Kanye West’s Concert in Poland Is Canceled Amid Furor Over Antisemitic Comments
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, saw his June 19 stadium concert in Chorzow, Poland canceled after a wave of European backlash over his recent antisemitic remarks and a song titled “Heil Hitler.” The Polish Minister of Culture emphasized the country’s Holocaust legacy as a reason the event cannot be treated as mere entertainment. The stadium cited “formal and legal reasons” for the cancellation, adding to a string of European dates being dropped. Ye has not responded publicly to the decision.
The Choreographer Kyle Abraham Embraces the Big Perm and Boombox Era
Kyle Abraham’s new work “Cassette Vol. 1” premiered at NYU Skirball, pairing a soundtrack of 1980s pop hits with a visual world of pay phones, vintage TVs and track‑suit attire. The choreography weaves Abraham’s personal nostalgia with nods to postmodern pioneers like...
Kendrick Lamar’s Protégé Baby Keem Tells the Whole Story, Warts and All
Baby Keem, 25‑year‑old rapper and cousin of Kendrick Lamar, released his autobiographical album “Casino” in February 2026. The record, which fuses narrative storytelling with impulsive trap elements, debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and is fueling a North American and...
Can ‘Michael’ Help Restore Jackson’s Image? His Estate Is Banking on It.
The Jackson estate is co‑producing the upcoming biopic "Michael," aiming to reshape the late pop star's public image while capitalizing on his catalog. Screenwriter John Logan and the estate have crafted a narrative that blends hit songs with a redemption...
In Indianapolis, a New Contemporary Art Museum Comes With a D.J.
Big Car Collaborative, led by founder Jim Walker, is converting a 40,000‑square‑foot former dairy barn on Indianapolis' south side into a contemporary art museum. The project emphasizes experiential design, featuring a DJ greeting visitors at the entrance and restrooms equipped...
Sofia Isella’s Dark Pop Is Poetic, Feminist and Right on Time
Sofia Isella, a 21‑year‑old singer‑songwriter, is releasing her debut album “Something Is a Shell” on Friday, 2026. The record fuses gothic‑pop production with stark feminist lyrics that confront online misogyny, religious hypocrisy, and gender‑based violence. Isella has built a sizable...
Oasis, Phil Collins and Sade to Join Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its 41st‑annual class, inducting Oasis, Phil Collins, Sade, Wu‑Tang Clan, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order and Luther Vandross. The ceremony is slated for Nov. 14 at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater and will stream on ABC and Disney+...
Following the Footsteps of Prince in Minneapolis
Prince Rogers Nelson recorded his first album at Minneapolis’s Sound 80, the world’s first digital recording studio, in 1977. The teenage one‑man band produced the tracks that became his debut album “For You,” cementing the city’s role in his artistic development....
Jailed for Love Songs? Yes, and Still Singing.
Vietnam’s 81‑year‑old Nguyen Van Loc, the country’s last living singer of pre‑1954 love ballads, returned to the stage in a modest Hanoi club. He was imprisoned 58 years ago for performing the same sentimental songs during wartime, but now shares them with...
Lady Gaga and Doechii, the Strokes: 8 Songs We’re Talking About This Week
The New York Times’ weekly music roundup spotlights four standout releases. Lady Gaga teams with Doechii on the house‑driven “Runway,” the soundtrack for The Devil Wears Prada 2. The Strokes unveil “Going Shopping,” the lead single from their Rubin‑produced album Reality Awaits, their first record since 2020. Kelela...
Afrika Bambaataa’s Complicated Legacy
Afrika Bambaataa, born Lance Taylor, died at 68 from prostate cancer, ending the life of a hip‑hop pioneer who transformed a Bronx street gang into the Universal Zulu Nation. His 1970s block‑party DJing and the 1984 “Planet Rock” sound helped launch...
Review: A George Lewis Premiere at the New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic presented a diverse program at David Geffen Hall, featuring works by Barber, Stravinsky, Floyd, Ives, and the world premiere of a new composition by George Lewis, a trombonist and computer‑music pioneer. Conductor Kwamé Ryan made his...
