Music

Producers on a pair of Aretha Franklin film projects – the still-unreleased 1972 concert film Amazing Grace and the in-development biopic starring Jennifer Hudson – offered some clarity on the future of the films following the Queen of Soul’s death at the age of 76. Speaking to Variety, producer Harvey …

EDITORS’ PICK:Mitski, Be the Cowboy The latest full-length from singer-songwriter Mitski Miyawaki proves that “making complex feelings of powerlessness loom as large as movie kaijus isn’t just a signature talent — it can seem like the main point and power of what Miyawaki does,” writes Will Hermes. “There are no …

Aretha Franklin waived her fee to headline the Sam Cooke tribute I produced some years ago. It was the 2005 American Music Masters series, held at the Cleveland Playhouse and hosted by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In Aretha’s case, waiving the fee didn’t mean it was cheap. …

After making her dazzling solo debut with 2016’siLevitable, Ileana Mercedes Cabra Joglar — better known as iLe — unveils a powerful and heart-rending video for “Odio.” It is the lead single off her untitled album, due early next year. At age 16, iLe began performing with Calle 13 under the …

Organizers of Queens, New York’s The Meadows Festival announced Friday that the fest will not take place in 2018 due to permit issues. “After careful consideration, we have decided to take 2018 off and focus our efforts on returning in 2019,” the Meadows’ organizers wrote in a statement on the …

Eric Clapton recently sat in for Doyle Bramhall II’s bluesy, soulful new song, “Everything You Need.” As Bramhall woos a would-be lover, Clapton’s unmistakable, lyrical guitar playing weaves in and out of the vocal line until he takes center stage for a short but poignant guitar solo. The track will …

Twenty One Pilots conclude an eerie visual trilogy with their video for new song “Levitate.” The clip, which continues the storyline from “Jumpsuit” and “Nico and the Niners,” follows frontman Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun as they join a group of rebels down a hillside and into a torch-lit, …

To many, Harry Hudson is the face familiar from other famous people’s social media accounts. He’s the best friend to Kylie Jenner (she announced the sudden death of his father with a tribute on her Instagram feed in February). He’s also close friends and collaborators with Jaden and Willow Smith, …

Jermaine Dupri will mark the 25th anniversary of his record label So So Def with a 25th anniversary tour. The 11-city trek, launching October 14th in Washington D.C. and concluding November 2nd in Los Angeles, California, will feature himself, Da Brat, Anthony Hamilton, Xscape, Jagged Edge, Bow Wow, Bone Crusher, …

“I feel like there are more reasons to be excited about improvised music today than at any time during my 41 years on the planet,” the jazz critic Nate Chinen tells Rolling Stone. He has a point, and you don’t need to be a diehard fan of the genre to …