NPR Music staff and NPR Member stations share today's essential new music that makes us dance, smile and weep.
Mickey Guyton's roséwave playlist features Destiny's Child, Maren Morris, India.Arie and Tenille Townes.
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Mickey Guyton's roséwave playlist celebrates the women who have influenced her. "Turn it up, hug your girlfriends and enjoy!" the country singer-songwriter says.
Comic book artist Daniel Warren Johnson (Murder Falcon, Extremity) illustrates the music of Viking's Choice. Horns up!
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Need a deep discovery experience? Try 1000 years of music. Our mantra: Bach, Beethoven, before and beyond.
Jazz artist Nate Smith performing in the Netherlands. Smith's song "Square Wheel" feat. Kokayi and Michael Mayo was one of Jazz Night's favorites of the first half of the year.
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Roséwave is an entire vibe, but has never sounded so vibey. Whether you're on the way to the function or still shaking off outside jitters, this summer mix is for you.
Doja Cat and SZA's song "Kiss Me More" has been one of 2021's most inescapable tracks.
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Every summer gets its own unique soundtrack — a fresh batch of hit songs, all vying for an unofficial title: Song Of The Summer. Often these songs are on the wind, everywhere, dominating not just the airwaves, but also the cultural conversation. And sometimes, a song of the summer is just a great new music discovery. So we gathered together a bunch of NPR Music contributors and asked them to name their Song Of The Summer.
Remember those barely planned, niche antics in the group chat? Grab your girls, choose life and get gone: Let Solange, Stevie Wonder and Janet Jackson soundtrack a summer of feeling yourself.
It's not a genre; it's a lifestyle.
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Whether you're ready for Hot Vax Summer or preparing for a more cautious reentry to everyday life, roséwave understands. Here are 101 songs to soundtrack your summer, wherever you're at.
YWCA camp for girls. Highland Beach, Maryland, 1930. These photos are from the Scurlock Studio Collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Read more about the photos at the end of this story.
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Music offers freedom. Freedom of expression — a way to rejoice and to mourn, to offer comfort, to call for change.
Marvin Gaye's hit record "What's Going On" encapsulates the political turmoil of 1971 while also inspiring hope for change.
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Critics widely consider 1971 one of the best years in music history. For NPR's 50th anniversary, public radio stations turn back the clock and reflect on the year's best tracks.
Louder Than A Riot reveals the interconnected rise of hip-hop and mass incarceration. Follow along with the music featured in every episode.
Lil Baby performs during a Juneteenth voter registration rally on June 19, 2020 at Murphy Park Fairgrounds in Atlanta, Ga. One week earlier, he released "The Bigger Picture," a song protesting police brutality.
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These songs take on some of the ugliest stories in our history and reflect the commitment of Black musicians to telling the truth of how Black people have been wronged, and survived, and fought back.
Lil Wayne, shown performing at Coachella in 2016, is one of the artists featuring in NPR Music's Southern rap canon.
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From Mac Phipps and C Murder to Snoop Dogg and Drakeo The Ruler, rap lyrics have been used in court cases to try and put rappers behind bars.
Win Butler (L) of Arcade Fire and DJ Michael Brun participate in the Krewe du Kanaval parade on February 15, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
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Haiti's influence on one of America's most musical cities is explored in a new audio documentary, Kanaval, hosted by Leyla McCalla and produced by WXPN.
A regularly updated playlist that keeps track of new songs deemed absolutely essential by the NPR Music staff.
We danced in kitchens, took long drives, caught up in backyards or on video chat, watched weddings from our living rooms. We found ways to thrive.
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Think of it as a silver lining playlist, a whopper of a mixtape to close out a bummer of a year.
Bootsy Collins, funk bassist, performing live concert performance at the Hammersmith Odeon, in Hammersmith, London, England in June 1978.
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