Music

The Biggest Country Musician in America Is a Disgrace

After saying a racial slur and being exiled from radio, Morgan Wallen has become only more popular. What’s going on?

• Spencer Kornhaber
• February 25, 2021

Taylor Swift Misses the Old Taylor Swift, Too

The artist’s first release from her re-recording project is much more than a nostalgia play. It’s a love letter.

• Shirley Li
• February 13, 2021

The Lady Gaga Anthem That Previewed a Decade of Culture Wars

Released 10 years ago, “Born This Way” made unity sound defiant.

• Spencer Kornhaber
• February 11, 2021

The First Super Bowl Halftime Show About the Depravity of Halftime Shows

Ladies and gentlemen, The Weeknd.

• Spencer Kornhaber
• February 8, 2021

Pop Just Lost One of Its Most Exciting Architects

The Scottish producer Sophie, who died at age 34, created addictive sounds that seemed to live inside the listener’s head.

• Spencer Kornhaber
• February 2, 2021

The Explosive Song That Liberated Tina Turner

Fifty years ago, the Queen of Rock seized her crown—and sparked her rebirth—with her fiery rendition of “Proud Mary.”

• Jason Heller
• January 30, 2021

The Breakout Pop Song of the Year Is a Cinematic Universe

Olivia Rodrigo’s smash hit, “Drivers License,” implies a world of characters—and inspires listeners to role-play as them.

• Spencer Kornhaber
• January 27, 2021

The Surprising Thing About Biden’s Inauguration

The colorful and joyful ceremony didn’t feel like a crisis-era bureaucratic procedure.

• Spencer Kornhaber
• January 20, 2021

The Astonishing Duality of BTS

In 2020, the world’s biggest band proved that it excels equally at massive spectacle and small-scale intimacy.

• Lenika Cruz
• December 26, 2020

Taylor Swift Could Use an Editor

Evermore, the singer’s second surprise folkie album of the year, sees the cringes-to-chills ratio move in the wrong direction.

• Spencer Kornhaber
• December 15, 2020

Why a 41-Year-Old Record About Fascism Matters Now

Elvis Costello’s 1979 album, Armed Forces, has been reissued at a moment when it feels more frighteningly vital and relevant than ever.

• David A. Graham
• November 30, 2020

The Mad Genius of Eddie Van Halen

He boiled strings, cut vibrato bars in half, put the head of one guitar on the body of another—and created a sound that changed rock forever.

• James Parker
• October 9, 2020

The Polarizing Emo Record That Captured Teenage Angst

Oh, well imagine: Panic! at the Disco’s debut album is 15 years old, and young listeners still love it.

• Hannah Giorgis
• September 30, 2020

Sufjan Stevens’s Problem With America

The acclaimed singer was once famous for mythologizing the U.S. Now his “bossy and bitchy” new album expresses discomfort with the country.

• Spencer Kornhaber
• September 16, 2020

BTS’s ‘Dynamite’ Could Upend the Music Industry

The English-language single’s massive success is a career milestone for the South Korean pop group—and a reflection of America’s entertainment market.

• Lenika Cruz
• September 2, 2020

What Incarcerated Rappers Can Teach America

This year’s national reckoning over policing means that more people could stand to seriously listen to the music of young artists who have firsthand experience with the system.

• Hannah Giorgis
• September 1, 2020

How Pop Music’s Teenage Dream Ended

A decade ago, Katy Perry’s sound was ubiquitous. Today, it’s niche. How did a genre defined by popularity become unpopular?

• Spencer Kornhaber
• September 1, 2020

Beyoncé’s Search for Home Continues on Black Is King

The artist’s film for Disney+ returns to the themes of home and exile that animated her past two visual projects—and that hold special meaning for Black Americans.

• Zandria Felice Robinson
• August 15, 2020

Taylor Swift Is No Longer Living in the Present

Folklore, the singer’s surprise eighth album, gorgeously and empathetically challenges the public’s voyeurism.

• Spencer Kornhaber
• July 28, 2020