Music & Culture

Thao Nguyen's new track for Morning Edition's Song Project is about the day wildfire haze blotted out the sun over San Francisco, illuminating everything wrong with 2020.

Music & Culture

On 'All This And More,' Thao Nguyen Tackles Post-Apocalyptic Omens

6:05am November 11, 2020

Nguyen processes feelings of dread in her new song for Morning Edition's Song Project, written after the skies over San Francisco turned orange from wildfire haze.

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Tigran Hamasyan plays a Tiny Desk (home) concert.

Music & Culture

Tigran Hamasyan: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

5:00am November 11, 2020

by Suraya Mohamed

The award-winning pianist performs three solo songs from his home in Armenia.

Adrianne Lenker, lead vocalist and guitarist of Big Thief, released two solo albums in October, simply titled songs and instrumentals.

Music & Culture

Adrianne Lenker On Carving Out Space To Recover

4:28pm November 10, 2020

The Big Thief singer and guitarist holed up in the mountains of Western Massachusetts to record not one, but two albums, simply titled songs and instrumentals.

Music & Culture

With 'Pedernal,' Susan Alcorn Expands Pedal Steel Guitar's Range

1:55pm November 10, 2020

Pedal steel guitar is a staple of country music, but Alcorn bends it around odd corners. Her quintet's new album is beyond category — roaming betwixt jazz and improvised music and rock and country.

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A former ballerina named Marta C. González, dancing to the music of Swan Lake in a video still from YouTube.

Struck With Memory Loss, A Dancer Remembers 'Swan Lake.' But Who Is She?

1:25pm November 10, 2020

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Viewers worldwide are responding to a moving video of Marta C. González, a former dancer afflicted with dementia. But critics are questioning whether González is who the clip makers claim she is.

Shirley Collins plays a Tiny Desk (home) concert.

Music & Culture

Shirley Collins: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

9:31am November 10, 2020

by Bob Boilen

British folk singer Shirley Collins is a living legend. Watch her perform five songs for her Tiny Desk quarantine concert.

Music & Culture

World Cafe's Best New LatinX Playlist

5:13pm November 09, 2020

by Byron Gonzalez

We've launched a Best New LatinX Spotify playlist of new music from established and rising artists from the United States, Central and South America.

Mickey Guyton plays a Tiny Desk (home) concert.

Music & Culture

Mickey Guyton: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

9:48am November 09, 2020

by Ann Powers

Country music's breakout star of 2020 performs three songs for her Tiny Desk quarantine concert, including "Black Like Me."

Mariah Carey performs onstage during her "All I Want For Christmas Is You" tour at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 15, 2019 in New York City.

Mariah Carey's Memoir Is Further Proof: She Has A Gift For Storytelling

6:23am November 09, 2020

by Aisha Harris

The hitmaker, now celebrating 30 years into her career, has released a memoir — The Meaning of Mariah Carey — as detailed and entertaining as her songs.

Billy Joe Shaver, photographed onstage during Willie Nelson's 4th of July Concert at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on July 4, 2008 in San Antonio, Texas.

Music & Culture

The Ballad Of Billy Joe Shaver And Jerry Jeff Walker, Country Outlaws

6:00am November 08, 2020

by Charles Aaron

The deaths of Walker and Shaver this month prompted critic Charles Aaron to consider the impact of their work on the wider sound of American music.