Accessibility links
Music News Current music news, artist interviews, album reviews, and music industry news from NPR Music.

Music News

Taylor Swift performs during the European leg of her Eras Tour at Johan Cruijff Arena on July 4, 2024, in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Taylor Swift, seen onstage in Amsterdam in July during the European leg of her record-breaking Eras Tour, has broken another record with her latest album The Tortured Poets Department. Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

Music

This may sound like a broken record, but Taylor Swift has broken another record

Swift's The Tortured Poets Department has been the biggest album in the country for 12 consecutive weeks, the longest run atop that chart of her career.

Young Thug performs at half time at the game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Boston Celtics on November 17, 2021 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

Young Thug performs at half time at the game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Boston Celtics on November 17, 2021 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images

Music

Why the judge in Young Thug’s trial was just recused from the case

Fulton County Chief Judge Ural Glanville was taken off the YSL RICO case this week after his actions in an ex parte meeting were deemed damaging to public perception of the case.

Marshall Allen performs at the 2024 A Great Night In Harlem Gala at The Apollo Theater in New York City in March 2024

Marshall Allen, who will be included in the class of Jazz Masters awarded by the NEA next year, performs onstage at the 2024 A Great Night In Harlem Gala at the Apollo Theater in New York City in March. Arturo Holmes/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

Music

Marshall Allen and Chucho Valdés included in 2025 class of NEA Jazz Masters

A saxophonist of otherworldly gusto, two pianists of impulsive eloquence and a critic with a pen nearly as sharp as his ears are the latest selections for the the nation's highest honor for jazz.

Shaboozey performs during the 2024 BET Awards in Los Angeles in June 2024.

Shaboozey performs during the 2024 BET Awards in Los Angeles in June 2024. Michael Tran/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Michael Tran/Getty Images

Music

Shaboozey's slow-burning hybrid of hip-hop and country is finally the biggest song in the land

This week, Shaboozey becomes only the second Black artist ever to top Billboard's pop and country singles charts at the same time. The first, earlier this year, was his collaborator, Beyoncé.

BILLBOARD STORY 5

Listen · 2:38
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5027961/nx-s1-caac2206-d1da-4c92-9cc0-fb6f4d1e20f8" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Megan Thee Stallion sheds her skin on 'Megan'

Megan Thee Stallion performs during the 2022 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival. Rich Fury/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Rich Fury/Getty Images

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Megan Thee Stallion sheds her skin on 'Megan'

A lot has happened to rapper Megan Thee Stallion over the last couple of years including a highly publicized trial after being shot by a former friend, a messy breakup, and a feud with artist Nicki Minaj. She confronts all of that and more on her boastful and vulnerable new album Megan. But she also has fun on playful tracks like 'Down Stairs DJ' and 'Otaku Hot Girl' that are odes to self-pleasure and her anime nerddom.

Megan Thee Stallion sheds her skin on 'Megan'

Listen · 19:59
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197967381/1255124503" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Post Malone has reclaimed the throne this week.

Post Malone has reclaimed the throne this week. Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Stagecoach hide caption

toggle caption
Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Stagecoach

Music

Post Malone recaptures the No. 1 song spot with 'I Had Some Help'

After briefly ceding to Sabrina Carpenter, “I Had Some Help" is back on top of the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department is still No. 1 over on the Billboard 200 albums chart — she’s holding strong at ten weeks.

Charli XCX and Lorde sure did make the internet go crazy
Victor Boyko; Michael Tran / AFP/Getty Images

Perspective

It's Been a Minute

Charli XCX and Lorde sure did make the internet go crazy

The internet freaked out when Charli XCX and Lorde revealed - and put to rest - their pop girl rivalry on Charli's "Girl, so confusing" remix. That same day, Brandy and Monica seemed to settle their decades long feud when they appeared on the remix of Ariana Grande's version of "The Boy is Mine." But while the pop girls are healing, a lot of fans still seem to want blood - can this music heal us? To break it all down, Brittany is joined by NPR Music Editor Hazel Cills, and Pop Pantheon podcast host, DJ Louie XIV.

Charli XCX and Lorde sure did make the internet go crazy

Listen · 38:03
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197956736/1254928166" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

"Beethoven" (1936). A new study suggests the German composer and pianist may have suffered from lead poisoning. The Print Collector/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
The Print Collector/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Beethoven was a classical and romantic composer, but his body was full of heavy metal

Virtuosic pianist and composer Beethoven suffered from several debilitating ailments. A new study suggests lead poisoning may be at least partly to blame.

Beethoven was a classical and romantic composer, but his body was full of heavy metal

Listen · 4:57
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/g-s1-5433/1252333826" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Sabrina Carpenter’s ascent is complete — this week, she scored her first No. 1 hit.

