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Best Music Of 2023

The 50 Best Albums of 2023

December 5, 2023 • The album's not dead! Want proof? NPR Music's list of the best albums of 2023 features masterworks by veterans, newcomers, iconoclasts and at least one supergroup.

Roséwave: 106 songs for the best summer ever!

Abi Inman/NPR

Roséwave: Your Summer Soundtrack

Roséwave: 106 songs for the best summer ever!

July 19, 2023 • Summer feels infinite, but also rushed in its impermanence. Roséwave bottles that infinity with a soundtrack that spans generations and genres of music.

Amaarae performs a Tiny Desk concert June 22, 2023, at the NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C. Michael Zamora/NPR hide caption

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Michael Zamora/NPR

Tiny Desk

Amaarae: Tiny Desk Concert

June 22, 2023 • The artist's Tiny Desk proves how far the sounds of West Africa have influenced the U.S. and, more implicitly, just how much the music defies catch-all labels like 'Afrobeats.'

New Music Friday: The best releases out on June 9

Amaarae's new album Fountain Baby tops our shortlist of the best new albums out on June 9. Josh Croll/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Josh Croll/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The best releases out on June 9

June 9, 2023 • NPR Music's picks for the best albums out this week include new ones from Amaarae, Janelle Monáe, King Krule, Keaton Henson and more.

New Music Friday: The best releases out on June 9

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With 'Fountain Baby,' Amaarae redefines herself as a pop auteur

On Fountain Baby, there is a desperation in Amaarae's mission to be understood, and a hands-on approach to her world-building. Josh Croll hide caption

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Josh Croll