Music

Plácido Domingo at an event in Madrid, Spain in 2016.

Plácido Domingo Backpedals On Public Apology; Meanwhile, Union Seeks Leakers

6:15pm February 27, 2020

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

"I never behaved aggressively" towards women, the opera star says, while the performers' union that investigated his alleged behavior attempts to ferret out who provided information to the press.

"I'm trying to let go of the worrying thing, and that's what I've loved the most about this album, rather than the first one," Harry Styles says of making his album Fine Line.

Music & Culture

Harry Styles On 'Fine Line,' Stevie Nicks And His Definition Of Success

5:54pm February 27, 2020

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks to the pop superstar and former One Direction member about the creative and commercial pressure behind making his sophomore album.

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From left to right, Todd Marcus; Sean Jones; Kris Funn.

Music & Culture

Baltimore Rebirth: A New Bloom Of Jazz In Charm City

4:37pm February 27, 2020

We bring you the glory, the decline and the renewal of jazz in Baltimore with trumpeter Sean Jones, NEA Jazz Master Todd Barkan and The Baltimore Jazz Collective.

Your brain uses the left side to make sense of lyrics and the right side for a song's melody.

How The Brain Teases Apart A Song's Words And Music

4:19pm February 27, 2020

by Jon Hamilton

Brain scans show that when people listen to songs, an area in the left hemisphere decodes speech-like sounds while one on the right processes musical information.

Taylor Swift, in the video for "The Man."

Music & Culture

Taylor Swift, Man

1:16pm February 27, 2020

by Lyndsey McKenna

A dispute over ownership of her work continues as the pop superstar points out the many double standards she's been held to throughout her career.

Music & Culture

Thundercat Is A Lovelorn Goofball In The Video For 'Dragonball Durag'

12:01pm February 27, 2020

by Mano Sundaresan

The latest video, from the young master of funk's forthcoming new album, finds him unlucky in love — until the titular headcovering intervenes.

Malena Cadiz submitted the song "Call It A Night" to the Tiny Desk Contest.

Music & Culture

The Best 2020 Tiny Desk Contest Entries We Saw This Week: Volume 1

10:00am February 27, 2020

Throughout the next few months, we'll be sharing some of the many Contest entries that have caught our attention. This week, we're celebrating inspired hip-hop, power-stance-worthy pop and more.

Music & Culture

Greg Brown On Mountain Stage

9:00am February 27, 2020

by Larry Groce

Mountain Stage veteran Greg Brown returns with his signature, homespun Americana.

Shakira onstage during her MTV Unplugged performance, recorded in New York in 1999 and released as a live album in early 2000.

Music & Culture

20 Years After She Unplugged For MTV, Shakira Taught Me To See Myself

8:14am February 27, 2020

by Isabella Gomez Sarmiento

Dancing to the mariachi horns of "Ciega, Sordomuda," one young Latina found a deep, unwavering love staring her in the face. It just took a song about being blinded by emotion to see it clearly.

Mark Hollis was the lead singer of Talk Talk, a band known mostly for its 1984 hit "It's My Life." NPR's Guy Raz argues that Hollis' songwriting shines more on later tracks like "Ascension Day."

Music & Culture

Revisiting Talk Talk, A Band Worried About Being A 'Laughing Stock'

5:57am February 27, 2020

As part of NPR's series One-Hit Wonders/Second-Best Songs, Guy Raz recommends "Ascension Day" by Talk Talk. The group is mostly known for its 1984 hit, "It's My Life."