Taylor Swift and her Swifties provide an economic boost for Kansas City
When Taylor Swift brought her tour to Kansas City and then started dating NFL star Travis Kelce, it helped boost the city's economy.
Music & Culture
Sean Mason muddles through the meaning of life on jazz debut 'The Southern Suite'
What does it mean to be human? Jazz musician Sean Mason explores this question on his debut album, "The Southern Suite," and speaks with NPR's Ayesha Rascoe about his creative process.
How sweet the sound: 'Amazing Grace' turns 250
2023 is the 250th anniversary year of "Amazing Grace." It was first performed on New Year's Day, 1773, and has gone through many changes over the years.
Laura Lynch, founding member of The Chicks, dies at 65 in Texas car crash
The musician, who played bass and sang with the influential all-women country music band from 1989-93, was pronounced deceased on the scene.
Peso Pluma bests Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny for most streamed YouTube artist of 2023
The Mexican singer-songwriter racked up more than 8.5 billion views globally on the platform this year.
For the first time in her 7-decade career, Cher has released a Christmas album
Cher now has a Christmas album. NPR's Scott Simon spoke to the singer/actress/icon earlier this year about why she's finally recorded one. (Story first aired on Weekend Edition on November 6, 2023.)
2023 was a year of big anniversaries
In 2023, we marked 20 years since the Iraq War, 50 years since the birth of hip-hop, and 60 years since the JFK assassination. Here's a roundup of historical events we wrote about over the past year.
In which we toot the horn of TubaChristmas, celebrating its 50th brassy birthday
Every year, musicians across the country gather for what has become known as TubaChristmas — concerts range from just a few tubas to hundreds of them. (The record is 835.)
Parranda! In Puerto Rico, young people keep a Christmas musical tradition alive
In Puerto Rico, the Christmas "parranda" – in which musicians show up unannounced to play at homes – has been on the decline. A group of young people is keeping it alive in one mountain town.
Sweeney Todd: Tiny Desk Concert
Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford lead the Broadway cast, complete with Tiny Desk-sized orchestrations by Stephen Sondhiem's longtime collaborator, Jonathan Tunick.