Protoje, One of Reggae’s Premier Ambassadors, Doubles Down on His Roots
Jamaican reggae stalwart Protoje has dropped his seventh studio album, “The Art of Acceptance,” featuring collaborations with Damian and Stephen Marley. The release coincided with the third Lost in Time festival in Kingston, where Grammy‑nominated acts Lila Iké, Jesse Royal and Mortimer...
5 Classical Music Albums You Can Listen to Right Now
The article spotlights five freshly released classical albums, beginning with Raphaël Pichon’s new recording of Bach’s ‘St. John Passion’ performed by the Pygmalion ensemble, and the Anzû Quartet’s rendition of Messiaen’s ‘Quartet for the End of Time.’ Both projects are highlighted for their...
Duke Ellington and John Adams: Titans of Classical Americana
Carnegie Hall hosted two landmark concerts as part of its United in Sound: America at 250 festival. The Orchestra of St. Luke’s performed two Duke Ellington orchestral pieces, including the historic “New World A‑Coming” and “Night Creature,” under Louis Langrée. The...
Wayne Perkins, Guitarist to the Stars, Dies at 74
Versatile guitarist Wayne Perkins, known for blending Southern rock with reggae on Bob Marley’s breakthrough album “Catch a Fire,” died at 74 after a stroke. In the 1970s he auditioned for the Rolling Stones, contributed solos to “Hand of Fate”...
5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Detroit Jazz
Detroit’s jazz scene emerged in the late 1940s alongside the auto industry, nurtured by public‑school programs and after‑hours jam sessions on Hastings Street. By the 1950s the city produced legends such as Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris and Elvin Jones, whose...
Joe Conzo Sr., Guardian of Tito Puente’s Legacy, Dies at 83
Joe Conzo Sr., 83, longtime friend, manager, and personal historian of mambo legend Tito Puente, died of congestive heart failure in Valhalla, N.Y. After Puente’s 2000 death, Conzo dedicated his life to safeguarding the musician’s estate, archives, and public image. He...
Review: ‘Innocence’ Tackles School Shootings at the Met Opera
The Metropolitan Opera opened its season with Kaija Saariaho’s posthumous opera “Innocence,” a stark dramatization of a school shooting and its aftermath. Premiered in 2021, the work combines a libretto by Sofi Oksanen and Aleksi Barrière with Simon Stone’s realistic direction and Saariaho’s...
How Did Black Music Take Over the World? Let Melvin Gibbs Explain.
Melvin Gibbs, a genre‑defying bassist, has spent five decades tracing how Black music traveled along the trans‑Atlantic slave trade routes to shape modern American sounds. His new book, “How Black Music Took Over the World,” arrives on April 14, 2026,...
Elisabeth Waldo Dies at 107; Fused Indigenous and Western Music
Elisabeth Waldo, a classically trained violinist who studied under Jascha Heifetz and Efrem Zimbalist, died at 107 on March 16, 2026. After extensive travel in Latin America during the 1940s, she abandoned a purely Western repertoire and began fusing pre‑Columbian...
The Volcano Lover: An Anarchic Young Composer’s Masterpiece
Simon Hanes, a leading figure in New York’s downtown music scene, has released “Gargantua,” a 15‑musician composition that fuses heavy‑metal funk rhythms, classical excerpts, and experimental sound collage. Inspired by the February eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, the work premiered...
What Were Bob Dylan and John Lennon Really Saying in the Back of That Limo?
On May 26, 1966, a weary Bob Dylan, reeling from a hostile electric‑tour, met John Lennon at the May Fair Hotel after the Beatles finished a late‑night session on Revolver. At Dylan's request, Lennon reluctantly agreed to appear in D.A. Pennebaker’s documentary, resulting...
Who Is the Polka-Dot Band That Plays Virtuosic Rock? Angine De Poitrine.
Canadian rock duo Angine de Poitrine has exploded online with its signature polka‑dot masks and microtonal, largely instrumental sound. The pair released their second album, “Vol. II,” and a live KEXP session from France that has amassed over six million YouTube...
