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Music & Culture

An icon of traditional Mexican music, Vicente Fernández, dies at 81

9:39am December 13, 2021

Vincente Fernández was largely considered the last living legend of the Mexican ranchera, the style of song deeply rooted in the values and traditions of rural Mexico.

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News brief: tornado destruction, coronavirus roundup, Vicente Fernández

6:58am December 13, 2021

Dozens have been killed by devastating tornadoes across the Midwest. The U.S. is nearing 800,000 coronavirus related deaths. And, an icon of traditional Mexican music has died.

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Vicente Fernández performs onstage during the 20th annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2019.

Vicente 'Chente' Fernández, 'El Rey' of ranchera music, has died at 81

6:20am December 13, 2021

by Adrian Florido

The singer had been in critical condition recently after being hospitalized due to a fall at his Guadalajara ranch in August, and being diagnosed with Guillain–Barré syndrome afterwards.

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Music & Culture

Rapper Megan Thee Stallion is now Megan Thee College Graduate

6:05am December 13, 2021

She walked across Texas Southern University's stage — receiving a Bachelor's degree in health administration. She says she wanted to complete her education to honor her late mother and grandmother.

Olivia Rodrigo performs during the MTV Video Music Awards in September in New York City. Rodrigo's SOUR tour sold out within hours, frustrating many fans who've followed the breakout pop star's successful year.

Music & Culture

Fans are sour after scalpers snap up Olivia Rodrigo concert tickets

9:58pm December 10, 2021

by Emma Bowman

The pop star's SOUR tour sold out as fans faced long queues and site outages. A Ticketmaster feature meant to "level the playing field" failed to bar scalpers, who are reselling tickets for thousands.

Daniel Warren Johnson's (Murder Falcon, Extremity) illustration for Viking's Choice gets a festive update.

Music & Culture

Stream 8 hours of yuletide music with the Viking's Choice Holiday Special

11:54am December 10, 2021

by Lars Gotrich

Join Lars Gotrich, NPR's resident Viking, for an eight-hour holiday music marathon on Dec. 23. Let's make the yuletide weird.

Iphigenia, played by esperanza spalding, prepares for her sacrifice. From Wayne Shorter and spalding's opera, ...(Iphigenia).

Wayne Shorter and esperanza spalding crack open the old world in new opera

10:00am December 10, 2021

by Nate Chinen

The pair took a close look at the subtexts of Euripides' sad, epic tale of Iphigenia — agency, testosterone, violence, faith — and, through a suite of new music, hold them up to the light.

Music & Culture

The death metal band Omicron was named well before the coronavirus variant

5:12am December 09, 2021

When the World Health Organization named the new coronavirus variant Omicron, it put a little known Belgian metal band on the map.

Best New Artists and Breakthroughs of 2021.

Music & Culture

Let's talk about the best new artists & breakthroughs of 2021

10:30am December 07, 2021

Join an online listening party featuring the NPR Music staff in a conversation about the artists who shaped 2021.

The 2021 Kennedy Center honorees: (left to right) opera star Justino Díaz, Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, entertainer Bette Midler and Motown founder Berry Gordy.

Kennedy Center honors creative excellence in the arts at annual gala

3:46pm December 06, 2021

by Elizabeth Blair

Motown founder Berry Gordy, opera star Justino Díaz, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, entertainer Bette Midler and television impresario Lorne Michaels were among those celebrated this weekend.

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