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1 week ago | 
nytimes.com | Kate LoPresti |Frannie Carr Toth |Rowan Niemisto |Shaad D’Souza
Earlier this year, Bruno Mars became the first artist ever to amass 150 million monthly listeners on Spotify. But unlike many of his peers, Mars has paved a path to pop stardom without cultivating a devoted fan base, maintaining a consistent aesthetic or building a world around his music. Instead, his career has been defined by his reliability as a chameleonic hitmaker.
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2 weeks ago | 
nytimes.com | Kate LoPresti |Frannie Carr Toth |Rowan Niemisto |Dan Powell |Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles, the chief pop music critic of The New York Times, recommends five recently released songs to listen to this weekend. They include a spooky ballad, some very twisted pop and, as usual, some love gone wrong.
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1 month ago | 
nytimes.com | Kate LoPresti |Frannie Carr Toth |Rowan Niemisto |Dan Powell |Jon Pareles
They come from different coasts and countries, with sounds ranging from folk pop to hard-nosed rap to otherworldly electronics. And this year, they're all releasing new music, going on tour or both. Jon Pareles, the chief pop music critic at The New York Times, spotlights four ascendant artists: Jensen McRae, J Noa, Oklou and Mei Semones. Image The New York Times Audio app is home to journalism and storytelling, and provides news, depth and serendipity.
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1 month ago | 
nytimes.com | Kate LoPresti |Frannie Carr Toth |Rowan Niemisto |Jon Pareles
"Arcadia," the new album by Alison Krauss & Union Station, is out today. It's the band's first release in over a decade, full of songs Krauss has been gathering since the last time they recorded together in 2011. This latest album is plaintive, with tracks about remembering historical tragedies and overcoming hard times.
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2 months ago | 
nytimes.com | Alex Barron |Kate LoPresti |Tina Antolini |Wendy Dorr |Carole Sabouraud |Melissa Kirsch | +2 more
The 97th Academy Awards are on Sunday, bringing an end to an awards season that has been full of twists and turns. After some nominees picked up unexpected wins at previous ceremonies and others became ensnarled in online controversies, many races are still up in the air.
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2 months ago | 
nytimes.com | Kate LoPresti |Tina Antolini |Rowan Niemisto |Dan Powell |Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles, the chief pop music critic at The Times, shares five new songs that are bound to fit the vibe of your weekend, whatever your plans are. They range from folky and subdued to energetic and action-packed:Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco, "Scared of Loving You"Rebekkah Karijord, "Sanctuary"McKinley Dixon featuring Anjimile and Quelle Chris, "Sugar Water"Obongjayar, "Not in Surrender"Image Credit...
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2 months ago | 
nytimes.com | Alex Barron |Kate LoPresti |Wendy Dorr |Sophia Lanman |Daniel Ramirez |Elisheba Ittoop | +1 more
One day, several decades ago, the writer Winnie Holzman was shopping in a Manhattan bookstore where a particular cover caught her eye. It showed a woman with a green face, a black hat pulled down over her eyes. The book was "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire, a retelling of L. Frank Baum's "Oz" stories from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West. "When I turned it over and read the little précis on the back, it blew my mind," Holzman said.
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2 months ago | 
nytimes.com | Alex Barron |Kate LoPresti |Wendy Dorr |Sonia Herrero |James Poniewozik |Peter Keepnews | +6 more
This week, NBC's "Saturday Night Live" celebrates its 50th anniversary. "It seems strange to talk about 'Saturday Night Live' as a single show that's been around for 50 years," says The New York Times's chief television critic James Poniewozik. "It changes with the times. Administrations come and go.
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Feb 13, 2025 | 
nytimes.com | Kate LoPresti |Frannie Carr Toth |Sonia Herrero |Elisheba Ittoop |Dan Powell |Melissa Kirsch | +2 more
Women in midlife are having a moment in popular culture - a steamy one. Recently, there has been a swell of books, celebrity-endorsed wellness products, and movies that center on the sexual lives of perimenopausal and menopausal women. One of those films is "Babygirl," written and directed by Halina Reijn and starring Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson. The age-gap romance has ignited a feverish conversation about the intricacies of women's sexual power and desire.
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Feb 11, 2025 | 
nytimes.com | Alex Barron |Kate LoPresti |Wendy Dorr |Sophia Lanman |Elisheba Ittoop |Gilbert Cruz
Elijah Wald's 2015 book, "Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan and the Night That Split the Sixties," traces the events that led up to Bob Dylan's memorable performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. The book is about Dylan, but also about the folk movement, youth culture, politics and the record business. For the writer and director James Mangold, Wald's work provided an opportunity to tell an unusual story about the musician.
