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Brendan McDermid / Reuters Carly Rae Jepsen, the Most Useful Pop Star
Even her B-sides are reliably great soundtracks for falling in love and going to the store.
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Charles Sykes / AP Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Kanye's Blockbuster Night
The 2016 VMAs gave over long stretches of airtime for pop culture’s 1 percent to flaunt their power—and politics.
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Mario Anzuoni / Reuters Britney Spears Finds Grace in the Hook-Up
Her ninth album, Glory, puts pop’s sex obsession in a new, fluffier context.
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Track of the Day: 'Hackensack' by Thelonious Monk
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Apple Music / Boys Don't Cry So Is It Blond or Blonde?
Both—and the confusion over Frank Ocean’s album title is sign of a wider rebellion from the artist-against-music-industry conventions.
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Apple The Gorgeous Mysteries of Frank Ocean's Endless
The singer’s album is not the one that’s been promised, but there’s plenty to dig into nonetheless.
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Mary Altaffer / AP Marina Abramović and the White Artist's Gaze
Her bizarre description of Aboriginal Australians emerged shortly after Vanessa Beecroft’s bizarre statements about black people.
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Jose Nieto / Flickr Track of the Day: 'Catta' by Bobby Hutcherson
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Edgard Garrido / Reuters Parsing Obama's Sexy, Sometimes Woke Summer Playlist
For his last summer in office, the president delivers a more eclectic, more interesting, and more seductive set of musical selections.
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Nike And the Gold Medal in Olympic Music Marketing Goes to …
Chance the Rapper, Sia, and others bring their inspirational A-Games.
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Norsk Telegrambyra AS / Reuters Frank Ocean, Harper Lee, and the Reclusive Artist
After To Kill a Mockingbird, readers didn’t demand more from its author. For fans of the musician behind Channel Orange, it’s a different story.
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Warner Music Group Tegan and Sara's Cleverly Queer Pop Videos
“Faint of Heart” and “BWU” put some familiar tropes in an untraditional context.
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Apple Music Frank Ocean's Construction Project, Deconstructed
Whatever he ends up building on his streaming video, he’s also asking for patience—and attention to the tactile.
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Reuters The Riches of 'Cheap Thrills'
Sia’s new No. 1 hit is the song of the summer the world needs.
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HBO The Ultimate (Futile?) Statement Against Politicians Misusing Songs
John Oliver enlists Usher, Sheryl Crow, Michael Bolton and others to shame candidates who don’t get permission for music.
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Peter Kramer / AP Political Pop Music Bites Back at the RNC
Third Eye Blind lectures the crowd not to ignore pro-gay lyrics.
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Mike Segar Donald Trump's Great Gay Rock-Star Spectacle
What it means that the Republican nominee brought Queen’s “We Are the Champions” into the political arena
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Katy vs. Britney: Can Either Redeem Pop in 2016?
New music from both singers dropped unexpectedly on Thursday night.
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Benoit Tessier / Reuters The Hurt and Rage of This Week's Protest Music
Jay Z releases a remarkable confession of psychic pain, while lesser-known rappers imagine radical action.
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Showtime Considering Creativity and Addiction in The Life and Times of DJ AM
The Showtime documentary about Adam Goldstein argues that its subject’s musical brilliance was separate from his self-destructive tendencies.
