Culture

Vidya Vox Muses On Fusing Music Across Cultures

8:02am January 15, 2017

Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with Vidya Iyer, who goes by Vidya Vox, an Indian-born American singer who blends her two identities through YouTube music videos that amass millions of views worldwide.

For the band's Simon & Garfunkel cover, Disturbed's lead singer, David Draiman (second from left), utilized the classical vocal techniques he learned at his synagogue as a child.

Music & Culture

When Metal Goes Acoustic: Disturbed On Covering Simon & Garfunkel

7:16am January 15, 2017

by NPR Staff

The band's Grammy-nominated cover of "The Sound of Silence" seems to come out of left field — until you learn where lead singer David Draiman first cut his teeth as a performer.

Sharon Van Etten in a scene from the Netflix series The OA.

Music & Culture

Sharon Van Etten On The Real-Life Inspiration Behind Her Role On 'The OA'

11:23am January 13, 2017

by Robin Hilton

The singer opens up about her debut acting role on the mysterious Netflix series The OA, the personal experiences that inspired her performance and how to cry on command.

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Rappers Killer Mike (left) and El-P make up the duo Run The Jewels.

Music & Culture

'The Soul's Gonna Speak': Run The Jewels Stares Down A Fraught 2017

8:02am January 13, 2017

by NPR Staff

Killer Mike and El-P, who make up the rap duo, discuss facing a politically tense new year with a bold new album — and a keen memory of the nation's recent history.

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Chance the Rapper performs in L.A. in November 2016. His mixtape Coloring Book can't be bought — but by Billboard's rules, it was streamed enough times last year to equal 500,000 album "sales."

Music & Culture

From Mozart To Adele To Chance The Rapper, Measuring Album Sales Means Being Specific

1:02pm January 11, 2017

by NPR Staff

In 2016, the album that sold the most physical CDs worldwide wasn't anywhere near the top of the charts — and one of the best-charting records of the year couldn't be bought at all.

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Music & Culture

Remembering Jazz Critic And 'Village Voice' Writer Nat Hentoff

1:42pm January 10, 2017

Hentoff, who died Saturday, was an outspoken advocate of free speech and a prolific jazz writer. Originally broadcast in 1986.

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Lukas Forchhammer (center) of the Danish pop group Lukas Graham, pictured with bandmates Magnus Larsson (left) and Mark Falgren.

Music & Culture

The Voice Of Lukas Graham, On Small-Town Life In A Big City

11:27am January 08, 2017

by NPR Staff

Lukas Forchhammer, leader of the Danish band, grew up in a commune-like section of Copenhagen. "It was more of a rural upbringing," he says, "even though it was in the center of our capital city."

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The xx producer Jamie Smith (left) met bandmates Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim when all three were 11 years old. "I was quite happy just to stay us," Smith says. "I think just keeping your closest friends around is the best."

Music & Culture

The xx On Growing Up Without Growing Apart

4:56pm January 06, 2017

by NPR Staff

Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim and Jamie Smith have been a trio since childhood, but like any long-term relationship, it's taken work. They joined NPR's Ari Shapiro to talk about their unique bond.

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Music & Culture

Interview: Julien Baker Signs To Matador, Shares New Song

12:18pm January 06, 2017

by Bob Boilen

We have a candid interview with Julien Baker, a young singer of sad, thoughtful songs. Her new song, "Funeral Pyre," is being released on the storied independent label Matador Records.

"This book is definitely to uplift the young world, because we just have different ways of saying it," DJ Khaled says. "Sometimes we've got to get somebody to translate in a different way."

Music & Culture

DJ Khaled Throws Us The Keys

4:43am January 06, 2017

by NPR Staff

The musician and Snapchat advice guru says his communication style is meant to resonate with young audiences. "Sometimes we've got to get somebody to translate in a different way," he says.