Music

Growing Up Black, Gay And Catholic In Texas, Memoirist Put His Faith In Beyoncé

2:31pm July 23, 2018

by Terry Gross

Michael Arceneaux's new book, I Can't Date Jesus, is a collection of essays about his early years. Beyoncé, he says, taught him a valuable lesson: "Just be yourself and be very good at what you do."

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Natalie Prass inside the World Cafe Performance Studio.

Music & Culture

World Cafe Encore Week: Revisiting The Past Year Of Studio Sessions

12:04pm July 23, 2018

by Talia Schlanger

Listen back to some of the best World Cafe interviews and performances of the past year including Courtney Barnett, David Crosby, Natalie Prass and many more.

The King's Singers perform a Tiny Desk Concert on April 19, 2018 (Eslah Attar/NPR).

Music & Culture

The King's Singers: Tiny Desk Concert

11:55am July 23, 2018

by Tom Huizenga

The storied vocal ensemble brings close harmony singing to a diverse set list that includes a Beatles tune and a bawdy madrigal from the 1500s.

David Bowie, photographed on March 3, 1965 — two years after the future legend recorded a demo for Decca Records with The Konrads.

Music & Culture

David Bowie's First Demo, From 1963, Found In Bread Basket

11:38am July 23, 2018

by Andrew Flanagan

The recording, a single recorded by one of Bowie's earliest projects The Konrads, was discovered after 55 years by a former bandmate and will go to auction in September.

Kraftwerk performs with ISS astronaut Alexander Gerst.

Music & Culture

Kraftwerk Plays 'Spacelab' Live With An In-Orbit German Astronaut

11:36am July 23, 2018

by Lars Gotrich

The electronic music pioneers took part in a live earth-to-space collaboration of "Spacelab" with astronaut Alexander Gerst.

"I don't like to say, 'RIP Jah' because I don't believe he's dead," rapper Clyde Guevara says of his brother Jahiem. "The energy is still here, and I still feel him."

Music & Culture

'I Still Feel Him:' Clyde Guevara's Debut Memorializes His Brother's Death

7:38am July 23, 2018

The rapper released his debut album July 20, the second anniversary of his brother's death. FreeJAH is an ode to his brother Jahiem, who was murdered after serving five years in prison.

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"As long as I'm investing my time, effort, energy and attention to these things, I think there's no question that I can make them better," T.I. says.

Music & Culture

T.I. Is Dreaming Big For Atlanta's Future

4:58pm July 22, 2018

The Atlanta rapper wants to tackle big issues affecting his native city, from affordable housing and employment opportunities to better education.

Members of ÌFÉ perform at NuevoFest in Philadelphia

Music & Culture

Summer Latin Music Festivals Offer Music And Opportunity

11:41pm July 20, 2018

by Marisa Arbona-Ruiz

For Latinx musicians who have found themselves excluded from the stages of mainstream festivals, a growing range of festivals and tours catering to Latinx artists and fans is changing the game.

Zinzile Majola, 27-year-old singer of Friends Band, says it felt like a window opening when Mugabe left. "It actually gave us more confidence that things would change from now on, from the way they were, from the way they used to be," Majola says.

Politics In Zimbabwe Has A New Soundtrack

8:37pm July 20, 2018

Ebba Chitambo, 66, made music during Zimbabwe's fight for independence. Now, he's giving advice to a new generation of musicians about writing political music.

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Nominees for song of the summer tend to be lively party anthems, but the grooves on The Internet's Hive Mind, out now, help score summertime's less boisterous but no less sublime moments.

Music & Culture

The Internet's 'Hive Mind' Is A Soundtrack To The Slow Burn Of Summer

5:20pm July 20, 2018

by Oliver Wang

After embarking on solo projects and a three-year break, The Internet has come back together to produce an album of low-key songs of summer.

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