Music News

Beyoncé surprise dropped a new single late on June 19 to celebrate Juneteenth.

Music & Culture

Beyoncé Releases New Song 'Black Parade' In The Final Hours Of Juneteenth

10:51am June 20, 2020

by Kiana Fitzgerald

"Black Parade," a call to action and a salve for a wounded nation, is the latest example of Beyoncé using her pop domination to put Black pride front and center.

Teyana Taylor's third musical project, simply titled The Album, is a sprawling work of 23 tracks that sends a clear message: She's done compromising her creative vision.

Music & Culture

Teyana Taylor On 'The Album' And Asserting Her Creative Vision

5:12pm June 19, 2020

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Teyana Taylor about The Album, her anticipated follow-up to the Kanye West-produced K.T.S.E. that features guests like Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott and Erykah Badu.

A previously unreleased concert recording of Thelonious Monk from 1968 will be released next month as the album Palo Alto.

Music & Culture

A Previously Unreleased Thelonious Monk Concert Is Coming Next Month

5:03am June 19, 2020

In 1968, a teenager convinced Thelonious Monk to play a concert at his high school to ease racial tensions in his community. More than 50 years later, it's been rediscovered and remastered.

An empty Josie Robertson Plaza at Lincoln Center, lit up in June for Pride 2020 — but with no concert attendees or theatergoers, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Carnegie Hall And Lincoln Center Cancel Performances For Rest Of 2020

6:57pm June 18, 2020

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Two of New York City's biggest cultural institutions said Thursday that they will remain closed through the New Year, due to the pandemic.

Vera Lynn, serving cups of tea to servicemen stationed in Trafalgar Square on June 4, 1942.

Music & Culture

Vera Lynn, Singer Of Timeless Classics In WWII-Era Britain, Dies At 103

1:17pm June 18, 2020

by Marissa Lorusso

Lynn became a household name in the U.K. amidst World War II, all but singlehandedly maintaining the morale of British soldiers on the front lines.

Bandcamp has pledged to donate its cut of sales made on this and every subsequent Juneteenth holiday to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Music & Culture

Bandcamp, Much-Loved Indie Music Marketplace, Launches A Juneteenth Tradition

1:02pm June 18, 2020

by Andrew Flanagan

As with its past sales events, Bandcamp will direct its usual cut of revenue made in a 24-hour period toward a progressive cause — in this case, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Music & Culture

British Singer Dame Vera Lynn Dies At 103

7:39am June 18, 2020

Dame Vera Lynn lifted the spirits of British troops abroad during World War II. She was best known for performing hits such as "We'll Meet Again."

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The musicians on Not Our First Goat Rodeo, from left to right: Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Thile, Stuart Duncan and Edgar Meyer.

Music & Culture

Yo-Yo Ma: Goats, Rodeos And The Power Of Music

6:13pm June 16, 2020

Hear the cellist talk about the purpose of music in the face of racial tension and health crises, plus his new album, Not Our First Goat Rodeo, which reunites him with old bluegrass buddies.

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The term "urban" has been used for decades as a catch-all term for Black music — but it is now quickly falling out of favor in the music industry in the midst of a growing new civil rights movement.

Music & Culture

Is This The End For 'Urban' Music?

1:54pm June 15, 2020

by Cate Young

Two influential organizations in the music world recently announced they would cease using the term "urban" to describe certain genres or artists. But it's more complicated than a simple cancellation.

Allison Loggins-Hull and Nathalie Joachim are two of the artists featured in the Library of Congress' Boccaccio Project, a collection of songs inspired by the coronavirus pandemic.

Music & Culture

A New Library Of Congress Project Commissions Music Of The Coronavirus Pandemic

5:24pm June 12, 2020

by Taylor Haney

The Library of Congress is debuting 10 works of new music about the COVID-19 pandemic. The project takes inspiration from Giovanni Boccaccio, a writer who collected stories about the Black Death.

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