Music News

Beyoncé and Jay-Z, who have been married for over a decade, are the face of a new Tiffany & Co. campaign called ABOUT LOVE.

Beyoncé Just Became The First Black Woman To Wear The Iconic Tiffany Diamond

6:03pm August 23, 2021

by Rachel Treisman

Beyoncé and Jay-Z's new Tiffany & Co. campaign marks several milestones: the couple's first joint campaign, a never-before-seen Basquiat painting and just the fourth woman to wear the Tiffany Diamond.

Music & Culture

Remembering Don Everly, Half Of The Influential Duo The Everly Brothers

5:13pm August 22, 2021

by Elizabeth Blair

Singer and guitarist Don Everly has died at age 84. The Everly Brothers, his hugely influential duo with his late brother, Phil, was among the first acts inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Music & Culture

Tony Bennett Retires From Performing: Listen Back To His 'Fresh Air' Interviews

2:10pm August 20, 2021

by Terry Gross

Bennett continued performing even after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2016. Now, at 95, he will retire, following doctor's orders. Bennett spoke with Terry Gross in 1982, 1991 and 1998.

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Lorde, whose new album Solar Power was released Aug. 20, 2021.

Music & Culture

Lorde, Now Fully Adulting, Embraces A Folksy Analog On 'Solar Power'

12:50pm August 20, 2021

The pop star has spent the four years growing up and slowing down – she speaks to Morning Edition about her new album and sound, including using her synesthesia like a creative scythe.

Music & Culture

Ray Charles Will Be Inducted Into The Country Music Hall Of Fame

6:05am August 19, 2021

Ray Charles is best known for recording hit soul and R&B songs. His album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, recorded in the 60s, spent 14 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard pop albums chart.

Music & Culture

Trial Prosecutors Say R. Kelly Used His Fame To Target Girls For Exploitation

6:01am August 19, 2021

A federal trial involving disgraced singer R. Kelly has begun in a Brooklyn courtroom. The charges against Kelly include sexual exploitation of a child, bribery, kidnapping and racketeering.

Country artist George Birge heard Erynn Chambers' TikTok satirizing the stereotypical country songs written by men versus women and turned it into a radio hit.

How A Joke TikTok About Country Music Stereotypes Hit The Radio

5:07am August 19, 2021

Country artist George Birge saw a popular TikTok skewering the way men in his genre write music and decided to issue himself a songwriting challenge. The result? "Beer Beer, Truck Truck."

Singer R. Kelly appears in a Chicago courtroom in March 2019. The charges that R. Kelly faces in New York include racketeering "to prey upon young women and teenagers," and sexually trafficking these girls and women between states.

R. Kelly's Trial Has Begun. The Singer Faces Decades Of Sex Abuse Charges

7:23pm August 18, 2021

The charges that R. Kelly faces in New York include racketeering "to prey upon young women and teenagers" and sexually trafficking these girls and women between states.

Music & Culture

News Brief: Taliban's Charm Offensive, Airport Evacuations, R. Kelly Trial

6:28am August 18, 2021

The Taliban try to convince the world they've changed. For thousands trying to get out of Afghanistan, the focus is on the airport. Opening statements will begin in the criminal trial of R. Kelly.

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Music & Culture

83-Year-Old Scottish Composer Janet Beat Releases Her First Album

6:14am August 18, 2021

Janet Beat is known for her trailblazing work in electronic music. The album, Pioneering Knob Twiddler, features compositions she made on synthesizers, tape machines and other acoustic instruments.