Music & Culture

Music & Culture

The Chili's baby back ribs jingle got a makeover with the help of Boyz II Men

7:41am November 16, 2023

The 90s R&B group said that the collaboration was a perfect fit because when the earworm first came out 25 years ago, people often thought they sang jingle anyway.

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New film dramatizes Diana Nyad's 2013 feat: swimming from Cuba to Florida

7:41am November 16, 2023

The biopic chronicles the life of long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad, who swam from Cuba to Miami at the age of 64. NPR's Michel Martin talks to Nyad director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi.

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Pink gives away 2,000 banned books at Florida concerts

6:25am November 16, 2023

The pop music icon is taking a stand against the libraries and classrooms around the U.S. that have removed books due to claims of inappropriate content related to sexuality, gender identity and race.

Lara Downes speaks with Christian McBride

Music & Culture

The curious mind — and hard work — of bassist Christian McBride

5:01am November 16, 2023

by Lara Downes

The Grammy-winning bassist, bandleader and broadcaster talks about his love for music, family ties in the jazz world, and the thrill of sitting in with Wynton Marsalis as a teenager.

Silvana Estrada performs onstage at 2022 Best New Artist Showcase during the 23rd annual Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas.

Silvana Estrada moves from fear to defiance in Latin Grammy-nominated 'Si Me Matan'

5:01am November 16, 2023

by James Fredrick

The Mexican singer's song, whose title means "If They Kill Me," is nominated for best singer-songwriter song at the 2023 Latin Grammys, which takes place Thursday in Seville, Spain.

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But the debates unfolding now about what it means for Spain to host the Latin Grammys hint at much larger questions about how the Academy decides what constitutes Latin music.

Music & Culture

The Latin Grammys are in Spain this year. So what?

5:00pm November 15, 2023

by Isabella Gomez Sarmiento

This year, the Latin Grammys will be held outside the U.S., in Seville, Spain. The location raises larger questions about how the awards perpetuate inequalities related to race, class and colonialism.

Beirut's Zach Condon on drawing inspiration from the dark winters of Norway

4:19pm November 15, 2023

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to Zach Condon, the creative force behind the band Beirut, about his new album Hadsel, and drawing inspiration from the dark winter of arctic Norway.

Music & Culture

Composer Angelica Sanchez takes inspiration from the sound of the woods at night

1:29pm November 15, 2023

by Kevin Whitehead

Sanchez's latest album, Night Creatures, features music for nine instruments that variously contrast, blend or clash — channeling the open-air feeling of the pitch-dark woods at night.

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Music & Culture

2 Christmas songs enter the U.K.'s Top 40 chart earlier than normal

8:26am November 15, 2023

Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" shows up on the U.K. charts every year, but never this early in November. And Wham!'s 1984 song "Last Christmas" is sitting at No. 37.

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Music & Culture

With the help of AI, iconic French singer Edith Piaf will narrate her own story

7:26am November 15, 2023

The upcoming biopic is called Edith, and Warner Music Group says use of animation and archival footage will provide a modern spin on the Parisian artists' life.

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