Music

Music & Culture

Angel Olsen Sings With Fierceness And Fatalism On 'My Woman'

1:29pm September 26, 2016

by Ken Tucker

Though Olsen sets pain and frustration to music in her latest album, critic Ken Tucker says it's clear that the singer is "very much in control of her emotions and her life."

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Music & Culture

Remembering Stanley 'Buckwheat' Dural Jr., A Legend In Lousiana's Zydeco Music

5:46pm September 25, 2016

by NPR Staff

Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural Jr., was known as an international ambassador for Louisiana roots music with his genre-leaping band Buckwheat Zydeco.

Music & Culture

Off Stage And Inside The Life Of 'The Boss' Battling With Depression

5:46pm September 25, 2016

by NPR Staff

Michel Martin chats with David Kamp about his Vanity Fair interview with Bruce Springsteen. In the book, called Born to Run, Springsteen opens up about his life and his history with mental illness.

Music & Culture

'Rolling Stone' Sells Minority Share Of Magazine To Singapore Entrepreneur

4:21pm September 25, 2016

by Jim Zarroli

It's the first time Jann Wenner has allowed an outside investor to buy a part of the fabled magazine he founded in 1967.

This summer, R&B singer Anthony Hamilton took NPR Music on a tour of the places in his hometown of Charlotte, N.C. that shaped his voice.

Music & Culture

The Gospel Of The R&B Singer: Anthony Hamilton's Journey Home

8:45am September 25, 2016

This summer, Hamilton met NPR Music in his hometown of Charlotte, N.C. for a tour of some of the places — from his boyhood church to the where he cut hair as a singing barber — that shaped his voice.

"Because I grew up in such a strong Hispanic community, I carry that," Luz Elena Mendoza says. "I carry it whenever I go, so that's always strong."

Music & Culture

Y La Bamba's Luz Elena Mendoza On Valuing One's Voice

8:37am September 25, 2016

by NPR Staff

Mendoza says she's often felt caught between cultures. But she's learned to embrace multiple identities simultaneously — and it shows in her music.

Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural Jr. of Buckwheat Zydeco died Saturday morning from lung cancer. He was 68.

Music & Culture

Buckwheat Zydeco's Stanley 'Buckwheat' Dural Jr. Dies At 68

2:58pm September 24, 2016

by Mark Mobley

The international ambassador for Louisiana roots music died early Saturday morning of lung cancer.

Breaking the Waves explores the relationship between a deeply religious young woman named Bess (played by Keira Duffy) and a Nordic oil worker named Jan.

Music & Culture

'It's Familiar To All The Women In My Family:' Adapting Von Trier For The Opera

8:59am September 24, 2016

by Jeff Lunden

Composer Missy Mazzoli wouldn't call Lars von Trier's film Breaking the Waves, a feminist project. But its portrayal of a woman's experience was part of what drew her to help reimagine it onstage.

"I write from the perspective of the most nurturing, empowering, 'lifting-you-up'-type voice," Jillian Banks says. "That's what's so great about making music — you can give that to yourself."

Music & Culture

BANKS On What Happens When You Give Your Fans Your Phone Number

8:59am September 24, 2016

by NPR Staff

Social media isn't Jillian Banks' style, so she told her fans to text her instead. "Something that I'm still learning and have had to learn is how to put boundaries up," she says.

Music & Culture

Heavy Rotation: 10 Songs Public Radio Can't Stop Playing

7:49am September 24, 2016

Hear new songs by Amanda Shires, The Minders, Izo FitzRoy and more in a mix curated by public-radio hosts across the country.