music

December 2, 2021

The Beatles sit at a variety of instruments, playing.

Newsletters

Stephen Sondheim, Way Off Broadway

Xochitl Gonzalez

December 1, 2021

Stephen Sondheim, composer and lyricist. (Photo by R. Jones/Evening Standard/Getty Images)

Culture

Stephen Sondheim’s Knotty Vision of Musical Theater

Sophie Gilbert

November 30, 2021

Books

The Miraculous Sound of Forgiveness

Matthew Aucoin

December 2021 Issue

illustration in 2 parts: person conducting music from behind with shadow and female dancer's torso with painted lines

Culture

Adele’s Shocking Attack on Complacency

Spencer Kornhaber

November 22, 2021

Culture

I Performed a Career-Highlight Show. Then Delta Hit.

Ryan Miller

November 15, 2021

Culture

On SNL, Taylor Swift Stopped Time

Spencer Kornhaber

November 14, 2021

Taylor Swift performing "All Too Well" on 'SNL'

Culture

The Rock Band That Redefined Counterculture

Spencer Kornhaber

October 16, 2021

Paul Morrissey, Andy Warhol, Lou Reed, and Moe Tucker from archival photography in a split-screen frame from “The Velvet Underground”

Culture

You’ve Never Heard John Coltrane Like This Before

David A. Graham

October 9, 2021

Black-and-white photo of John Coltrane performing

Books

Spotify Has Made All Music Into Background Music

Jack Hamilton

November 2021 Issue

On green background, an LP record shattered into 8 multi-colored slices with different genre labels: Alt, Rap, Indie, Pop, Rock, Country, EDM, Metal

Culture

Lil Nas X Isn’t a Fad. He’s the Future of Pop.

Spencer Kornhaber

September 17, 2021

Lil Nas X shirtless in bedazzled jewelry against a blue sky

Culture

This Could Be Heaven—Or This Could Be Hell

James Parker

September 3, 2021

An image of the Eagles spins like a vinyl record.

Culture

God May Forgive Kanye West, but You Don’t Have To

Spencer Kornhaber

August 30, 2021

A black-and-white image of Kanye West, with his head bowed and his hands over his face, at a 'Donda' listening event last month

Newsletters

The Atlantic Daily: 5 Summer Albums to Keep on Repeat

Spencer Kornhaber

August 20, 2021

A collage of musicians on a purple background

Culture

The Pop Star Who’s Redefining the Word Basic

Spencer Kornhaber

August 19, 2021

Lorde's face in turquoise against a backdrop of magenta with yellow flowers superimposed

Culture

Frank Ocean Fans Are Mad About a Million-Dollar Necklace

Spencer Kornhaber

August 13, 2021

Culture

Pop Is Making Happiness Sound Pretty Dreary Lately

Spencer Kornhaber

August 6, 2021

An image of an eye crying tears with the faces of Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey, and Lorde visible in each drop

Culture

What Will Happen to My Music Library When Spotify Dies?

Joe Pinsker

July 19, 2021

Poem

Danez Says They Want to Lose Themself in Bops They Can’t Sing Along To

Franny Choi

July 11, 2021

A person leaning back with their eyes closed

Culture

The Internet Mocked Her as a Teenager. It’s Embracing Her Now.

Spencer Kornhaber

June 18, 2021

Album art of Rebecca Black with coiffed bangs and green slime coming out of mouth

Poem

Between Bombardments

Ilya Kaminsky

June 13, 2021

A skylark flying with its wings open against a bright blue sky

Newsletters

The Atlantic Daily: This Summer Could Be the 2000s Again

Caroline Mimbs Nyce

June 11, 2021

Culture

The 2001 Album That Captured Modern Dread

Spencer Kornhaber

June 4, 2021

The album cover of Radiohead's "Amnesiac"

Culture

The Aughts Seem Both Cooler and Sadder in Retrospect

Spencer Kornhaber

May 25, 2021

A spinning CD reflecting the faces of N*Sync against a neon pink background

Culture

Pop’s Buzziest New Songwriter Knows Exactly What to Say

Spencer Kornhaber

May 22, 2021

Culture

The Song That Sold America to a Generation of Asian Immigrants

Jason Jeong

May 4, 2021

Newsletters

The Atlantic Daily: An Hour of Music for Your Next Road Trip

James Parker

April 30, 2021

Record player using a tire of a car as the record

Ideas

I’m Not Ready to Perform

Will Butler

April 19, 2021

Culture

Taylor Swift Knew Everything When She Was Young

Spencer Kornhaber

April 13, 2021

A blended image of the album covers for 'Fearless' and 'Fearless (Taylor's Version)'

Culture

The Final Word on Tina Turner

Hannah Giorgis

March 27, 2021

Tina Turner and Ikettes in a 1973 performance.

How to Build a Life

Here’s 10,000 Hours. Don’t Spend It All in One Place.

Arthur C. Brooks

March 18, 2021

illustrated man reading and spinning ball while surfing

Culture

The Odd Pattern That Keeps Happening at the Grammys

Spencer Kornhaber

March 15, 2021

Megan Thee Stallion performing at the Grammys

Newsletters

The Atlantic Daily: The Art We Turned to This Year

Caroline Mimbs Nyce

March 12, 2021

Illustration of seated person reading with a burst of a four-color spectrum coming out of the open book on their lap.

Newsletters

A Playlist for Your Next Walk

Spencer Kornhaber

February 26, 2021

Multi-colored music notes with converse on

Culture

The Biggest Country Musician in America Is a Disgrace

Spencer Kornhaber

February 25, 2021

Country artist Morgan Wallen performs onstage

How to Build a Life

Go Ahead and Fail

Arthur C. Brooks

February 25, 2021

Sections

The Print Edition

Like Watching Six Different Marriages Fall Apart

Stephen Sondheim, Way Off Broadway

Stephen Sondheim’s Knotty Vision of Musical Theater

The Miraculous Sound of Forgiveness

Adele’s Shocking Attack on Complacency

I Performed a Career-Highlight Show. Then Delta Hit.

On SNL, Taylor Swift Stopped Time

The Rock Band That Redefined Counterculture

You’ve Never Heard John Coltrane Like This Before

Spotify Has Made All Music Into Background Music

Lil Nas X Isn’t a Fad. He’s the Future of Pop.

This Could Be Heaven—Or This Could Be Hell

God May Forgive Kanye West, but You Don’t Have To

The Atlantic Daily: 5 Summer Albums to Keep on Repeat

The Pop Star Who’s Redefining the Word Basic

Frank Ocean Fans Are Mad About a Million-Dollar Necklace

Pop Is Making Happiness Sound Pretty Dreary Lately

What Will Happen to My Music Library When Spotify Dies?

Danez Says They Want to Lose Themself in Bops They Can’t Sing Along To

The Internet Mocked Her as a Teenager. It’s Embracing Her Now.

Between Bombardments

The Atlantic Daily: This Summer Could Be the 2000s Again

The 2001 Album That Captured Modern Dread

The Aughts Seem Both Cooler and Sadder in Retrospect

Pop’s Buzziest New Songwriter Knows Exactly What to Say

The Song That Sold America to a Generation of Asian Immigrants

The Atlantic Daily: An Hour of Music for Your Next Road Trip

I’m Not Ready to Perform

Taylor Swift Knew Everything When She Was Young

The Final Word on Tina Turner

Here’s 10,000 Hours. Don’t Spend It All in One Place.

The Odd Pattern That Keeps Happening at the Grammys

The Atlantic Daily: The Art We Turned to This Year

A Playlist for Your Next Walk

The Biggest Country Musician in America Is a Disgrace

Go Ahead and Fail