RECENT ARTICLES

When people talk about the idea of an artist’s life’s work, what is really being considered? Yes, in one way, an artist’s life’s work is the total accumulation of all that they’ve made and released into the world. But it can also have another meaning: a life’s work can also be a singular effort that encompasses a life and a career to date. For Lady Wray (born Nicole Wray), her newest album, Piece Of Me, represents the latter.

Wray, who released the LP earlier this year in January, has since been out on the road performing songs from it in cities all over the country (and she’ll continue that tour later this year, beginning in June). In so doing, Wray has gotten a chance to meet and connect with her fans—some of whom have been following her for decades now. This has been invaluable. She has shared smiles and tears with them. And the process has shown her just what her years of working and living in music have meant.

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Popstar Sabrina Claudio was raised around music. It showed up in family gatherings, parties, cleaning time, and chores. And while she never initially thought she’d be a well-known songwriter and performer growing up, she’s become just that, earning millions of song streams and airplay around the world. Today, Claudio, who is set to release her latest LP, Based On A Feeling, on Friday (May 6), considers herself an R&B artist at heart. She’s soulful and insightful in her craft. Yet, she also calls herself normal—perhaps even “too normal”—honoring authenticity in her work more than accolades or marketing manipulation. These roots have proved valuable as Claudio continues to grow and mature, both personally and professionally. In fact, she’s finally been able to hone her vision to one central tenant and that has inspired the bloom of her newest work completely—though it almost never happened.

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Emily Kokal, vocalist, guitar player, and songwriter for the band Warpaint, knows the value of being bored. She might not be where she is today—poised to release the group’s newest album, Radiate Like This, on May 6 and headed out for a European tour—had it not been for boredom. With nothing to do, she discovered songwriting books, guitar chords, and the beginnings of what would become her profession: creativity.

On those occasions when her mother grounded her as a kid, that’s perhaps when it all really started. Today, though, kids (and people, in general) are inundated with options and things to do. But what happens to people, she wonders, without times of uncertainty, without downtime? Thankfully for Kokal, she had her own moments like this, and they helped give her the tools to become the acclaimed artist she is now. With hope, she says, others will experience the same.

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When the clouds had parted and the drizzly U.K. rain had subsided, young Graham Nash could listen to American Top-40 radio on Sunday nights in his bedroom. He was about 13 years old and had already enjoyed work as an aspiring photographer when he began to take notice. Nash had started taking his first images around 11. But through Radio Luxembourg, Nash could hear the songs of Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Fats Domino fill his room. This, of course, spurred the desire to play the guitar. Now, seven decades later, Nash is still wielding a six-string and still writing music. He’s created his own hits throughout the years in various bands like the Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. And Nash is celebrating many of the best tunes on his new live album, Graham Nash: Live, which is set to release on Friday (May 6).

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Hannibal Buress is back at the grind.

This time, though, instead of working on new standup material, as is often the trajectory for famous comedians like him, Buress is working on what may amount to a whole new career arc. The quick-witted and multi-talented artist released his debut EP, Eshu Tune, under the same stage name, in mid-April. That eight-song album features both his production work and beat making as well as his sly, skillful rapping. For Buress, the work is both an exciting window into future creativity and something that connects him to one of his earliest loves: music. It’s something that’s invigorating him these days and, perhaps down the line, the work will inform future standup specials. But in the meantime, it’s all about the songwriting.

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What goes into a Grammy Award-winning career? Is it hard work and focus from a young age? It can be. Is it knowing what you want and going for it? Yes, sure. But it’s also about exposing yourself to a myriad of aspects of the world because one never knows where a lesson or inspiration may come from. For acclaimed singer, producer, and businessman, Sean Paul, his path to fame and recognition began in Jamaica with his mother singing songs from the Beatles while taking him to school as a kid. She loved Paul Simon and Cat Stevens and so she exposed her son to them, too. Paul’s aunt owned a sound system and she’d play reggae and dancehall music. That’s when the wheels began to turn in Paul’s head and help to lead him to a career that includes Grammy nominations, collaborating with Beyonce, and more. And Paul’s new album, Scorcha, is set to drop on May 27 with features from Gwen Stefani, Sia, and more.

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Today, country singer Kane Brown is one of the biggest names in popular music. He’s earned multiple platinum record certifications, millions of fans, and more accolades than could fit in a 10-gallon cowboy hat. One might presume, therefore, that Brown is on top of the world and in need of nothing else, nor anyone’s help. But that’s as far from the truth as could be. Instead, Brown keeps a level head. He likes hanging out with friends at lake houses and admiring classic cars. Every morning at home when he comes downstairs to see his family, he makes sure to tell his wife that she’s “Superwoman.” Humility, sincerity, appreciation—these are the traits of an artist who will assuredly have a lasting, even multi-decade career. They are also the ingredients that comprise Brown’s career to date. For the standout songwriter and performer, life initially began tumultuous and precarious—as a kid, his family spent time homeless. Now, though, Brown, who is currently at work on his third solo LP, is as sought-after as it gets.

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As a songwriter and musician, PJ Morton has basically done it all. For the past half-decade, Morton has earned Grammy Award nominations (and wins) every calendar year (including most recently this year for his work on Jon Batiste’s seminal record, We Are, which won Album of the Year). Morton, who grew up in New Orleans, has played multiple instruments, sang in the church, and collaborated with some of the biggest names in the history of the art form. But while all of this makes for amazing memories and has allowed for many accolades, it can burn someone out. And that’s exactly what happened to Morton.

