Music

Biographer Holly George-Warren describes rock star Janis Joplin (shown here in 1969) as an introspective person who didn't always like her own thoughts.

New Janis Joplin Biography Reveals The Hard Work Behind The Heart

1:58pm October 21, 2019

by Terry Gross

Onstage, Joplin oozed confidence, sexuality and exuberance, but biographer Holly George-Warren describes the singer as a bookworm who worked hard to create her "blues feelin' mama" musical persona.

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TeaMarrr's mesmerizing new single "Kinda Love" is the type of daydream to put into action.

Music & Culture

Heat Check: Getting Lost, Giving In

1:24pm October 21, 2019

by Sidney Madden

From a raunchy, R&B label debut by TeaMarrr to Vagabon's atmospheric music, these immersive songs command you to stop, listen and let go.

Jovino Santos Neto Trio plays a Tiny Desk Concert (Shuran Huang/NPR).

Music & Culture

Jovino Santos Neto Trio: Tiny Desk Concert

9:34am October 21, 2019

by Felix Contreras

Along with his trio, the pianist, multi-instrumentalist and composer cast a spell over the NPR Music offices in this joyful turn behind the Tiny Desk.

Music & Culture

Jackie Cruz On 'Hija De Chavez'

7:59am October 20, 2019

Jackie Cruz plays a convict in the series Orange Is the New Black, but she's also a singer. She talks to NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro about her debut album, Hija de Chavez.

Music & Culture

Music Moment: Summer Walker

5:10pm October 19, 2019

Singer Summer Walker's album, Over It, debuted earlier this month — and it's already broken records. Music critic Briana Younger of The New Yorker discusses some of the album's standout songs.

Opera singer Renee Fleming in her apartment in New York City on Nov. 2, 2016.

Music & Culture

Not My Job: We Quiz Opera Star Renée Fleming On 'Baby Shark'

1:44pm October 19, 2019

How much do (do do do do do) you think the soprano knows about the hit children's song Baby Shark? We'll find out.

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Music & Culture

My Signature Song: 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

8:08am October 19, 2019

Listener Ashley Syruws of Buffalo, N.Y., shares her signature song, "She Used to Be Mine" by Sara Bareilles. It helped her break away from an unhappy marriage.

KOKOKO!, a band from the Democratic Republic of Congo, performs at an NPR Tiny Desk Concert that will be posted at a future date.

Congo's KOKOKO! Makes Joyful Dance Music From Instruments Made Of Junk

7:00am October 19, 2019

by Isabella Gomez Sarmiento

The band couldn't afford instruments. So they made their own out of scavenged items, like kitchen pots and air-conditioner parts. On their U.S. tour, they stopped by NPR's Tiny Desk.

"I'm naturally soft spoken," Laetitia Tamko says. "But when I sing, I'm not soft spoken."

Music & Culture

'There Will Be No Darkness': Laetitia Tamko On The Making Of 'Vagabon'

4:27pm October 18, 2019

by Jenny Gathright

Laetitia Tamko has found a way to cram all of the sounds that personally move her — pop, punk, trap, African music — into Vagabon. "I feel like I made an amazing record. Why can't I say that?"

Music & Culture

'Fresh Air' Marks The Centenary Of The Birth Of Jazz Singer Anita O'Day

1:52pm October 18, 2019

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead offers an appreciation of the singer, who died in 2006, then we listen back to a 1987 interview. O'Day first became known in 1941 when she joined Gene Krupa's band.

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