Music

After nearly two years, SZA's 'SOS' rockets back to the top of the album chart

Stephen Thompson

No album in the history of the Billboard album chart has ever had a longer gap between stints at No. 1. Elsewhere, Christmas music dominates for one last week.
Southern women are shaping the sound of hip-hop's future

Sidney Madden

In 2024, GloRilla, Latto and Doechii all delivered landmark rap albums. Not just because they had the best bars, but because each trusted themself enough to make an artistic and commercial leap.
National

5 people have been charged in the death of Liam Payne

The Associated Press

An Argentine judge ordered pretrial detention for two of the charged for suppling Payne with drugs. Prosecutors had filed initial charges against three people in November but didn't reveal their names.
International

The songs Israelis and Palestinians are listening to now, amid war

Daniel Estrin

An Israeli music critic and a Palestinian musician share some songs with NPR's Daniel Estrin — and reflect on more than a year of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Economy

The 'Beyoncé Bowl' halftime show was a massive hit for Netflix. The football was too

Eric Deggans

Netflix says more than 200 countries tuned into the "Beyoncé Bowl" and its two NFL games. We may just be starting to learn what that ultimately means for the future of television and sports media.
Public Radio's Favorite Live Sessions of 2024

Watch in-studio videos from Rosanne Cash, Nathaniel Rateliff and more.
National

Popeye, Tintin and more will enter the public domain in the new year

Rachel Treisman

The copyrights of thousands of 20th-century films, books, compositions and sound recordings expire on Jan. 1, making them free for anyone to share and adapt. Here are some of the highlights.
National

Remembering the actors, musicians, writers and artists we lost in 2024

Neda Ulaby

Every year, we remember some of the writers, actors, musicians, filmmakers and performers who died over the past year, and whose lifetime of creative work helped shape our world.
Mariah Carey and K-pop group Stray Kids rule this week's charts

Stephen Thompson

Holiday music rules the pop charts once again this week, as Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" scores its 17th nonconsecutive week at No. 1 — the third longest run of all time.
How Chappell Roan's producer Dan Nigro crafts pop hits for a new generation

Kira Wakeam

Ailsa Chang

Christopher Intagliata

Working with artists like Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo to distill their personalities and voices into distinctive and personal songs, Nigro has established himself as a producer adept at making pop hits for a new generation.