Interview

The R&B innovator talks about the struggles she’s faced as a creative black woman in the music industry, as well as her ongoing search for tenderness in a harsh world.

On the eve of her fourth album, the pagan pop star sounds more content than ever. How did she get there?

With the Canadian collective’s first album in seven years on the way, Kevin Drew reflects on what’s changed (technology’s unrelenting narcissism) and what hasn’t (the dependability of true companionship).

The singer-songwriter on finding the past in the present, wrestling between depression and resiliency, and chasing a kind of sublime austerity with her first new album in six years.

The charmingly neurotic singer/songwriter/producer talks about bucking the macho pop Svengali archetype, his Bruce Springsteen obsession, and the personal tragedy that fuels his own songs.

“If you take away my music from me, all you have left is a mustache and a bad attitude.”

The unceasingly curious composer on chance, minimalism, and the politics of form.

El-P and Killer Mike talk about the pursuit of hope, liberty, and rap glory in the Trump era.

The Canadian duo talk about throwing out their own rulebook for new album Near to the Wild Heart of Life, which finds them opening up both musically and lyrically.

The pianist and saxophone player talk about how their bond goes beyond music and the issues they have faced as pioneering Indian Americans finding their way in jazz.

Inspired by the galvanizing work of Kendrick Lamar and others, the producer’s new album Sirens mixes the political and the personal into an eclectic statement of purpose.

After using her art to open the world’s eyes, M.I.A. has finally reached a sense of peace. But that doesn’t mean she’s through speaking her mind.

Following the musical iconoclast’s death at age 78—an in-depth conversation from 2002 that includes tales of dangerous old New York, what it meant to be a radical artist in the Vietnam era, and that time someone threw an ax at him onstage.

The sample-crazed DJ crew talk about why it took them so damn long to come out with their new album, Wildflower, and the anti-establishment undercurrent that runs through the record.

Talking with the musical virtuoso about his ambitious new album, which weaves politics, personal history, and poignant nostalgia into a sound that’s both singular and inclusive.

With his first new album in seven years out soon, the R&B survivor opens up about moving past family trauma and shame, and how it feels to be a 43-year-old bachelor singing songs of everlasting romance.

Following the release of his third album, the singer talks about collaborating with Frank Ocean, showing up late for a meeting with Kanye, and moving past the gloom that has defined him thus far.

Natasha Khan talks about the perils of modern romance and the tragic tale that propels her upcoming fourth album, The Bride.