music

"It's my job to be honest, that's all that's required of me as an artist," Japanese American artist Hikaru Utada tells NPR.

Breaking the boundaries of language and genre, Hikaru Utada finds freedom

Michelle Hyun Kim

Japanese American pop star Hikaru Utada has forged a boundary-breaking legacy merely being true to themself.

Watch the first entry to the 2022 Tiny Desk Contest

Elle Mannion

The first entry to the 2022 Contest is "Song of the Silent" by New York artist Belle-Skinner. If you want to play your own Tiny Desk concert, you have until March 14 to submit your entry.

Singer-songwriter and producer Amber Mark questions the nature of her existence on debut album <em>Three Dimensions Deep</em>.

Amber Mark's 'Three Dimensions Deep' turns grief into undeniable beauty

Kiana Fitzgerald

On her debut album, Amber Mark turns to the cosmos for answers.

"Above everything, every word, every concept still [happens] in our bodies, right?" Silvana Estrada tells NPR. "I'm a body that can create sounds like every other body."

Silvana Estrada wants you to find the song in your soul

Anamaria Sayre

The Mexican singer-songwriter employs her subversive brujeria to transcend experience on Marchita.

John Mellencamp performs during the Farm Aid 2021 music festival at the Xfinity Theatre on Sept. 25, 2021 in Hartford, Conn.

John Mellencamp reflects on a world estranged on new album 'Strictly a One-Eyed Jack'

Steve Inskeep

Rock & Roll Hall of Famer John Mellencamp returns with his first album of original songs in five years, Strictly a One-Eyed Jack.

Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST: Al Bilali Soudan, Kiran Ahluwalia, Tufan Derince

Bob Boilen

For the second consecutive year, NPR teams up with globalFEST for a thrilling online music festival we call Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST.

Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST: Kombilesa Mí, Northern Cree, Son Rompe Pera

Bob Boilen

For the second consecutive year, NPR teams up with globalFEST for a thrilling online music festival we call Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST.

Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST: Suistamon Sähkö, Bedouin Burger, ADG7

Bob Boilen

For the second consecutive year, NPR teams up with globalFEST for a thrilling online music festival we call Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST.

On <em>Dawn FM</em>, The Weeknd lets us consider whether we would like to age into the shape of our fears or the shape of our most heroic dreams.

On 'Dawn FM,' The Weeknd is both suffering and saved

Harmony Holiday

On his new album, The Weeknd lets us consider whether we would like to age into the shape of our fears or the shape of our most heroic dreams.

Tony Malaby, photographed in the fall of 2021, underneath the New Jersey Turnpike.

Saxophonist Tony Malaby's unlikely pandemic practice space: the New Jersey Turnpike

Nate Chinen

Saxophonist Tony Malaby, unlucky at the beginning of the pandemic after catching a very early case of the virus — the subsequent isolation imposed on his playing led him to a unique solution.