"7 Rings" is Ariana Grande's latest smash, a glittering banger that owes much to Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1959 classic "My Favorite Things." 60 years later, Grande updates the track for a modern audience, making her the latest artist to repurpose this anthem from the "Sound of Music." When it comes to Ari's flow, however, questions of appropriation arise. A ... Show More
Nov 18
Is there a Disney curse?: Demi, Selena, and Miley
This year, there were a few records that delivered less-than-optimal returns on either the Hot 100 or the Billboard 200 – and they all came from former Disney pop stars.
Demi Lovato’s latest album peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200, where it spent one week and then fell ... Show More
48m 6s
Nov 11
Rosalía's 'LUX' brings the symphony to the club
Spanish pop star Rosalía is back with her new album, Lux. Over eighteen tracks, she trades in the dembow beats that filled her last record Motomami for maximalist orchestral sounds more in line with Björk than Bad Bunny. The album is dense: there's four movements, thirteen langua ... Show More
44m 2s
Nov 4
Lily Allen and Tate McRae revive the revenge anthem
They say the best revenge is living well, but if you’re a pop star going through a break up, that’s false. The best revenge is releasing a searing scorched-earth revenge banger that calls out your ex and, ideally, rides that vengeance to the top of the Billboard charts. That’s ex ... Show More
33m 50s
Oct 2022
The Best Music of September
Tyler Childers went to church, Makaya McCraven sampled himself, Sudan Archives got silly and sexy, Alex G distilled his production quirks and Björk stuck her toes in the earth. Featured Tracks and Artists:
1. Tyler Childers: "Old Country Church (Jubilee Version)" from Can I Take ... Show More
36m 58s
Oct 2020
NPR Music's No. 1 Albums And Songs Of September
We pick our favorite music released in September 2020, featuring Cuban hip-hop artist La Dame Blanche, Masego's summer wanderlust, Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker and a reimagined mass. • Adrianne Lenker: "anything" from songs
• Waylon Payne: "Old Blue Eyes" from Blue Eyes, The Harlo ... Show More
30m 50s
Mar 2018
Business As Usual March 2018: Luke Solomon, Tedd Patterson & A Hot mix from Michelle Manetti
In 2008 I started a series of radio shows with fellow Freak and host, Jonny Rock. The original format was based around vinyl. Digital started to creep in, then CD's, then YouTube rips, and so on. But the idea remained the same, that we were sharing our discoveries with an audienc ... Show More
1h 59m