Music

Performing "Rebel Girl" felt risky in Bikini Kill's early years, Kathleen Hanna says. "There were confrontations, things thrown at us, stuff like that. So doing that song always felt like putting my superhero cape on."

Music & Culture

Fascination, Friendship And Desire: Kathleen Hanna On The Reign Of 'Rebel Girl'

10:17am August 12, 2019

by Ann Powers

Bikini Kill's instant anthem for the '90s riot grrrl movement found new purpose at rock camps, where young girls learn to express themselves through music. Hanna breaks it down with NPR's Ann Powers.

Queue Listen Now

Maya de Vitry (left) by Laura E. Partain, Jessy Wilson (right) by Mary Caroline Russell

Music & Culture

Maya de Vitry And Jessy Wilson Compare Notes On Forging Their Stand-Alone Identities

10:00am August 12, 2019

by Jewly Hight

No longer pouring all of their time and creative energy into collective endeavors, each of these Nashville artists are defining who they are on their own.

half•alive plays a Tiny Desk Concert on June 21, 2019 (Shuran Huang/NPR).

Music & Culture

half•alive: Tiny Desk Concert

5:00am August 12, 2019

by Robin Hilton

How does half•alive, known for funky earworms and synchronized dancing, translate to such a cozy space? Have the dancers sit.

PJ Morton's latest album, PAUL, is out now.

Music & Culture

PJ Morton Taps Into His Purest Form With 'PAUL'

8:04am August 11, 2019

PJ Morton found mainstream success as the keyboardist for Maroon 5. But over the past few years, he's been making waves with his solo work — most recently with PAUL, out now.

People attend a candlelight prayer vigil outside Immanuel Baptist Church, located near the scene of the mass shooting on August 5, 2019 in El Paso, Texas.

Music & Culture

Juan Gabriel's 'Amor Eterno' Takes On New Meaning After El Paso Shooting

8:04am August 11, 2019

In El Paso, the song "Amor Eterno" has taken on a new poignancy as it's played at vigils and memorials.

'Baby Shark' Takes Hold At Nationals Park

8:04am August 11, 2019

Fans of the Washington Nationals have a new reason to watch: they can enjoy a "Baby Shark" attack every time Gerardo Parra comes to bat, when the infectious children's song starts playing.

Queue Listen Now

"If you think about it, it's almost like Dr. Seuss," Beauty Pill's Chad Clark notes about one of David Berman's lyrics, "if Dr. Seuss had become seriously depressed."

Music & Culture

Silver Jews' David Berman Remembered By His Peers, In His Own Words

10:24am August 10, 2019

Beauty Pill's Chad Clark and Wooden Wand's James Toth examine the legacy of David Berman with their favorite lyrics.

Music & Culture

Bobby Rush On Being A 'Bluesman'

8:34am August 10, 2019

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with bluesman Bobby Rush about his new album, Sitting on Top of the Blues.

Music & Culture

My Signature Song: Frank Sinatra's 'Cycles'

8:34am August 10, 2019

Tanti Brownley of Newport News, Va., shares her "signature song": "Cycles," performed by Frank Sinatra.

WALKING LIKE A PANTHER: Rapsody celebrates the legacy of black women with Eve, out August 23.

Music & Culture

With 'Eve,' Rapsody Wields The Legacies Of Legendary Black Women, From Nina To Serena

1:57pm August 09, 2019

by Rodney Carmichael

The forthcoming album, her third, honors 16 queens from the far past and the immediate present, using them to power her best and baddest musical clapback yet.