Music & Culture

Cowboy Carter is the hotly anticipated follow-up to to Beyoncé's 2022 album, Renaissance.

Music & Culture

10 takeaways from Beyoncé's new album, 'Cowboy Carter'

7:27pm March 29, 2024

Is the much-hyped sequel to Renaissance a country album? In many ways, yes — but it's also a sprawling collage of disparate references, while remaining a Beyoncé album at its heart.

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Music & Culture

Rhiannon Giddens and the Carolina Chocolate Drops put a modern twist on tradition

1:41pm March 29, 2024

by Terry Gross

Giddens' banjo and viola are featured on Beyoncé's new country album. We listen back to a 2010 interview and in-studio performance by Giddens and the Carolina Chocolate Drops.

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The University of Idaho Marching Band, wearing Yale T-shirts, performs at the NCAA Tournament game between Yale and San Diego State in Spokane, Wash., on Sunday. The band has been honored in Connecticut for filling in as Bulldogs.

Why the University of Idaho marching band members are heroes in Connecticut

11:26am March 29, 2024

by Rachel Treisman

When Yale's marching band wasn't able to make it to March Madness, the Sound of Idaho stepped in — and went viral. A week later, Connecticut's governor proclaimed a "University of Idaho Day."

Sheryl Crow changed her mind about releasing a new album. The change did her good

9:09am March 29, 2024

Sheryl Crow announced her final album in 2019. She has since reconsidered her position. Her 2024 album is called Evolution.

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z attend the 66th Grammy Awards at Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 4, 2024.

Music & Culture

Jay-Z and Beyoncé's blank space

5:00pm March 28, 2024

by Sheldon Pearce

The Carters have it all — wealth, influence, critical cred — but they've never stopped chasing the approval of exclusive institutions like the Grammys. At this point, who are they fighting for?

Music & Culture

Why Beyoncé's foray into country music with 'Cowboy Carter' has been polarizing

6:09am March 28, 2024

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Francesca Royster, author of Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions, about how Black artists have contributed to country music and the barriers they've faced.

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Music & Culture

Abba's legendary album 'Waterloo' is being reissued

6:01am March 28, 2024

The new pressing is to celebrate the album's 50th anniversary and the Swedish quartet's 1974 Eurovision win. It will even include the album's title track in four different languages.

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Besides charting the course of her own pop stardom, Tyla's goals are to spread the pride of her country and keep the people who created amapiano at the forefront of the movement.

Music & Culture

Tyla is the new face of African pop. She's aiming to take over the whole world

5:08am March 28, 2024

by Sidney Madden

The South African singer brought a homegrown genre, amapiano, to new ears with a viral hit and a Grammy. With her debut album, she wants to prove the world is ready for a full-blown African pop star.

Víkingur Ólafsson performs a Tiny Desk concert.

Music & Culture

Víkingur Ólafsson: Tiny Desk Concert

5:00am March 28, 2024

by Tom Huizenga

The thoughtful pianist from Iceland plays a set of gentle pieces — from Bach to Bartók — evoking nostalgic memories of his childhood.

New Jazz Underground pushes at the corners of hard bop and hip-hop.

Music & Culture

8 Tracks: Viral jazz, fantasy metal and a springtime roséwave jam

6:10pm March 27, 2024

by Lars Gotrich

What do New Jazz Underground, Black Sabbath and Remi Wolf have in common? According to NPR Music producer Lars Gotrich, they put out the best tracks of the week.