Music

Music & Culture

Beyoncé Surprise-Drops Live Coachella Album; Netflix Doc Now Streaming

8:37pm April 17, 2019

by Joshua Bote

The recording of her historic 2018 performance, titled Homecoming: Live Album, includes new songs and arrives just as a documentary about the concert begins streaming on Netflix.

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The International Sweethearts of Rhythm in the 1940s.

Music & Culture

The All-Female Big Bands That Made History During World War II

7:49pm April 17, 2019

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Christian McBride of Jazz Night in America about the forgotten all-female big bands that toured the United States during World War II.

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Sharon Van Etten inside the World Cafe Performance Studio

Music & Culture

Sharon Van Etten Makes A Punchy And Powerful Leap Forward

4:17pm April 17, 2019

Van Etten is more present than ever, but wouldn't be where she is today without the struggle.

Madonna and Maluma pair up for "Medellin," Madge's first single in four years.

Music & Culture

Madonna's New Single, 'Medellin,' Is A Self-Aware Nostalgia Trip

2:19pm April 17, 2019

by Ann Powers

The track, recorded with Colombian singer Maluma, channels "Despacito," with a nod toward Madonna's 1986 song "La Isla Bonita."

Hear folk guitarist Al Petteway on this week's The Thistle & Shamrock.

Music & Culture

The Thistle & Shamrock: Song Links

2:04pm April 17, 2019

Explore music from the Southern Appalachians with Jean Ritchie, Al Petteway and Dolores Keane.

(From left to right) DJ Step, DJ Cut-Cuz and J-Lektro are just some of the DJs making moves in Chicago's music scene right now.

Music & Culture

Slingshot Scenes: 5 Chicago DJs To Watch In 2019

1:00pm April 17, 2019

Chicago DJs share unspoken roles as curators and selectors, indispensable on a city-wide scale. These are the five DJs from Chicago you need to know.

Flying Lotus paints a weird trap tapestry with his new track "Fire Is Coming"

Music & Culture

With His First Album In 5 Years, A 'Fire Is Coming' From Flying Lotus

12:34pm April 17, 2019

by Sidney Madden

The genre-jumping producer is set to release Flamagra, his first album in five years, in May with features from Solange, Anderson .Paak, George Clinton and more.

Kevin Morby in a scene from his video for the song "OMG Rock N Roll."

Music & Culture

Kevin Morby Drops New Song, Video In Advance Of 'Oh My God'

11:01am April 17, 2019

by Stephen Thompson

The new track, "OMG Rock N Roll," is playful but sets a portentous scene that, Morby says, is ultimately about gun violence in America.

Theodore performs a Tiny Desk Concert on March 27, 2019 (Amr Alfiky/NPR).

Music & Culture

Theodore: Tiny Desk Concert

10:06am April 17, 2019

by Bob Boilen

The music of Theodore is dark and transformative, with the kind of spare elegance you can hear in Sigur Rós or Pink Floyd.

K-Pop Industry Faces Lurid Scandal Involving Sexual Violence And Official Corruption

6:05pm April 16, 2019

by Anthony Kuhn

One of South Korea's most successful cultural exports, K-pop music, is facing its worst crisis to date: a lurid scandal involving misogynistic celebrities and corrupt police.

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