The Wayback Machine - http://web.archive.org/web/20240523090553/https://apnews.com/hub/music

Music

FILE - Charlie Colin appears at the Friendly House Los Angeles' 24th Annual Awards Luncheon on Oct. 26, 2013 in Los Angeles. Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like “Drops of Jupiter" and “Meet Virginia,” has died. He was 58. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

Charlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58

Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, has died. He was 58.
 
This cover image released by Roxie Records shows "Blue Electric Light" by Lenny Kravitz. (Roxie Records via AP)

Music Review: Lenny Kravitz leans on the funk with glorious ‘Blue Electric Light’

 
FILE - Sarah Pidgeon attends the Meet The Tony Award Nominees press junket at the Sofitel New York on May 2, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

Sarah Pidgeon finds her voice, her inner rock god and a Tony nomination in Broadway’s ‘Stereophonic’

 
FILE - Lauryn Hill performs during "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" 25th anniversary tour on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, at Barclays Center in New York. Apple Music announced on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, their 10 greatest albums of all time with Hill’s 1998 iconic “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” claiming the top spot. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

Lauryn Hill’s classic ‘Miseducation’ album tops Apple Music’s list of best albums of all time

 
This cover image released by Fueled by Ramen Records shows "Clancy" by Twenty One Pilots. (Fueled by Ramen Records via AP)

Music Review: Twenty One Pilots’ concept album ‘Clancy’ is an energizing end of an era

 

Mariachis v Flame Swallower: Fiery dispute between Mexico’s street performers

Mexico’s often violent disputes between street performers reached a new level this week when a group of guitar-toting mariachis attacked a flame-swallower. What happened next was, perhaps, predictable.
Watch More

In Saudi Arabia, an all-women band rocks out as society loosens up

3 Things to See: ACMs, ‘Megalopolis,’ Sports Illustrated

NCT DREAM reveals favorite song from tour

More News

Frankie Beverly performs at the 2019 Essence Festival at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, July 7, 2019, in New Orleans. (Photo by Donald Traill/Invision/AP)

2024 Essence Festival to honor Frankie Beverly’s ‘final performance’ with tribute

Organizers of the Essence Festival of Culture have revealed that legendary soul group Maze featuring Frankie Beverly will be recognized during this summer’s gathering with “a star-studded tribute” that will “honor their final performance.”
 
FILE - Kecia Lewis attends the "Hell's Kitchen" Broadway musical opening night performance at the Shubert Theatre on Saturday, April 20, 2024, in New York. The Broadway veteran — now celebrating 40 years in the business — portrays the formidable piano teacher Miss Liza Jane in “Hell’s Kitchen” who inspires the show's young heroine to embrace music. (Photo by CJ Rivera/Invision/AP, File)

Kecia Lewis in Broadway’s ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ delivers the soul and earns a Tony Award nomination

It’s fitting that Kecia Lewis has had her most successful theater season while playing a mentor. The Broadway veteran portrays the formidable piano teacher Miss Liza Jane in “Hell’s Kitchen” who inspires the show’s young heroine to embrace music.
 
From left, members of the band Seera including Thing, Noura, Hayahuascah and Meesh take a selfie during an interview with The Associated Press in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, May 12, 2024. A public performance by Seera, an all-women psychedelic rock band that blends traditional Arabic melodies with the resurgent psychedelia of bands like Tame Impala, would have been unthinkable just years earlier in the kingdom. (AP Photo/Baraa Anwer)

In Saudi Arabia, an all-women psychedelic rock band jams out as its conservative society loosens up

As Saudi Arabia liberalizes some aspects of its society, an all-women psychedelic rock band that recently performed in the kingdom’s capital is an example showing some Saudi women are now finding their voice through the arts.
 
FILE - Billie Eilish arrives at the 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

Music Review: Billie Eilish’s ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ is zealous outsider pop in a league of her own

Billie Eilish’s highly anticipated third studio album has arrived.
 
FILE - Matt Shultz, left, and Nick Bockrath of Cage The Elephant perform at the All In Music & Arts Festival on Sept. 4, 2022, in Indianapolis. The band has a new album called "Neon Pill." (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

Rock band Cage the Elephant emerge from loss and hospitalization with new album ‘Neon Pill’

To say Cage the Elephant’s latest album had a turbulent birth would be an understatement. The band dealt with the deaths of loved ones, the pandemic and their lead singer’s arrest and hospitalization.
 
Lainey Wilson accepts the award for entertainer of the year during the 59th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday, May 16, 2024, at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Lainey Wilson wins big at the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards, including the top honor

It was Lainey Wilson’s night, in many ways. She took home female artist of the year and the top prize of entertainer of the year at the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards.
 
