Ani DiFranco Anthony Mulcahy/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Music Features In-depth storytelling from the NPR Music team.
Music Features
Leslie Hayman, Kirsten Dunst, A.J. Cook and Chelse Swain as the enigmatic Lisbon sisters in Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides. Courtesy of The Criterion Collection hide caption
Nathalie Joachim Josue Azor/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Lido Pimienta calls Miss Colombia a "cynical love letter" to her home country. Daniella Murillo/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Margo Price at home Courtesy of the artist hide caption
The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle at his home in Durham, N.C., where he wrote and recorded Songs for Pierre Chuvin in 10 days. Lalitree Darnielle/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Nicholas Cords Erin Baiano/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
John Prine in Atlanta in 1975. Tom Hill/Getty Images hide caption
Kendrick Lamar performs at the 2017 Coachella festival. Though his 2015 album To Pimp A Butterfly wore its jazz influence on its sleeve, 2017's DAMN. displays Lamar's deep investment in the way jazz can evolve. Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
9th Wonder breaks down three beats he composed that all went into a single song from Kendrick Lamar's Pulitzer-winning album, "DAMN." NPR hide caption
M. Ward has been finding pause in the music of jazz luminary McCoy Tyner. Wrenne Evans /Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Channy Leaneagh of Poliça. Zoe Prinds /Courtesy of the artist hide caption
With everyone holed up at home, the sonic character of our cities and neighborhoods seems to be constantly shifting underfoot. Malte Mueller/Getty Images hide caption
Bill Withers, photographed here in 2006, was an artist more concerned with writing stories about humanity's pain than landing a pop hit. Reed Saxon/AP hide caption
In his "Toosie Slide" video, a masked and gloved Drake social-distances in style. YouTube hide caption
Roberta Flack Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis, photographed in 2008. Andrew Bloomberg/Getty Images hide caption
Ellis Marsalis: Pianist, Teacher And New Orleans Jazz Patriarch
Ruston Kelly Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Rachel Bloom and Adam Schlesinger perform together in New York City in 2016. Walter McBride/Getty Images hide caption
Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz and Sad13. Katrina Barber/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Nicholas Payton, photographed during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Music Festival on May 3, 2013. Amid the global pandemic that began in early 2020, artists have seen gigs cancelled and releases postponed. Erika Goldring/WireImage hide caption