Eilen Jewell, 'Crooked River'
With a raw ache lingering in her voice, the songwriter strikes a balance between heartache and triumph in this song about overcoming despair.
Music & Culture
Senegal's artists are fighting the system with a mic and spray paint
A cultural center in Senegal is creating a safe space where artists can use their platform to speak about climate change while also finding opportunities in the art and music scene.
Omah Lay: Tiny Desk Concert
The singer and songwriter made a special trip from Nigeria to the Tiny Desk for a performance of his Afro-fusion hits.
Zulu's soul-sampling powerviolence shifts the pit toward love
Meaty riffs, disembodied screams and... Curtis Mayfield? Anaiah Lei carefully curates samples to acknowledge past freedom fighters and provide windows of hope.
Why Harry Styles is required to participate in New Zealand's 2023 census
Every five years New Zealand conducts a census. Everyone, including overseas visitors, participate. Styles is on tour in Auckland in early March, so he'll join millions of others filling out the form.
Jen Cloher talks new album, 'I Am The River, The River Is Me'
On her upcoming album, I Am The River, The River Is Me, songwriter Jen Cloher sings about the wildfires that swept through Australia in 2019 and 2020.
A choir that's been singing African American spirituals for 60 years will give its last concert
An African American musical group in Michigan that's been singing spirituals since the Civil Rights era is about to give its final concert.
New podcast looks at one of the biggest genres in the world: K-Pop
NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Vivian Yoon. Her new podcast K-Pop Dreaming is a personal and historical journey through Korean pop music.
Folk veteran Iris DeMent shows us the 'World' she's been workin' on
Over the last three decades, singer-songwriter Iris DeMent has gained a cult following of folk, gospel and country music fans.
Long live soca! Celebrating 50 years of Trinidad's soundtrack to carnival
What began with Lord Shorty's song "Indrani" in 1973 has evolved considerably since – to follow along, here's a playlist with a song for every year, along with the history of its most notable tracks.