FILE - Michael McDonald, of the Doobie Brothers, poses for a portrait at Show Biz Studios in Los Angeles on Aug. 17, 2021. McDonald has a new memoir titled, "What a Fool Believes." (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

Soulful singer Michael McDonald looks back in his new memoir, ‘What a Fool Believes’

Something stopped Michael McDonald from telling his story publicly — him. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer with multiple Grammys just didn’t think he had one.
 
FILE - Jordin Sparks sings the national anthem before the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 24, 2015. Sparks will return to the Indianapolis 500 this year to sing the national anthem at the May 26 "Greatest Spectacle in Racing."(AP Photo/Sam Riche)

‘American Idol’ alum Jordin Sparks to perform national anthem ahead of 108th Indianapolis 500

Jordin Sparks, the singer-songwriter who shot to stardom on “American Idol,” will perform the national anthem before the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend.
 
This cover image released by Ecco shows "Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk" by Kathleen Hanna. (Ecco via AP)

In her feminist punk music, Kathleen Hanna tells it all. In her memoir, there’s more to the story

Kathleen Hana’s bands, Bikini Kill, the Julie Ruin and Le Tigre, have long been celebrated for their candor, and their songs which chastised abusers and celebrated women.
 
FILE - Saxophonist David Sanborn performs on the Stravinski Hall stage at the 43rd Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland on July 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Keystone/Martial Trezzini, File)

David Sanborn, Grammy-winning saxophonist who played on hundreds of albums, dies at 78

David Sanborn, the Grammy-winning saxophonist who played lively solos on such hits as David Bowie’s “Young Americans” and James Taylor’s “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” and enjoyed his own highly successful career, has died at age 78.
 
In this image provided by Kpop4Planet, demonstrators pose at Maengbang Beach in Samcheok, South Korea, as part of the #SaveButterBeach campaign in September 2021. The group paired with climate groups in South Korea to raise awareness about plans for a coal-burning power plant. The plant site is near the beach of the photo shoot location for album artwork for one of K-pop band BTS’s hit songs. (Soojung Do/Kpop4Planet via AP)

K-pop fans around globe rally for climate and environment goals

Fans of Korean pop bands around the world are increasingly channeling their millions-strong online community into climate and environmental activism.
 
From left, Said Fadel, Samir al Borno, Abood Qassim, Rahaf Shamaly, Ahmed Haddad, Fares Anbar and Hamada Nasrallah of the Gaza Strip-based Sol Band pose for a photograph in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Lujain Jo)

Palestinian band escapes horrors of war but members’ futures remain uncertain

They stroll Doha’s waterfront promenade and sing softly about children who are now free of pain. For the Palestinian group Sol Band, it seems surreal that weeks ago they were hiding from Israeli shelling.
 
This cover image released by A24 Music shows “Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense" performed by various artists. The album features contributions from sixteen recording artists covering each track on the 1984 live album “Stop Making Sense." (A24 Music via AP)

Music Review: Miley Cyrus, Lorde and more team up for fun Talking Heads’ ‘Stop Making Sense’ tribute

In 1984, Talking Heads’ concert film and live album “Stop Making Sense” captured the alt-rock quartet at the height of their powers.
 
Bambie Thug of Ireland performs the song Doomsday Blue during the dress rehearsal for the final at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

How to watch (and stream) the Eurovision Song Contest final

Acts from more than two dozen countries will take the stage in Malmo, Sweden, to compete in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest.
 
FILE - Grupo Frontera arrives at the Latin American Music Awards in Las Vegas on April 20, 2023. Regional Mexican music has become a global phenomenon, topping music charts, breaking streaming records and reaching new audiences as it crosses borders. Their sophomore album “Jugando Que No Pasa Nada" releases on Friday. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Grupo Frontera’s hybrid Mexican music went global. On a new album, their genre-melding has no limits

A lot can happen in two years. Just ask Grupo Frontera, who released their highly anticipated sophomore album, “Jugando Que No Pasa Nada,” Friday.
 

Country star Cindy Walker posthumously inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame

Country star Cindy Walker was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Walker, who wrote countless hits across her six-decade career, was celebrated for her immediate, unpretentious songwriting style.
 
Eden Golan of Israel performs the song Hurricane during the second semi-final at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Eurovision explained, from ABBA to Zorra, as the Israel-Hamas war overshadows the song contest

Scores of musicians, hundreds of journalists and thousands of music fans are gathering in the Swedish city of Malmo for the exuberant, glitter-drenched final of the Eurovision Song Contest.
 

Steve Albini, legendary producer for Nirvana, the Pixies and an alternative rock pioneer, dies at 61

Steve Albini, a legendary rock producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61.
 
FILE - Billie Eilish performs on stage during Day 2 of Music Midtown 2019 in Atlanta, Sept. 15, 2019. Music Midtown, a festival that draws tens of thousands of people to Atlanta's Piedmont Park will not take place this year. Posts Wednesday, May 8 2024, on the Instagram page and website of Music Midtown, a longtime fixture for pop music lovers, says the festival is “going on hiatus this year.” (Photo by Paul R. Giunta/Invision/AP, File)

Music Midtown, popular Atlanta music festival, canceled this year

A music festival that draws tens of thousands of people to Atlanta’s Piedmont Park will not take place this year.
 
