Sheldon Pearce
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The dam appeared to break in 2024, as South African phenom Tyla made Grammy and chart history. But for a wide field of buzzed-about voices, the path to a crossover has narrowed. -
The English artist made her name with thoughtful pop-R&B. On What Are the Odds, she pulls her dancier roots to the surface. -
Taja Cheek's psychedelic project L'Rain has always been tagged as experimental. On fata morgana, she asks what separates music like hers from the mainstream. -
TikTok made "Love Me Not" a Top 10 hit, but its rise felt disembodied from the artist behind it. On Blue Island, Lenae responds to a career plot twist by stepping into the past. -
The R&B group's breakout stars released new solo albums on the same day — one leaning out of the spotlight while the other confronts viral fame. -
The singular singer's third album finds a message worthy of her instrument: Great romances are defined not by what you want, but by the act of wanting. -
On the eve of America's 250th birthday, NPR's Juana Summers talks with NPR Music's Stephen Thompson and Sheldon Pearce about songs that reflect the country's complex identity.
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New albums by Lizzo and the rising artist Imani Imani are both "event" records — but one arrives with arguably too much backstory, the other with almost none. -
On three new albums — Iceman, Maid of Honour and Habibti — the streaming era's defining star doubles down on a strategy of abundance, no matter the creative cost. -
Fans who danced to "Paper Planes" might hardly recognize the conspiracy-touting artist before them today — but in a certain way, she's the same button-pusher as ever.
