Music

Jon Batiste led nominations on Tuesday for the Grammy Awards with 11 nods, followed by Justin Bieber, Doja Cat, and H.E.R with eight apiece. Batiste and Bieber will compete for the top prize - album of the year - along with pop singer Billie Eilish, R&B artist Doja Cat, singer-songwriter H.E.R, rapper Kanye West, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, newcomer Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift and rapper Lil Nas X, organizers said. The Grammys, the highest honors in the music industry, will be handed out at ceremony in Los Angeles on Jan 31.

Céline Dion's life, love and power ballads come to the big screen as "Aline" tops the box office here in France. Film critic Lisa Nesselson tells us why she was charmed and entertained by Valérie Lemercier's take on Quebec's most famous musical export.

Thousands of musicians are hoping to have set a record by performing as part of the world’s largest orchestra.

US singer-songwriter Natalie Bergman has just released "Keep Those Teardrops From Falling", a follow-up EP to her debut solo album "Mercy" on Jack White's prestigious label Third Man Records. She tells Marjorie Hache why writing this gospel folk music was cathartic following her father's death and about taking her music on the road. We also check out new tracks by Sting, Tanzania's SinaUbi Zawose and Beyoncé.

This week, we chat to Australian jazz singer, pianist and composer Sarah McKenzie, who is currently touring France with a mini residency at the prestigious Duc des Lombards jazz club. She tells us more about the creative way in which she connected with musicians from around the world at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. We also meet young Parisian artist Yoa, whose bedroom pop-filled debut EP "Attente" has just been released.

This month marks the fifth anniversary of the death of Canadian poet and musician Leonard Cohen. French indie rocker H-Burns has paid tribute to him in his latest album "Burns On The Wire", which focuses on Cohen's folk era and features guest appearances from Lou Doillon, Kevin Morby and more. H-Burns joined us in the studio to tell us more.

Anni, Benny, Bjorn and Agnetha are back. Four decades after they were last in the charts, the Swedish superstars are releasing their new album "Voyage". The foursome will also be staging a virtual concert in a custom-built arena in London in the spring of 2022.

Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) has started hosting its five-day dance music festival after the Dutch government lifted restrictions on the entertainment sector, as well as clubs and bars. The event has been scaled down compared to previous years, while measures are in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19, including on-site testing.

Hailing from the Netherlands, artist Tessa Douwstra performs under the name Luwten, which means "a place without wind" in Dutch. Her music channels traditional indie songwriting through a kaleidoscope of modern pop and experimental R&B. She recently released her second LP entitled "Draft", which features 11 complex and well-crafted tracks. She tells FRANCE 24’s Florence Villeminot about wanting to writing about the transition from introspection to a more outward-focused life.

British electronic duo Jungle appeared out of nowhere in late 2013 as a mystery group, but their slick funk-pop singles quickly propelled them to fame. Their 2014 self-titled debut album was certified Gold in the UK and their follow up album "For Ever" confirmed their success around the world. This summer, they released their third studio album "Loving in Stereo", a collection of wall-to-wall bangers bursting with life. Josh Lloyd-Watson sat down with FRANCE 24's Florence Villeminot to talk about what inspired this 13-track bundle of love.

One of America's largest events -- Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago -- is underway this weekend, to the delight of fans and to the despair of others. The four day music festival is expected to draw more than 100,000 people to downtown Chicago each day, at a moment when coronavirus cases are on the rise and vaccinations have plateaued. Lollapalooza has said their policy is for unvaccinated people to wear masks and show a recent negative Covid test.

As a teenager, she had to perform in the Auschwitz girls' orchestra. But Esther Bejarano never stopped loving music — or fighting against racism.