Keith Urban's ninth album, Ripcord, out on May 6, continues to integrate programmed drum tracks into Urban's signature pop-country. Russ Harrington /Courtesy of the artist hide caption
North Carolinian Rhiannon Giddens, who opposes HB2, says she struggled with whether to speak out against the bill from stage: "How can I use my platform for good without jeopardizing everything so that I don't have that platform anymore?" Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Americana Music hide caption
Chino Moreno, who has led Deftones since it formed in Sacramento nearly 30 years ago, performs with the band at SXSW 2016 in Austin, Texas. Adam Kissick for NPR hide caption
Anohni, the singer formerly known as Antony Hegarty, will release her album Hopelessness on May 6. Alice O'Malley/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Alex Lifeson (left) and Geddy Lee (with Neil Peart on drums) on stage in 1976 on the tour that followed the release of 2112. Antonia Hille/Getty Images hide caption
Hamed Sinno (R) and Haig Papazian of the Lebanese alternative rock band Mashrou' Leila performing in Bourges, France in 2015. Guillaume Souvant/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Beyoncé released her sixth album, Lemonade, on Saturday night via HBO and Tidal. Courtesy of the artist/Screenshot by NPR hide caption
Congolese singer Papa Wemba performing Saturday in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, shortly before collapsing onstage. He died before reaching the hospital early Sunday. AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Prince playing Madison Square Garden in February of 2011. Kevin Mazur /Getty Images hide caption
Prince on stage in The Netherlands in 1986, during the tour for his album Parade. Rob Verhorst/Getty Images hide caption
Cate Le Bon's fourth album, Crab Day, was released April 15. Ivana Kličković/Courtesy of Drag City hide caption
Jamie xx, searching through shelves of used vinyl in a New York record store. Jamie-James Medina /Courtesy of the artist hide caption
The Summer Hits. Keith York/Silver Girl Records /Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Elizabeth Cook. Jim McGuire/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Flyers for Honey Soundsystem, Wrecked and Men's Room. Courtesy of the artists hide caption
Tony Conrad had been a SUNY-Buffalo professor since 1976, but beyond his academic duties, he was open and free giving of his knowledge and wisdom. Bettina Herzner/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Iggy Pop on stage at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles, the first stop on his Post Pop Depression tour. Kevin Winter/Getty Images hide caption
Merle Haggard on stage in California in 2010. Haggard died at 79 on April 6. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images hide caption
Merle Haggard, shown performing in 1985, was a country music fixture for 50 years. He died Wednesday, on his 79th birthday. Ebet Roberts/Redferns/Getty Images hide caption
Country Legend Merle Haggard Dies At 79
Leon Russell in a scene from Les Blank's film, A Poem is a Naked Person. courtesy of the producers hide caption
Almost famous, Seventies singer, Jobriath (born: Bruce Wayne Campbell). The latest episode of HBO's Vinyl has introduced a character seemingly based on his career. Benno Friedman/Courtesy of Kieran Turner hide caption
Teddy Thompson and Kelly Jones. Sean James/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Zayn Malik's debut solo album, Mind of Mine, follows his departure from the boy band One Direction, with which he released four albums in four years. Miller Mobley/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem performs on stage during the Pentaport Rock Festival in 2010 in Incheon, South Korea. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images hide caption