Featured stories about Music
Stories about Music
19 December 2018
Ten quintessential Christmas tunes from Trinidad & Tobago
Some seasonal songs from Trinidad and Tobago that are sure to put you in a Christmas kind of mood — and that you won't hear anywhere else!
3 December 2018
This epic poem describes the grief of Yugoslavs over the death of John F. Kennedy
An epic poem titled “Death in Dallas” reflected the popularity of United States President John F. Kennedy in the former Yugoslavia.
1 November 2018
Sarajevo awards honorary citizenship to UK heavy metal star Bruce Dickinson
Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickenson is granted honorary citizenship for the moral support he gave the people of Sarajevo during a 1994 visit to the besieged city.
31 October 2018
For Calypso History Month in Trinidad & Tobago, #metoo does a double-take on empowering tunes
Readers offer a few suggestions for calypsos that make female empowerment their priority.
23 October 2018
Trinidad & Tobago loses ‘The Mighty Shadow’, the ‘bassman’ of calypso
"When all other calypsonians in the early 1970s had six sheets of music, Shadow had seven, the additional one for the bass guitar."
18 October 2018
For Calypso History Month in Trinidad and Tobago, six tunes for the #metoo era
In a genre that has often painted women in a negative light, the tunes that broke the mould are etched forever in the national consciousness.
1 October 2018
Ken ‘Professor’ Philmore, Trinidadian musician who took steel pan music ‘by storm’, dies
"This is the equivalent of a Brahms, Bach or Beethoven passing. This is huge. This is a loss."
18 September 2018
Kyrgyz artist calls on girls to ‘create our own freedom’ in breakout song, *drops mic*
Zere's debut hit 'Kyz' comes after years of debate over how women in the Central Asian country should dress and behave.
24 August 2018
Artists rise up as Ugandan MP ‘Bobi Wine’ faces fresh charges of treason
"The extent to which violence is escalating in this country is worrying and we should all be concerned. We need to reflect on these matters and find a way forward."
12 June 2018
Iranian parody band sings a love song for Telegram after its block
"Just when I was relying on you, you were suddenly blocked and gone and all I have left is this VPN, that's the only bridge between you and I."
5 June 2018
Boycott against Argentinian musician in France sparks debate on cultural appropriation
The cancellation of Argentinian reggaeton singer Romina Bernardo by Black French activists open the door to discussions about appropriation that had so far had little space online.
15 May 2018
Georgia's protests pit nightlife against nationalists
"We were on the cusp of civil confrontation!"
14 April 2018
Jamaican Dancehall Star Buju Banton's Impending Release from Prison Sparks Renewed Controversy
"If Banton[...]retracted his hideous views on homosexuality and sought to amend the damage he has done to men and women across the Caribbean, he would be worthy of a platform."
6 April 2018
A European Union-Supported Rap Video Tries to Persuade Young Guineans Against Migrating
"It’s about poverty, the lack of opportunities...That is why young people find it more risky to stay at home...They say: 'I would rather die on the sea than stay here.'"
14 February 2018
East African Women in the Music Industry Sing Out Against Male Domination
"We have made ourselves known in the music industry, yet gender inequality, sexism, and pay gaps persist. It’s not that we’re not skillful enough, it’s that all decision-makers are men."
11 February 2018
‘Singing the Tale of Our Pain': Tajikistan's Migration Phenomenon Finds a Home in Music
"Why am I here, in an alien place, far from my mother?"
9 February 2018
Africa Mourns Award-Winning Ugandan Musician Mowzey Radio, Dead at 33
"He always gave me even the little he had...However much others knew him as a chaotic man, I knew him as a simple, humble and talented son"
8 February 2018
As the World Celebrates Bob Marley Day, Reggae is Changing and So Are Its Fans
"Consciousness and liberation are some of the messages we expect from Rasta, unfortunately, it [appears] Rasta has lost its value locally and as an agent of change in our society."
22 January 2018
Changing Trinidad & Tobago Carnival's Culture Starts With Consent
"Flirting is not a crime. Forcing your attention on someone is." Trinidad and Tobago Carnival may be experiencing "a progressive cultural shift”.
3 January 2018
‘Offensive’ Soca Song Gets Boost After Ban From Carnival Contests in Trinidad & Tobago
"There is much that we have to talk about in Trinidad and Tobago as regards race, sex, class and even State-sponsored censorship..."
