The Nigerian pop star on Black Lives Matter, how British fans find it easier to tune into his wavelength – and why everyone’s got it wrong about Muammar Gaddafi Burna Boy might be Africa’s biggest music star, but when he speaks, it’s...
Liverpudlian quartet the Real Thing, who tackled prejudice and challenged the pop status quo in the 70s, are the subject of Simon Sheridan’s fond and vital documentary One day in 1972, a pop picker called Tony Hall was driving through...
Manchester-born singer who had hits with backing band the Mindbenders dies in hospital, with cause of death not announced Pop singer Wayne Fontana, who scored a major transatlantic hit with The Game of Love in 1965, has died aged 74 at...
Even in the era of streaming, Best Of albums are in rude health, benefiting from both comforting nostalgia and confusing chart rules Chart-dominating compilations started in 1958, when Columbia Records packaged up the first smashes by...
Huun-Huur-Tu – Where Young Grass Grows (Shanachie, 1999) Where Young Grass Grows is the fourth album from famed Tuvan ensemble Huun-Huur-Tu, one of the iconic…
The UK rapper heads to paradise in Bora Bora with sensual vibes from Snoh Aalegra and Jill Scott, offset with naughtiness from Spice It’s got to be Bora Bora. It’s always been a dream for me to get over there. I love how secluded it is...
Star producer and DJ is alleged to have attacked a woman at his home in Miami Beach in December House music DJ Erick Morillo has been arrested and charged with sexual battery. According to a report by the Florida news channel Local 10,...
He invented Lollapalooza, fronted one of America’s most influential bands – and, at 61, the flamboyant alt-rock guru is still thinking big Sitting cross-legged in his garden, at 61 Perry Farrell still has a jawline so jutting it looks...
Brailey/Burton/Experiential Chorus and Orchestra/Blachly (Chandos) A long overdue first recording for this work by the one-time imprisoned suffragette, detailing the spiritual awakening of a condemned man E thel Smyth was unusual among...
Frustrated about her career and fighting depression, the Canadian songwriter left the industry in 2014 to open a coffee shop called Quitters – before a partner ‘tried to deconstruct my sense of self’ When Kathleen Edwards opened Quitters...
David Broza – en Casa Limón (S-Curve Records/BMG, 2020) Israeli singer-songwriter David Broza has had a strong connection with Spain. He grew up in England…
(Tribe) This is no lunge for the mainstream from the Ariana Grande songwriter, but an assured, inventive exploration of autonomy Traditionally, the jump from writers’ room to centre stage has been complicated. The likes of Sia and...
Each month we add 20 new songs to our Spotify playlist. Read about 10 of our favourites here – and subscribe on Spotify , which updates with the full list at the start of each month Continue reading...
Kweli has been suspended for ‘repeated violations of Twitter rules’, but denies harassing Maya Moody on the platform The US rapper Talib Kweli has been barred from Twitter after sending dozens of messages to a woman, Maya Moody, on the...
Various Artists – Aloha Radio Hawaii, a Musical Journey to the Golden Age of Hawaiian Song (Rhymoi Music, 2020) This album features new performances of…
The 92-year-old, who died this week, is remembered for his eventual return after losing the use of his right hand aged 36 – but forgetting his masterful early recordings and inspiring work as a teacher is to do him a great disservice...
This autumn, the Consortium of World Music Presenters will introduce the debut of Global Music Month 2020. The event is a month-long, online festival of…
An internal review could not find evidence of a sexual assault backstage at a 2009 show but acknowledged a misogynist atmosphere on the tour Lawyers for rock band the Killers have said they were “unable to find any corroboration...
Smithsonian Folkways has announced a new album titled ‘Long Time Passing: Kronos Quartet & Friends Celebrate Pete Seeger.’ The release date is October 9th, 2020.…
Their vocals and songwriting feature on some of the biggest hits, but black women are often not credited, leaving their solo careers stunted and causing them to lose out financially Through soul, funk, disco and beyond, black female...
