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Hazel Cills Hazel Cills is an editor at NPR Music and a regular contributor to All Songs Considered.
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Hazel Cills

Hazel Cills

Editor, NPR Music

Hazel Cills is an editor at NPR Music and a regular contributor to All Songs Considered.

Story Archive

Tuesday

This week, rapper Playboi Carti's MUSIC tops this week’s Billboard 200.

This week rapper Playboi Carti's MUSIC tops this week's Billboard 200. Scott Dudelson/Getty Images/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Scott Dudelson/Getty Images/Getty Images North America

Music

Playboi Carti has the biggest streaming week since Taylor Swift — plus, Chappell Roan goes country

The rapper Playboi Carti's much-hyped MUSIC leads this week in albums. Plus, the rapper Doechii continues to make gains with her recently released "Anxiety" and Chappell Roan finds minor country chart success with "The Giver."

Chappell Roan goes 'country,' but will country radio embrace it?

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Tuesday

The most anticipated spring albums

Haim have a yet-to-be-announced album coming this spring. Lea Garn/Columbia hide caption

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Lea Garn/Columbia

All Songs Considered

The most anticipated spring albums

We look ahead to the most anticipated albums due out this spring, including Rico Nasty's LETHAL, the return of Car Seat Headrest and Lucius, the existential punk rock group Pup and more.

The most anticipated spring albums

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Saturday

The coronavirus pandemic reordered almost everything about the music industry, from touring to streaming, interrupting careers and stealing lives.

The coronavirus pandemic reordered almost everything about the music industry, from touring to streaming, interrupting careers and stealing lives. Illustration by Jackie Lay. Photos by Frazer Harrison / Stephen Shugerman / Matt Winkelmeyer / Clive Brunskill / Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images hide caption

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Illustration by Jackie Lay. Photos by Frazer Harrison / Stephen Shugerman / Matt Winkelmeyer / Clive Brunskill / Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

COVID 5 years later

How the pandemic changed music

In some ways, COVID shrank the distance between musicians and listeners. But then, it also threw nearly everything about the industry into disarray, and for many, things have never been the same.

Tuesday

And the Oscar for Original Song goes to...
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images

All Songs Considered

And the Oscar for Original Song goes to...

With Oscar season here, we review the nominees for Original Song and Original Score, prognosticate who will win the statues on March 2, and look at the Academy's biggest snubs.

And the Oscar for Original Song goes to...

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Tuesday

The Contenders, Vol. 3: The songs we can't stop playing this week

Circuit des Yeux's "Megaloner," from the album Halo On The Inside, is one of the songs we can't stop playing this week. Dana Trippe/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Dana Trippe/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

The Contenders, Vol. 3: The songs we can't stop playing this week

We update our list of the year's best songs with a Tamino-Mitski collaboration, Son Lux's first new music since scoring Everything Everywhere All At Once, new Circuit des Yeux and more.

The Contenders, Vol. 3: The songs we can't stop playing this week

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Saturday

Tuesday

The Contenders, Vol. 1: The songs we can't stop playing this week

FKA Twigs' latest album, EUSEXUA, includes "Perfect Stranger," one of the songs we can't stop playing this week. Jordan Hemingway/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Jordan Hemingway/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

The Contenders, Vol. 1: The songs we can't stop playing this week

A new year means a new running list of our favorite songs, from the transfixing voice of Anna B Savage and FKA Twigs' moody club beats to the '80s-influenced rock and pop of Sharon Van Etten and more.

The Contenders, Vol. 1: The songs we can't stop playing this week

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Tuesday

Tuesday

The Contenders, Vol. 21: The songs we can't stop playing this week

Freak Slug's "Ya Ready," from her latest album, I Blow Out Big Candles, is one of the tracks we can't stop playing this week. El Hardwick/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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El Hardwick/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

The Contenders, Vol. 21: The songs we can't stop playing this week

In the final update to our running list of the year's best songs, we've got the cathartic rock of Kassie Krut, a nerve-settling collaboration between the singers SOAK and Gordi, Ethel Cain and more.

The Contenders, Vol. 21: The songs we can't stop playing this week

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Friday

New Music Friday: The best albums out Oct. 25

Laura Marling's new album, Patterns in Repeat, is out today. Courtesy of Partisan Records hide caption

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Courtesy of Partisan Records

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The best albums out Oct. 25

NPR Music's Ann Powers and Hazel Cills are your guides to the week's most compelling new releases.

New Music Friday: The best albums out Oct. 25

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Tuesday

The most terrifying film scores of all time

Jack Nicholson in a memorable moment from The Shining. The 1980 film's original music, by Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind, is among our picks for the most terrifying scores of all time. All Star Picture Library / Alamy/Warner Bros. hide caption

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All Star Picture Library / Alamy/Warner Bros.

All Songs Considered

The most terrifying film scores of all time

We celebrate spooky season with an unnerving mix of songs from our favorite horror movie scores, including The Shining, Under The Skin, Hereditary and more.

