Featured stories about Music
Stories about Music
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.'"
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..."
2 January 2018
Despite Challenges, Jamaica’s Capital City Welcomes 2018 With a Dash of Optimism
While clouds linger, it appears that Kingston is determined to look on the sunny side of life in 2018.
24 December 2017
How Some Musicians Are Reshaping the Image of Latin America's Music Scene (Part I)
"Before being music producers, we're 100% music fans."
19 December 2017
Robbie Williams’ Bottom Ignites Online Firestorm in Uzbekistan
“This is my band...this is my arse. Tonight your arse is mine.”
16 December 2017
Art and Music Festival Brings Joy to Islamabad
After a month of tense street protests in Islamabad, an arts festival restores the spirits of its residents.
8 December 2017
The Conviction of Another Dancehall Star Fails to Shock Crime-Weary Jamaicans
Following the incarceration of Vybz Kartel, Ninja Man is the second major dancehall artist in recent times to be convicted of murder in crime-weary Jamaica.
23 November 2017
The Young Musicians From “Symphony for Peru” Touched Souls at Madrid's Royal Theater
The organization, created by renowned Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez to take music to disadvantaged youth, expanded its work to Spain, to show how they "sing, play, grow!"
18 November 2017
Musicians Think There's #NoGreaterTime to Advocate for Change in Trinidad & Tobago
A new musical project delivers an inspirational message of unity to the people of Trinidad and Tobago, challenging them to collectively create "a more peaceful society".
10 November 2017
Maung Maung Has Spent a Lifetime Collecting Gramophone Records in Myanmar
The retired police officer, teacher, and lawyer has amassed a collection of more than 100,000 gramophone records over six decades.
31 October 2017
After 121 Years, the First Indigenous Singer Performs at Brazil’s Teatro Amazonas
The theatre was built in the late 19th century with the wealth from rubber exploitation in the Amazon, which brought devastation for the indigenous communities in the forested region.
23 October 2017
In Iran, Music Streaming Sites Soundcloud and Spotify Are Back Online
Spotify and Soundcloud are now accessible for Iranians.
15 October 2017
‘When You Write a Song About Racism, It's a Big Deal’
Songs of resistance are at the core of Songhoy Blues' latest album "Résistance." The band hails from Mali and tackles issues like racism and voter apathy.
12 October 2017
‘The Eurovision Baby Has Arrived': Macedonian Contestant Jana Burceska Gives Birth to Daughter
The then-unmarried Burceska had revealed she was pregnant in her Eurovision introductory video. The move was controversial in her home country Macedonia, which has become quite conservative in recent decades.
18 September 2017
Indigenous Rappers from Brazil Are Using the Internet to Bring Their Message to the Masses
“I speak the truth, I don't want to be like you/I sing about various issues and with that I am showing/That indigenous voices are the voices of today.”
15 August 2017
A Viral Rap Battle Has Everyone in Russia—Including Business Journalists and Politicians—Talking
Even opposition leader Alexey Navalny weighed in, saying despite the profanity, the raps are "100 times more cultural than any comedy show or song contest you see on state television."