This image released by the Washington National Opera shows a set rendering by Wilson Chin showing one of his designs for a new production of Giacomo Puccini's "Turandot" opening May 11 at the Washington National Opera. (Wilson Chin/Washington National Opera via AP)

Washington Opera offers new ending to Puccini’s final work

Ever since Giacomo Puccini died in 1924 without finishing his last opera, “Turandot,” audiences have thrilled to its soaring melodies like “Nessun Dorma,” but also perhaps lamented the lack of a proper ending.
 
This cover image released by Reigning Phoenix Music shows "Child Within the Man" by Sebastian Bach. (Reigning Phoenix Music via AP)

Music Review: Sebastian Bach’s ‘Child Within the Man’ makes the case for a Skid Row reunion

Legendary hard rockers Skid Row need a singer. Their original lead vocalist, Sebastian Bach, has a molten new solo album, “Child Within the Man.”
 
This image released by Capitol Records shows "Can We Please Have Fun" by Kings of Leon. (Capitol Records via AP)

Music Review: Kings of Leon electrify with new album that nods to the past, ‘Can We Please Have Fun’

Kings of Leon are back with a dozen new tracks on the album “Can We Please Have Fun.” Associated Press critic Mark Kennedy says there’s a raw unpredictability to the band’s ninth album, a welcome return to the Kings’ early sawdust-and-spilled-beer days.
 
This image released by the Metropolitan Opera shows conductors Speranza Scappucci, from left, Marin Alsop and Oksana Lyniv at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York in April 2024. (Muriel Steinke/Metropolitan Opera via AP)

Met Opera hosts 4 female conductors in landmark week. From its founding to 2016, there were only 4

Only four women conducted the Metropolitan Opera in its first 133 years ending in 2016, but now four women have taken the baton in a one-week span.
 
iolanda of Portugal perform the song Grito during the first semi-final at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

The Eurovision Song Contest kicked off with pop and protests as the war in Gaza casts a shadow

Competition in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest kicked off Tuesday in Sweden. The war in Gaza is casting a shadow over the sequin-spangled pop extravaganza.
 
FILE - PJ Morton performs at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, April 26, 2019, in New Orleans. Morton comes home with a new album and memoir dropping soon amid a Saturday afternoon performance May 4, 2024, at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which nears the end of an eight-day run. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

New Orleans’ own PJ Morton returns home to Jazz Fest with new music

Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer PJ Morton comes home with a new album and memoir dropping soon amid a Saturday afternoon performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which nears the end of an eight-day run.
 
This cover image released by Warner Music shows "Radical Optimism" by Dua Lipa. (Warner via AP)

Music Review: Dua Lipa’s ‘Radical Optimism’ is controlled dance pop

In the chorus of “Whatcha Doing,” the fifth track on Dua Lipa’s latest album, she sings: “If control is my religion, then I’m headed for collision,” referencing the unexpected pull of a new partner.
 
Chinese rapper Boss X performs at a concert in Chengdu in southwestern China's Sichuan province, Saturday, March 16, 2024. The rapper, who had come up from making music in a run-down apartment in an old residential community in the city, was now playing to a stadium of thousands. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

A Chinese flavor of rap music is flourishing as emerging musicians find their voices

Although Chinese rap has been operating underground for decades in cities like Beijing, it is the Sichuan region — known internationally for its spicy cuisine and its panda reserve — that has come to dominate.
 
Jessica Pratt poses for a portrait in Los Angeles, Friday, April 26, 2024, to promote the album “Here in the Pitch." (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Singer-songwriter Jessica Pratt’s latest album is a distinct shift from her austere sound

When Jessica Pratt released her debut self-titled album in 2011, the singer-songwriter was critically praised for her austere guitar and hypnotic voice.
 
FILE - Taylor Swift performs during "The Eras Tour," May 5, 2023, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. Swift is adding one more accolade to her repertoire this year: a resolution recognizing 2023 as the Taylor Swift era in her home state of Pennsylvania. The resolution passed the state House of Representatives on Wednesday, Dec. 13. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

Artists from Universal Music Group are heading back to TikTok as a new licensing deal is reached

Artists from Universal Music Group, which include Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish, will be returning to TikTok as the two parties have struck a new licensing agreement following an approximately three-month long dispute.
 
This image released by Prime shows Nicholas Galitzine, left, and Anne Hathaway in a scene from "The Idea of You." (Prime via AP)

Movie Review: In ‘The Idea of You,’ a boy band is center stage but Anne Hathaway steals the show

In the warmly charming rom-com “The Idea of You,” Anne Hathaway plays a 40-year-old divorcee who becomes romantically involved with a 24-year-old heartthrob in a boy band called August Moon.
 
Load More