Dolores Keane, Singer Known as the ‘Soul of Ireland,’ Dies at 72
Dolores Keane, celebrated as the “soul of Ireland,” died at 72 on March 16, 2026 at her home in Caherlistrane. Emerging in the 1970s folk revival, she briefly joined De Dannan before launching a three‑decade solo career that began with the 1978 album...
Everybody Wants to Sing Nate Amos’s Songs
Nate Amos’s solo project This Is Lorelei has surged into indie‑rock prominence, propelled by the breakout track “Where’s Your Love Now.” The song, released on the June 2024 album Box for Buddy, Box for Star, gained traction after high‑profile covers by...
How ‘American Psycho’ and Marina Abramovic Fed the Met Opera’s ‘Tristan’
Yuval Sharon’s new Metropolitan Opera staging of Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” pairs a downstage table setting with an elevated, iris‑like tunnel, creating a visual duality that mirrors the lovers’ emotional extremes. In a pivotal Act I scene, a knife projection envelops...
The Next British Invasion Is Here, and It’s Led by Women
A new wave of British female pop artists—including Raye, Olivia Dean, Lola Young and PinkPantheress—has taken the U.S. charts by storm, foregrounding their English identity rather than mimicking American styles. Raye’s latest album, “This Music May Contain Hope,” explicitly celebrates...
10 Synth-Pop Songs That Bring the Drama
Times Culture editor Dave Renard curates a playlist of ten iconic 1980s synth‑pop tracks, noting their frequent use in contemporary TV dramas like HBO’s *Industry*. He highlights how the genre, often dismissed as light‑hearted, repeatedly tackled serious subjects such as...
Eurovision Song Contest to Add Asian Edition This Year
The European Broadcasting Union announced that the Eurovision Song Contest will debut an Asian edition, Eurovision Song Contest Asia, in Bangkok this November. Ten broadcasters from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam have...
Morton Feldman Was Loud. His Music Was Quietly Haunting.
Morton Feldman, a centenarian American composer, remains a pivotal figure in 20th‑century experimental music. His piano work “Triadic Memories,” performed by longtime interpreter Amy Williams, evokes a disorienting sense of time and memory, leaving even seasoned musicians momentarily unmoored. Feldman's quietly...
Bruce Hornsby Isn’t Playing It Safe on ‘Indigo Park’
Bruce Hornsby is set to release his new album Indigo Park on April 3, 2026, a project that blends experimental piano, jazz, rock, and classical influences. The record features a roster of cross‑generational collaborators, including Bonnie Raitt, Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig, and Grateful Dead alumni Bob Weir...
Thundercat Can Geek Out With the Best of Them
Thundercat, the genre‑defying bassist and singer‑songwriter, is set to release his first album in six years, "Distracted," on April 3, 2026. The record fuses jazz fusion, hip‑hop, and R&B while showcasing delicate falsetto harmonies and witty lyricism. It features high‑profile collaborators...
D. Boon’s Death Shook Punk Rock. 40 Years Later, Minutemen Look Back.
Four decades after D. Boon’s fatal 1985 van crash, the surviving Minutemen members Mike Watt and George Hurley gathered at their Casa Hanzo studio in Los Angeles to write new material, echoing the band’s signature sound. The session highlighted Boon’s enduring...
Mike Vernon, Who Helped Spark the British Blues Boom, Dies at 81
Mike Vernon, the pioneering record producer behind the 1960s British blues boom, died at 81 in Spain. He engineered landmark albums for John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and early Fleetwood Mac, catapulting Eric Clapton and Peter Green to stardom. Vernon founded...
Augie Meyers, Pioneer of Tex-Mex Music, Dies at 85
Augie Meyers, the Tex‑Mex organ virtuoso who defined the sound of the Sir Douglas Quintet and the Grammy‑winning Texas Tornados, died on March 7 at age 85 from pneumonia. His bright, syncopated Vox organ riffs became a hallmark of border‑region music...
Why BTS Is Promoting Its New Album, ‘Arirang,’ in Korea Before Hitting the Road
BTS is debuting its new album “Arirang” with a free comeback concert in Seoul, streamed worldwide on Netflix. Unlike the 2020 rollout that began in New York, the group is reversing the order, prioritizing its home market before the upcoming...