Sabrina Carpenter’s ascent is complete — this week, she scored her first No. 1 hit. Nina Westervelt/Billboard via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Nina Westervelt/Billboard via Getty Images

Music

Sabrina Carpenter scores her first No. 1 single with 'Please Please Please'

The pop star caught the top spot while her other single, “Espresso,” is still holding strong at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Meanwhile: yes, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department is still No. 1 over on the Billboard 200 albums chart — we’re at week nine and counting.

Protesters attend a rally against a death sentence given to Toomaj Salehi, a popular rapper in Iran, and to support to the women of Iran, in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday, April 28, 2024. Iran's Supreme Court overturned Salehi's death sentence on Saturday, June 22, 2024, his lawyer Amir Raisian said.

Protesters attend a rally against a death sentence given to Toomaj Salehi, a popular rapper in Iran, and to support to the women of Iran, in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday, April 28, 2024. Iran's Supreme Court overturned Salehi's death sentence on Saturday, June 22, 2024, his lawyer Amir Raisian said. Ebrahim Noroozi/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Ebrahim Noroozi/AP

Middle East

Iran overturns rapper Toomaj Salehi's death sentence for criticizing the government

The rapper came to fame over his lyrics about the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini in 2022. Iran's Supreme Court ruled the sentence was more than what is allowed by the law.

Taylor Swift on stage in France in May, during the European leg of her Eras Tour. Since its release in April, Swift's latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, has been the top album in the United States for eight consecutive weeks.

Taylor Swift on stage in France in May, during the European leg of her Eras Tour. Since its release in April, Swift's latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, has been the top album in the United States for eight consecutive weeks. Julien de Rosa/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Julien de Rosa/Getty Images

Taylor Swift and Post Malone top the charts again. How long can their dominance last?

One song has ruled the pop chart for over a month. One album has topped the album chart for two months. But there are signs this week that both could face serious challengers soon.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 12: Wynton Marsalis performs during

Wynton Marsalis performs during "Live from Here" at The Town Hall on Oct. 12, 2019, in New York City. Taylor Hill/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Taylor Hill/Getty Images

A Juneteenth album captures the rhythm of life

Wynton Marsalis, Bryan Stevenson and a host of musicians release a record that captures the rhythm of life

A Juneteenth album brings 'Freedom, Justice and Hope'

Listen · 3:52
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5004643/nx-s1-6981429b-6594-4fb0-94d4-8976002db994" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
The four original members of R.E.M. — Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, Bill Berry and Peter Buck — reunited and performed at the 2024 Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

The four original members of R.E.M. — Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, Bill Berry and Peter Bucks — reunited and performed at the 2024 Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony. L. Busacca/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall of Fame hide caption

toggle caption
L. Busacca/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall of Fame

Music

R.E.M. reunites for the first time in 15 years, performs 'Losing My Religion'

On Thursday morning, Mike Mills said that it would take "a comet" for R.E.M. to get back together. But on Thursday night, R.E.M. got back together to perform the band's unexpected 1991 hit at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Eminem, performing here during the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show at SoFi Stadium in 2022, returns to the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week with

Eminem, performing here during the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show at SoFi Stadium in 2022, returns to the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week with "Houdini." Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The top songs of the week take a nostalgia trip, courtesy of Eminem

For a seventh straight week, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department rules the Billboard 200. On the singles chart, Eminem references both the Steve Miller Band and his own past glory.

TIKTOK 50 CHART

Listen · 2:13
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5001850/nx-s1-827519ed-8ec9-4b49-8baa-a502c628037b" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
The French singer and actress Francoise Hardy wearing a fur coat in Piazza Sant'Ambrogio. Milan, 1960s (Photo by Mondadori via Getty Images)

The French singer and actress Francoise Hardy wearing a fur coat in Piazza Sant'Ambrogio. Milan, 1960s (Photo by Mondadori via Getty Images) Mondadori Portfolio/Mondadori via Getty Images/Mondadori Portfolio Editorial hide caption

toggle caption
Mondadori Portfolio/Mondadori via Getty Images/Mondadori Portfolio Editorial

Obituaries

Françoise Hardy, renowned French singer-songwriter, has died at 80

Hardy was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer in 2004, and also had laryngeal cancer.

Songwriter, out June 28, features early '90s demos by Johnny Cash with new backing tracks.

Songwriter, out June 28, features early '90s demos by Johnny Cash with new backing tracks. Alan Messer hide caption

toggle caption
Alan Messer

With a new Johnny Cash album, examining when to release posthumous material

Johnny Cash died in 2003, but an un-released demo he recorded in 1993 has been refashioned into a new album. What are the unwritten rules about how to tastefully release posthumous material?

With a new Johnny Cash album, examining when to release posthumous material

Listen · 7:02
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-4996447/nx-s1-58ddd615-47d3-4402-9c76-f390c4725fb1" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Browse archive or search npr.org