Phoebe Bridgers Frank Ockenfels/Dead Oceans hide caption
Music News Current music news, artist interviews, album reviews, and music industry news from NPR Music.
Music News
Glen Hansard, seen here performing in Washington, D.C. in 2016, led the Irish band The Frames and won an Oscar for the song "Falling Slowly" from the film Once. AJ Wilhelm/For NPR hide caption
Glen Hansard, Irish songwriter and 'Once' star, dies at 56
Stella Lefty began releasing music in 2024. Her song "Boston," built around a melody borrowed from Noah Kahan's "Stick Season," has been rising on the charts. Halle-Jean March hide caption
These three artists are poised to invade the top of the pop charts
FILE - Singer Bonnie Tyler performs her song "Believe in Me" during a rehearsal for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest at the Malmo Arena in Malmo, Sweden on May 17, 2013. Alastair Grant/AP hide caption
Bonnie Tyler, singer of power ballad 'Total Eclipse of the Heart,' dies at 75
The Empire State Building is seen in the distance as people take photos of a giant screen showing the message "JUST&T MARRIED!" (T&T for Taylor and Travis) outside Madison Square Garden, where wedding celebrations of pop singer Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs were held, in New York City on Friday. Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
In the wake of her career as a child actor on the Disney Channel, Olivia Rodrigo proved an instant success as a pop star. Xavi Torrent/Getty Images/Getty Images Europe hide caption
Olivia Rodrigo dominates the pop charts in her new album’s first week
Clive Davis in 2026 Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Recording A/Getty Images North America hide caption
Clive Davis, music executive and champion of legendary pop artists, has died at 94
Abdullah Ibrahim in Johanneburg, South Africa, in 2017. Mujahid Safodien/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
"Hate That I Made You Love Me" is Ariana Grande's 10th song to top the Hot 100, and eighth to debut in the chart's top spot. Ralph Bavaro/NBCUniversal via Getty Image hide caption
Ariana Grande's new song debuts at No. 1, keeping a streak alive
Drake's "Janice STFU" leads Billboard's inaugural "Songs of the Summer" chart. Simone Joyner/Getty Images/Getty Images Europe hide caption
As Drake rules the charts, the ‘song of the summer’ race heats up
Anthropic is an American artificial intelligence (AI) company founded in 2021. RICCARDO MILANI/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images/AFP hide caption
Anthropic prepares to sell stock to the public; files preliminary IPO paperwork
President Trump speaks at the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery on May 25 in Arlington, Va. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption
Drake dominates the charts this week. Simone Joyner/Getty Images/Getty Images Europe hide caption
US musician Sonny Rollins performs, 29 June 2006 in Vienne, southeastern France, during the opening of the Vienne Jazz Festival. Jeff Pachoud/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Sonny Rollins, colossus of the saxophone, has died at 95
Kars4Kids advertisements, like this TV commercial on a hot-pink set, feature children turning the charity's phone number into a catchy jingle. But they do not disclose that most of the proceeds go to a Jewish nonprofit that supports programming for young adults. Kars4Kids/Screenshot by NPR hide caption
Shakira and Burna Boy collaborated on "Dai Dai." It's the Colombian star's fourth song associated with a World Cup, 16 years after she made a splash with "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)." AP hide caption
Shakira is often referred to as the unofficial queen of World Cup anthems. John Nacion/Billboard via Getty Images/Billboard hide caption
Noah Kahan and the late Michael Jackson each find success this week on the Billboard charts. Photo by Griffin Lotz/Rolling Stone via Getty Images, Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images hide caption
Noah Kahan and Michael Jackson find success on the charts
A still from an FBI promotional video (left) bears a strong resemblance to the opening shot of the original 1994 music video for the Beastie Boy's "Sabotage" (right). NPR found at least six examples where shots in the FBI video matched those in music video. Experts say the most likely explanation is that AI-was used to re-create the shots. Screenshots by Emily Bogle for NPR/X and YouTube hide caption
The decline is especially notable with young listeners who are part of Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Fiordaliso/Getty Images/Moment RF hide caption
With "drop dead," Olivia Rodrigo debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for a fourth time, which bodes well for a new album set to arrive in June. Harry Durrant/Harry Durrant/Getty Images/Getty Images Europe hide caption
Olivia Rodrigo's 'drop dead' goes to No. 1 — and helps The Cure return to the charts
Justin Bieber (left) and Ella Langley (right) Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Coachella / Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images hide caption