The most terrifying film scores of all time

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Tuesday

The Contenders, Vol. 18: The songs we can't stop playing this week

Beabadoobee's "California," from her album This is How Tomorrow Moves, is one of the tracks we can't stop playing this week. Jules Moskovtchenko/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Jules Moskovtchenko/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

The Contenders, Vol. 18: The songs we can't stop playing this week

Reflections on regret from beabadoobee and Bon Iver, deep sonic meditations from Nala Sinephro and Jill Fraser, and more updates to our running list of the year's best songs.

The Contenders, Vol. 18: The songs we can't stop playing this week

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Friday

Following her death, SOPHIE's family says she left behind a collection of hundreds of unreleased songs, as well as a follow-up album to her debut. But the album wasn’t finished.

Following her death, SOPHIE's family says she left behind a collection of hundreds of unreleased songs, as well as a follow-up album to her debut. But the album wasn't finished. James Bentley for NPR hide caption

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James Bentley for NPR

Music News

How do you finish a visionary artist's final album?

The electronic music producer's family and collaborators spent three years completing the album SOPHIE with the pieces she left behind after her death.

The album SOPHIE left behind has been finished

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Friday

Music News

Miranda Lambert leads the pack in a crowded field of new music releases

This week’s mix of music out today starts with an homage to the home state of country star Miranda Lambert.

Miranda Lambert leads the pack in a crowded field of new music releases

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New Music Friday: The best albums out Sept. 13

For Miranda Lambert's 10th studio album, Postcards From Texas, the country star recorded in her home state for the first time since she was a teenager. James Macari/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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James Macari/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The best albums out Sept. 13

NPR Music's Ann Powers and Hazel Cills are your guides to the best music out this Friday, Sept. 13, including the 10th studio album by Miranda Lambert. Postcards From Texas is a new chapter for the onetime Nashville Star contestant who has become one of that industry town's most reliable songwriters and stars — and also a return to her home state.

New Music Friday: The best albums out Sept. 13

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Tuesday

Fall preview 2024

A recently discovered lost recording from Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, titled Chain of Light, is one of the most-anticipated albums due out this fall. Robert Leslie/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Robert Leslie/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

Fall preview 2024

We look ahead to the final big push of releases for 2024, with fall albums from Mount Eerie, SOPHIE, Soccer Mommy, a newly discovered Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan recording and more.

Fall preview 2024

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Wednesday

Sabrina Carpenter's 'Short n' Sweet' is smart and silly

Sabrina Carpenter's new album Short 'n Sweet is out now. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Sabrina Carpenter's 'Short n' Sweet' is smart and silly

Sabrina Carpenter has had two of the year's biggest hits with "Espresso" and "Please Please Please." Now, she's released a new full-length album called Short n' Sweet, which serves up more catchy silliness and high drama. But does the album keep that "Espresso" magic alive?

Sabrina Carpenter's 'Short n' Sweet' is smart and silly

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Friday

Music News

This week, we got new albums from Tinashe, Post Malone, Charly Bliss and Morgan Wade

It’s New Music Friday — and this week we’ve got new albums from Tinashe, Post Malone, Charly Bliss and Morgan Wade.

This week, we got new albums from Tinashe, Post Malone, Charly Bliss and Morgan Wade

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New Music Friday: The best albums out Aug. 16

Tinashe's new album, Quantum Baby, is out Friday, Aug. 16. Nice Life Recording Company hide caption

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Nice Life Recording Company

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The best albums out Aug. 16

NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Hazel Cills give you a quick rundown of the most notable albums out Friday, Aug. 16, including Post Malone's country project, F-1 Trillion, Tinashe's seventh LP Quantum Baby, and Charly Bliss's first new record in five years.

New Music Friday: The best albums out Aug. 16

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Tuesday

S.O.S.: Songs of summer

"Love Me Je Je," from the Tems album Born in the Wild, is one of our summer song picks. Bet Bettencourt/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Bet Bettencourt/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

S.O.S.: Songs of summer

These aren't the big bangers and Top 40 hits designed to capitalize on the typical summer vibes. We instead play the songs that feel like summer or say summer to us.

S.O.S.: Songs of summer

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Thursday

Sunday

Music

This summer's music charts are dominated by pop girl underdogs

We look at the songs from fresh, female artists that are making this summer's best bops.

This summer's music charts are dominated by pop girl underdogs

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Friday

Charli XCX and Lorde sure did make the internet go crazy
Victor Boyko; Michael Tran / AFP/Getty Images

Perspective

It's Been a Minute

Charli XCX and Lorde sure did make the internet go crazy

The internet freaked out when Charli XCX and Lorde revealed - and put to rest - their pop girl rivalry on Charli's "Girl, so confusing" remix. That same day, Brandy and Monica seemed to settle their decades long feud when they appeared on the remix of Ariana Grande's version of "The Boy is Mine." But while the pop girls are healing, a lot of fans still seem to want blood - can this music heal us? To break it all down, Brittany is joined by NPR Music Editor Hazel Cills, and Pop Pantheon podcast host, DJ Louie XIV.

Charli XCX and Lorde sure did make the internet go crazy

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