Music News

Music & Culture

Watching The 58th Annual Grammy Awards With A Critical Eye

8:11am February 16, 2016

by Eric Deggans

Record of the Year went to Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk," featuring Bruno Mars. Ed Sheeran and Amy Wadge won Song of the Year for "Thinking Out Loud." And Taylor Swift's 1989 won for Album of the Year.

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Beyoncé, on set for the "Formation" video shoot.

Music & Culture

Watching Beyoncé From New Orleans

8:00am February 16, 2016

by Elena Bergeron

The experience depicted in "Formation" and the culture that Mardi Gras stirs to life overlap and refute each other and mix in a way that IRL New Orleanians can hate and love all at once.

The Weeknd — known for his falsetto range — performs in Las Vegas earlier this year.

Music & Culture

Why Are There So Many Tough Guys Who Sound Like Ladies On The Radio?

2:14pm February 15, 2016

by Neda Ulaby

Right now, men singing in high voices are really popular: Think Usher, Adam Levine, Jason Derulo or The Weeknd, which is up for seven Grammys this year. NPR's Neda Ulaby tries to understand why.

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Music & Culture

Rapper Kendrick Lamar Predicted To Be Big Grammy Winner

5:08am February 15, 2016

Kendrick Lamar's album To Pimp A Butterfly is a favorite for Album of the Year. And his song "Alright," is favored to win Song of the Year. David Greene talks to Kendrick Lamar about his music.

Genya Ravan (left) and director Chris Henry on the set of Rock and Roll Refugee, a new off-Broadway play about Ravan's early life in music.

Music & Culture

Genya Ravan, 'Rock And Roll Refugee,' Has Stories To Fill Two Lifetimes

12:45pm February 14, 2016

by Allyson McCabe

Ravan came to the U.S. as a refugee of postwar Europe, learned English listening to the radio and, before long, heard herself on it. Her life in pop and rock is the subject of a new off-Broadway show.

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Paul McCartney has composed love-themed audible emoji.

Music & Culture

Oh! Darling: Sir Paul's Audible Emoji For Your Valentine

5:26am February 14, 2016

by Naomi LaChance

The former Beatle composed 10 five-second jingles to accompany Skype's love-themed emojis. They feature the sounds of his voice, a Moog synthesizer, guitar, harpsichord and other instruments.

Kanye West premiered The Life Of Pablo in only the way Kanye West could: at his Madison Square Garden fashion show.

Music & Culture

Kanye West Plays Puppet Master With 'Life Of Pablo' Premiere

1:13am February 13, 2016

by Oliver Wang

Maybe this is all part of some performance-art piece we've been unwittingly sucked into. But either way, it seems to be working.

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Ethel Waters and Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson in the 1943 film version of Cabin in the Sky, directed by Vincente Minnelli.

Music & Culture

A New 'Cabin In The Sky' Offers Universal Stories — And A Problematic Past

5:50pm February 10, 2016

by Jeff Lunden

Best remembered as a 1943 film starring Ethel Waters, the musical is being resurrected as a concert series, which aims to both honor the story and reckon with its racist roots.

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Beyoncé, in a scene from the video for "Formation."

In Beyoncé's 'Formation,' A Glorification Of 'Bama' Blackness

10:02am February 10, 2016

by Jesmyn Ward

Beyoncé's latest song is for the black Southern woman, says National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward, who's from Mississippi. It's a message she needed to hear.

Beyonce performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show at Levi's Stadium on February 7, 2016 in Santa Clara, California.

Not Ready To Stop Obsessing Over Beyoncé And 'Formation'? We Got You

4:11pm February 09, 2016

by Hanna Choi and Leah Donnella

So you've watched the music video, and the halftime show, eleventy million times. Now, let these smart takes help you parse all the feels.