Lights, Drones, Purple Pizza: BTS-Mania Takes Over Seoul
Seoul lit up with a massive drone show as BTS returned with their tenth studio album, “Arirang,” ending a three‑year hiatus. The group’s comeback sparked citywide celebrations, from illuminated landmarks to purple‑themed pastries, ice cream, and pizza. A concert at...
Gustavo Dudamel’s Portrait Emerges From a Season of Introductions
Gustavo Dudamel will assume the role of music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic in the fall, after a season of high‑profile introductions. He has staged radical concerts, pop‑infused events with Bernadette Peters and Lin‑Manuel Miranda, and world...
BTS Leans Into Korean History With ‘Arirang.’ Here Are the Major References.
South Korean supergroup BTS released their comeback album “Arirang,” named after the nation’s beloved folk song that symbolizes resilience and identity. The record mixes high‑energy K‑pop with traditional string and percussion motifs, even featuring a direct rendition of the Arirang...
How Geopolitics Threaten K-Pop’s Ambitions in China
K‑pop’s lucrative Chinese market is showing signs of volatility as geopolitical tensions between China and Japan spill over into entertainment. Japanese members of South Korean groups, such as Riize’s rapper Shotaro, have been excluded from recent concerts in China and...
Why Is ‘Iris’ by the Goo Goo Dolls Still Everywhere?
The Goo Goo Dolls’ 1998 ballad “Iris” has resurfaced thanks to a TikTok trend that pairs 1990s photos with the song, drawing a new Gen‑Z audience. Recent placements in the film “Deadpool & Wolverine” and Apple TV’s “Shrinking” also propelled the track among...
‘My Joy Is Heavy’ Review: Hope and Horror Live in the Same House
“My Joy Is Heavy,” a new stage piece at New York Theater Workshop, expands a 27‑minute YouTube short by artistic couple Abigail and Shaun Bengson into a full‑length production. Directed by Rachel Chavkin, the show blends live performance with integrated...
BTS: A Guide to the K-Pop Group’s Discography
BTS debuted with the EP “2 Cool 4 Skool” in June 2013, introducing a rebellious hip‑hop edge that set them apart in a rapidly globalizing K‑pop market. Over the next few years they transformed from teenage trainees into stadium‑filling megastars, repeatedly topping Billboard charts...
The Loud Nights and Quiet Days of Avalon Emerson
Avalon Emerson, the Berlin‑based DJ famed for her Berghain sets, has released her sophomore album "Written Into Changes" while residing in a quiet upstate New York cottage. The record builds on her 2023 debut with a richer blend of synth‑pop,...
With Twin Babies, the Opera Star Lise Davidsen Wonders What Comes Next
Opera soprano Lise Davidsen has returned to the Metropolitan Opera to headline Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde,” delivering a performance praised for its physical intensity. The production runs through April 4, marking her first major role since giving birth to twins in...
Grace Ives Was Tipped as a Top Indie-Rock Star. Then She Hit the Bottom.
Grace Ives burst onto the indie‑pop scene with her 2022 album Janky Star, earning praise from the New York Times and Pitchfork. After a period of personal turmoil and quitting drinking, she released the playful single “Stupid Bitches,” whose video captures her...
Kneecap Gets Serious on Its New Album, ‘Fenian’
Irish‑language rap trio Kneecap, thrust into global headlines for pro‑Palestinian remarks and a dismissed terrorism charge, lost its US visa sponsor and cancelled a sold‑out North American tour. The six‑week scheduling gap prompted the group to record a new album,...
5 Classical Music Albums You Can Listen to Right Now
The article spotlights five newly released classical albums, beginning with Lise Davidsen’s ‘Live at the Met,’ a 53‑minute recital captured in 2023. It praises Davidsen’s powerful soprano and James Baillieu’s supportive piano, while noting the omission of her onstage commentary....
The Secret History of Rock’s Wildest Stage Prop: P-Funk’s Mothership
George Clinton’s P‑Funk “Mothership” debuted on the 1976 Earth Tour, a $500,000 floating spaceship that became the centerpiece of his funk mythology. Funded by a $1 million loan arranged by Casablanca founder Neil Bogart, the prop turned concerts into theatrical interstellar...