Music

Arts & Culture

San Diego arts picks in March: Contemporary ballet, short films and a City Heights love letter

Julia Dixon Evans

Our roundup of arts and culture to discover in San Diego this month: Visual art, music, theater, dance, outdoor festivals, books, film and more. Up next: The Rosin Box Project's women choreographers showcase; "Land and Sea" at MCASD; Omar Sosa; Sacra/Profana; San Diego Short Film Festival; Ron Currie; and Domonique King's "Get Hammered."
Isaiah Collier explores 400 years of Black history — one movement at a time

Sarah Geledi

Saxophonist Isaiah Collier's The Story of 400 Years is a sweeping suite that traces Black American history from the Middle Passage to today — and the personal and historical moments that shaped it.
The 2025 Oscars' best original song nominees, cruelly ranked

Stephen Thompson

This year's race — which includes beloved stars, up-and-coming talents and a pair of songs from a successful but controversial musical — feels wide open. That doesn't mean all the songs are equally worthy.
Rhiannon Giddens is the latest artist to cancel Kennedy Center gig

Elizabeth Blair

Folk musician Rhiannon Giddens said on social media that she has moved her May concert — originally scheduled for the Kennedy Center — to a different venue in Washington, D.C.
Drake gets his revenge — on the charts, anyway

Stephen Thompson

Kendrick Lamar won his rap war with Drake last year by just about any measure, but this week, Drake got a small measure of revenge when his new album, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, knocks Lamar out of the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts.
National

Roberta Flack, singer of 'Killing Me Softly,' has died at age 88

Marissa Lorusso

Elizabeth Blair

The Grammy Award-winning artist and educator had shared an ALS diagnosis in 2022. She was best known for ballads such as "Killing Me Softly With His Song" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face."
South African cellist Abel Selaocoe fosters dialogue across time and cultures in a new album

Olivia Hampton

Michel Martin

South African cellist and composer Abel Selaocoe talks about his new album "Hymns of Bantu," which highlights the healing power of song across cultures.
What's it like to be famous? These 13 new celebrity memoirs may clue you in

Dhanika Pineda

This year brings memoirs from more than a dozen famous names — from Brooke Shields and Dawn Staley to Bill Belichick and Lionel Ritchie.
Dear listeners: 'Bambi' is whatever the band Anxious says it is

Ryan Benk

We hear from musicians Grady Allen and Dante Melucci from the band Anxious about their second album Bambi. The young hardcore act says it's their most authentic outing yet.
A battle-scarred Drake tries making love, not war

Sheldon Pearce

On the rebound from a public defeat, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U reverts to the sound of Drake's early years, charting a tentative course back toward the rap throne.