In fact, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he felt it acutely. When the pandemic hit, Morton figured he could take a break for a few weeks, not knowing the crisis would continue for a few years. But the time off helped a great deal. When it first hit, Morton went back to his native New Orleans and began working on some music on his computer. But when his computer subsequently crashed, he had to take a real deep breath.

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Trombone Shorty doesn’t think about music in terms of genre. Rather, he thinks of different styles like different neighborhoods. It’s the result of the artist, born Troy Andrews, growing up in New Orleans, Louisiana, a city where musical trends and energies are born and born again almost daily.

Andrews, who will release his latest LP, Lifted, on Friday (April 29) was born and raised in the Crescent City. He grew up with music like a fish does with water. It was everywhere—so much so that he didn’t even realize it. His brother, cousins, and other family members were ensconced in it. It was only in high school that Andrews even considered a life outside of music. But that wasn’t for long. Now, he’s one of the most accomplished and prolific players, able to weave between traditional jazz, rock, pop, and more.

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Dan Smith, frontman and principal songwriter for the British-born band Bastille, had an image in his mind—someone is sitting on the sofa. The room is dark. This person is wearing a virtual reality headset and, with it, in their mind, they are soaring over the whole world doing whatever they please. Smith knows how beautiful this is. How freeing for the person wearing the technology. But with this vision comes the question: how much of this is healthy?

When Smith wonders about this idea, he does so with a sense of openness and nuance. His is not a perspective decreeing that people should not use virtual reality or stare into their cellphones. In fact, Smith loves the idea of escapism—it’s a common theme in his life and work. However, he also knows that it’s fair to wonder, as we barrel toward our technology-laced futures, what is worth paying attention to?

These questions and more arise on Bastille’s latest album, the 13-track Give Me the Future, which dropped in the first week of February. The epic LP, which dives deep into questions of time, technology, and the value of human relationships, offers its listeners as many questions as it does answers, all while myriad voice tracks, big rhythms, and catchy melodies toy with your ears.

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Julian Lennon has long had a tumultuous relationship with the music business. But with the music itself? He loves it. He loves the way it can change a person’s mood in a split second or in a “New York minute.” For Lennon, who is the son of the late legendary Beatle, John Lennon, music can help to elevate the listener out of dark places. He knows this magic firsthand. This is why Lennon’s latest singles—“Freedom” and “Every Little Moment”—are so poignant, both in and of themselves, and at a time war is taking place in Ukraine. The songs, which Lennon released last week, offer emotional aid in a difficult global time, as much as they give assistance to those experiencing difficult personal times internally. And Lennon’s latest release—a cover of his father’s most famous song, “Imagine”—also offers a helping hand in a great time of need and shall continue to, most likely.

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It was a miracle. That’s how Grammy Award-winning musician Lani Hall describes it. Hall, who remembers singing songs from the radio in the backseat of her dad’s car at two years old, absorbing them, learning them, would later begin to sing them in her bedroom. They were mostly jazz standards at the time. And doing so was a transforming experience. While she never thought she would become a professional singer, she couldn’t get enough music. But at the same time, Hall kept it all a secret. Until one day. When she was in her late teens, a friend who worked at a nightclub came by her house unexpectedly and heard her singing through her bedroom door. From that chance encounter, a career blossomed. And today that career includes Hall’s forthcoming tender album, Seasons of Love, which is set to release on April 22—her first solo LP in nearly 25 years.

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Ellie Rowsell, frontwoman for the British-born dream-pop band Wolf Alice, grew up shy. She remembers playing traditional Irish music as a young person, but she didn’t much take to it at first. Like many kids, she wanted to be outside with her friends. But soon she learned that she loved songs, especially singing them.

At first, Rowsell played flute and the tin whistle. But as she began to sing, as the words and melodies tumbled from her lips, she became more entranced by the act. Now, Rowsell and her band are entrancing audiences all over the world—almost like a musical love potion. And the band will continue as they head out on their global touring schedule in 2022, which spans stops in Australia, North America, and a myriad of festivals all over.

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When does the process of making a record begin? Is it when the engineer in the studio says ‘Rolling?’ Is it when the first bit of ink sinks into an otherwise blank sheet of paper? Is it when a band first gets together and promises kinship through an inevitably up and down handful of years, or longer?

For the popular duo-brother band For King & Country, the first light of their forthcoming LP (their fifth), What Are We Waiting For? flickered at 3 in the morning one night on a tour bus. The group had released a track or two that would find their way onto the new LP by that time, but it was then that entire concepts began to take shape.

That record is set to drop on Friday, March 11 and what it means for the band and for its fans will soon be seen, heard and felt in real-time as the brothers hit the road on a lengthy spring tour.

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For acclaimed blues guitarist Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, who is often hailed as the “next big thing” when it comes to both the guitar and the genre in which he excels, the pressure of this reality can sometimes be a bit (too) heavy. So, to navigate his position in the world of music on a day-to-day basis, Ingram works to keep ideas of accolades, attention, and lineage out of his mind, for the most part. In its place, the artist focuses on the roots of the music he loves. He thinks about writing, playing, getting better, and adhering to what got him to the place where he is now. Any other deviations might lead his proverbial forward-moving car into a ditch. As such, as Ingram prepares for a lengthy tour this spring (see dates below), he’s focused on improvement first and foremost.

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