Music & Culture

Music & Culture

Taylor Swift's much-anticipated Eras tour kicks off Friday in Swift City

5:48am March 14, 2023

The first stop on the tour is Glendale, Ariz., in the same stadium that hosted this year's Super Bowl. Glendale has temporarily changed its name to Swift City to celebrate the singer-songwriter.

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Art school students in Mumbai finish up a painting of Indian actors N.T. Rama Rao Jr. (left) and Ram Charan of the movie RRR, whose dance song "Naatu Naatu" became the first song from an Indian film to win an Oscar.

The Oscar for 'Naatu Naatu' fans the impossible dreams of India's musicians

4:52pm March 13, 2023

by Kamala Thiagarajan

A song from the blockbuster Indian film RRR won the Oscar for best song and is now the talk of India's music biz. But will it lift other musicians to — well, not fame but at least financial security?

Villano Antillano grew up surrounded by salsa, rock and reggaeton in Puerto Rico. With those influences under her belt, she's become one of the most exciting rappers in the Latin music scene.

Music & Culture

For Puerto Rico's Villano Antillano, femininity is a shield — and a superpower

4:36pm March 13, 2023

by Isabella Gomez Sarmiento

The rapper's first full-length record is a testament to the way she's been able to interact with her femininity through her creative process.

Music & Culture

Caroline Polachek's new album pulses with the sound of exhilaration and relief

3:43pm March 13, 2023

by Ken Tucker

Desire, I Want to Turn Into You was recorded during a time when many were emerging from pandemic isolation, and, intentionally or not, it taps into the upheaval and disorientation we've lived through.

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A show at Red's, a juke joint in Clarksdale, Miss., where it's advertised that you can see live blues seven nights a week.

Mississippi is home of the blues and key to civil rights past. Locals tell the story

1:10pm March 13, 2023

With pandemic restrictions lifted, tourists are returning to Mississippi's famous Blues Trail. Civil rights leaders are noticing some are now hungry for more context about the music's origins.

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Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr. in RRR.

From viral dance hit to Oscar winner, RRR's 'Naatu Naatu' has a big night

10:55pm March 12, 2023

by Stephen Thompson

In a field full of heavy hitters, the film's soundtrack to a dance battle won best original song at Sunday's Academy Awards, becoming the first-ever song from an Indian film to win the prize.

Music & Culture

Music critic shares some highlights from Miley Cyrus' 'Endless Summer Vacation'

12:39pm March 12, 2023

Popstar Miley Cyrus released a new album Friday titled Endless Summer Vacation. The Guardian's Shaad D'Souza discusses a few standout tracks.

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A still from Aftersun, one of this year's Oscar nominees that truly realizes the narrative power of songs.

Music & Culture

The Oscars are getting the best song category all wrong

8:00am March 12, 2023

by Ann Powers

In filmmaking, placing a song in just the right context and letting it cast its spell is an art — one that many films in 2022 mastered. What if we gave that achievement its own award?

Music & Culture

Kali Uchis on her new album 'Red Moon in Venus'

8:08am March 11, 2023

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with singer-songwriter Kali Uchis about her soulful new album, "Red Moon in Venus," and the inspiration behind it.

Customers shop at the Shuga Records store during the Record Store Day in Chicago on April 13, 2019. Vinyl record sales have been on the rise for 16 straight years, with an extra bump in demand during the pandemic.

Music & Culture

Vinyl records outsell CDs for the first time since 1987

3:20pm March 10, 2023

by Kaitlyn Radde

Vinyl sales grew for the 16th consecutive year in 2022, with 41 million albums sold — compared to 33 million CDs. Streaming is still the biggest driver of the music industry's growth.