Music Interviews

Spinning records backwards was once condemned as satanic. But when DJ Dahi reverses samples — or alters his voice — to produce hits for the likes of Pusha T, Kendrick Lamar or Childish Gambino, it's a ministry of texture and sound.

Music & Culture

DJ Dahi Unpacks His Spiritual Samples for Pusha T and Kendrick Lamar

9:00am April 18, 2020

When DJ Dahi reverses samples — or alters his voice — to produce hits for the likes of Pusha T, Kendrick Lamar or Childish Gambino, it's a ministry of texture and sound.

The new Lifetime movie The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel tells the story of the one of the most important gospel groups of the 20th century.

Music & Culture

In New Film About Gospel Pioneers The Clark Sisters, The Music Comes First

5:02am April 17, 2020

Director Christine Swanson's new film is about the celebrated Detroit gospel group, The Clark Sisters. She talks to host Rachel Martin about being adamant about casting women who could actually sing.

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Appalachian Road Show's new album is fittingly called Tribulation. Banjoist Barry Abernathy and fiddler Jim VanCleve spoke to NPR about playing traditional songs of hardship during a modern crisis.

Music & Culture

Appalachian Road Show's New Album Confronts 'Tribulations' Past And Present

4:20pm April 16, 2020

by Art Silverman

The people of Appalachia have traditionally relied on music in times of hardship. A new bluegrass supergroup is putting a 21st-century spin on old-time music in an album perfect for our dire times.

Music & Culture

Life Has Been Unpredictable For Maggie Koerner

2:02pm April 14, 2020

The New Orleans artist was on her way to getting a master's degree in child psychology when a friend inspired her to focus on music. Hear her soulful, powerful, voice in this session.

After Rita Wilson posted a video rapping along to Naughty By Nature's "Hip Hop Hooray" while recovering from COVID-19, the group released an official remix to raise money for a musician's relief fund.

Music & Culture

Rita Wilson And Naughty By Nature On Remixing 'Hip Hop Hooray' For Charity

7:06pm April 12, 2020

by Kira Wakeam

Rita Wilson and Naughty by Nature have collaborated on a remix of the group's hit "Hip Hop Hooray." The proceeds of the song will go to a charity that is helping musicians affected by the coronavirus.

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Inspired by a Maya Angelou book, Laura Marling's new album Song For Our Daughter is about a generation of younger women and "the idea of a maternal lineage," she says.

Music & Culture

Laura Marling On Maya Angelou And Arming A Younger Generation Of Women

6:06pm April 11, 2020

by Gemma Watters

NPR spoke to the British singer-songwriter about releasing her new album, Song For Our Daughter, four months early and looking back at the version of herself who entered the music industry at 16.

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Music & Culture

'Fresh Air' Remembers Grammy-Winning Singer-Songwriter John Prine

1:48pm April 10, 2020

by Terry Gross

Prine told Terry Gross in 2018 that he began playing music and writing songs for fun: "I didn't expect to do this for a living," he said. Prine died of complications related to COVID-19 on April 7.

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Glenn Copeland, whose long-overlooked recordings were rediscovered in 2015, was Caribou's choice for Play It Forward. Copeland in turn says he's thankful for the music of the band Bernice.

Music & Culture

Play It Forward: Glenn Copeland On Patience, Positivity And The Band Bernice

6:04pm April 09, 2020

Glenn Copeland, whose ambient and electronic recordings were largely unknown for decades, talks about his late career reemergence, the power of positive thinking and the Canadian band Bernice.

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Pictured here in his late 20s, Ravi Shankar was hugely important in popularizing Indian classical music in Western pop music. He would have turned 100 years old today.

The Enduring Afterglow Of Ravi Shankar's Life In Music

8:31pm April 07, 2020

by Bilal Qureshi

Ravi Shankar took Indian classical music to world stages and introduced the sitar to Western audiences. His influence can still be felt today, 100 years after his birth.

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Music & Culture

Caroline Rose On 'Superstar', A Concept Album Recorded While She Gained Fame

1:29pm April 07, 2020

In the aftermath of her previous album Loner's success, Caroline Rose's new record is a concept album about a person who wants to be famous.