La Gallera Social Club – Trópico Salvaje (Tortuga Music, 2020) La Gallera Social Club is the musically colorful project of two Venezuelan twin brothers from…
(Brand Nu, Inc) The familiar acrobatic vocals and sublime harmonies are there, but the R&B star’s first album in eight years is not all about nostalgia… It’s been eight years since Brandy’s last album – forgivable for someone who’s...
(RCA) The Canadian singer-songwriter’s first album in eight years returns to her strengths Not many artists live in the shadow of an earlier album to the extent that Alanis Morissette does with 1995’s 33m-selling Jagged Little Pill ....
(Rivermont) Works by Jelly Roll Morton and other early 20th-century piano greats just fly in the hands of this 21st-century virtuoso If anyone is going to succeed in rescuing good music from the ghetto called “early jazz”, it will be the...
(Republic) Swift’s lyrical power just about survives the greige indie atmospherics supplied by the National’s Aaron Dessner Taylor Swift’s surprise eighth album, Folklore , takes 16 complex and intriguing tunes by pop’s reigning colossus...
Mateus Aleluia, a distinguished 76-year old Brazilian singer has a new album titled Olorum. Aleluia is known for combining elements of chamber music and Afro-Brazilian…
Venues in the UK are preparing to open their doors again. But as owners from arenas to tiny clubs explain, the danger is far from over Live music is in crisis. With no gigs since lockdown began on 23 March, most venues have seen their...
(Nyege Nyege Tapes) From Nairobi’s metal scene, Martin Kanja and Sam Karugu add techno to doom-laden guitars and distorted vocals on this exciting album Alongside the burgeoning experimental electronic scene in east Africa is a small but...
The Tottenham rapper is UK drill’s biggest star – and counts Drake as a fan. He talks about how his music gave him a way out of crime, and the difficulty of leaving his old life behind The north London district of Tottenham seems to...
As Back in Black turns 40, we run down the Australian hard rockers’ best numbers – full of double entendres, massive choruses and surging, strutting riffs In their infancy, AC/DC weren’t tied to one style. Their first Australian album...
The Dublin band deliver a difficult but powerful second album full of songwriting that stares life in the face Do bands have a “difficult second album” or a “difficult third album”? The myth seems to vary. You could argue it’s the fourth...
Nineties bands in need of rave vocals looked to the late Johnson, whose rich, fiery voice alchemised their music into something else entirely News: Denise Johnson dies aged 56 Manchester’s nostalgia industrial complex tends to privilege...
The Japanese fashion designer was famed for bringing ‘basara’ to Bowie, and went on to be a huge influence on a generation of younger talents from Jean Paul Gaultier to Hedi Slimane The renowned Japanese fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto,...
Former NME and Guardian journalist was known for championing underdogs The former NME and Guardian journalist Daniel Martin has died aged 41 at his home in Salford on 25 July. The cause of death is unknown. Martin – known to all as Dan –...
Thirty-six years on, their debut single still pulses with beguiling ambiguity – a heady rush of lust, naivety, disco and opaque references to Lenin Read our 100 greatest No 1 singles list in full Neil Tennant on West End Girls: ‘It’s...
Look back on our complete countdown of the greatest UK No 1s, from the Beatles to Baby D, and So Solid Crew to Suzi Quatro What did we miss? Share your thoughts As the coronavirus lockdown continues, the Guardian’s music desk thought you...
The remarkable, dark power of this song, with its harrowing wail of a chorus, plunges you straight back into the anger, violence and despair of the early 80s Our list of the 100 greatest UK No 1s In early 1981, the Specials were both at...
The Fab Four’s 1963 hit is an explosion of exuberance that made “yeah yeah yeah” the fanfare for a culture on the brink of irreversible change Read our list of the 100 greatest UK No 1s To hear She Loves You bursting out of a radio in...
As a pioneering female DJ duo, the two best friends were integral to the rise of the 90s dance scene, before a car accident changed everything. Storm talks about the soul sister she lost Storm remembers the sound of glass shattering, but...