Music

Yola, a dark-skinned Black woman with a short, curly afro, poses against a pale purple and blue background, playing her guitar

Yola Is the Unconventional Queen of Country Soul

by Evette Dionne
October 13, 2020 at 10:30am
Black artists from all around the world are continuing the tradition of upending the expectation that country music is a genre reserved for white artists. Read more »
an abstract collage of Brazilian pop star Anitta using imagery focused on parts of the body, mixed with colorful shapes and a cutout of favelas.

Brazilian Pop Star Anitta Reclaims Her Bodily Autonomy

by Nicole Froio
September 21, 2020 at 12:11pm
Anitta chooses to twerk for her own pleasure because dancing to funk is a way for Brazilian women to enjoy and celebrate their own bodies. Read more »
Artist Cyanca wears a light pink outfit and stands against a pink backdrop. She has her hair up and braided and her hands in her pockets.

That Timeless Feeling: Cyanca Charts Her Own Neo-Soul Course

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
August 20, 2020 at 12:13pm
“I just know I want everything to be about Blackness.” Read more »
A screenshot of Beyoncé in Black is King. Beyoncé looks regal, her expression soft and her face looking to the side. There’s a glow on the entire image.

“Black Is King” Navigates African Cultures and the Diaspora’s Imagination

by Kovie Biakolo
August 14, 2020 at 3:33pm
Black is King works because it is honest: a film of hope and belonging. Read more »
black and white portrait of a Black person looking at the camera in a white tank, long necklace, and tattoos on their right shoulder.

BitchTapes: Stepping into Power

by Vanessa Newman
August 14, 2020 at 11:00am
This BitchTape highlights the women and nonbinary artists of color who wear many creative hats, from being vocalists and instrumentalists to being producers and record-label owners. Read more »
Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B, both Black women, are back to back with the same styling, against a bright pink background. Their eyes are closed and their tongues are sticking out.

With “WAP,” Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion Honor Women’s Pleasure

by Nichole Perkins
August 13, 2020 at 12:58pm
“WAP” is a reclamation. Read more »
Megan Thee Stallion, a brownskinned Black woman with long, black hair, poses in a red, leather dress

If You Want to Protect Black Women, Start with Megan Thee Stallion

by Donna Marbury
August 10, 2020 at 9:52am
“Protect Black women” is floating around social media, but there’s a more powerful sentiment that Black women are undeserving of being shielded from violence. Read more »
Hannah Ewens, a white woman with shoulder-length blond hair, sits on the beach in a black tank top

Stinging Stans: Swifties Doxxing Journalists Is Just the Beginning

by Evette Dionne
August 5, 2020 at 9:00am
People don’t really know what to think about fangirls or teenage girls in general. Read more »
pink and red, textured illustration of collaged music playlist images

Streaming Isn’t Music’s Magic Bullet

by Liz Pelly
August 3, 2020 at 9:00am
Independent artists are reckoning with what it means to work on their own terms in an industry that’s increasingly led by a small number of billion-dollar data and tech companies. Read more »
Taylor Swift plays the piano while wearing a white dress in a lush forest.

Does Taylor Swift Have to Be Queer for “folklore” to be a Lesbian Album?

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
July 30, 2020 at 1:15pm
Longing is, after all, queer. Read more »

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