Deutsche Oper orchestra musicians perform in Berlin nursing home garden

Seven months after closing its doors, the famous Parisian venue Olympia reopens, hosting a music festival for a seated concert. "It's already a first step that we've achieved all together with the whole of France," said an audience member after the concert.

Swedish musician Peter Von Poehl came in to tell us about his new album "Memories From Saint-Forget". Prior to the pandemic, he was supposed to have gone to China to work on a musical but instead ended up putting together his fifth album in the suburbs of ParisWe also look at new music by Angélique Kidjo, Carla Lucianni and Lorde.

Norwegian singer-songwriter Sigrid shot to fame in 2017 following the release of her debut EP "Don't Kill My Vibe". The 2019 release of her debut album "Sucker Punch" confirmed her place in pop stardom. She's been described as iconoclast, rewriting the rules of what it means to be a pop star – especially a female pop star.

Blufunk legend Keziah Jones, who became a global superstar at the turn of the 1990s after he was noticed busking in the streets of Paris and London, is back in the French capital to take part in a series of artistic events at the Pompidou Centre over the next three weeks. Along with choreographer Qudus Onikeku, a fellow Lagos native, Jones popped by the FRANCE 24 studios to tell us more about the "Fly by Night" events that celebrate African art, dance and music with creatives from Nigeria, Rwanda and DR Congo.

Nigerian singer Bella Shmurda in a recent sit down with The Guardian Life has called on establish entertainers to educate upcoming artists about what is needed to survive in the Nigerian music industry.

The shocking image of a violently ill Alexander Litvinenko as he lay dying from radioactive poisoning in a London hospital bed is how much of the world remembers the ex Russian spy. But a new opera in London based on a book by his wife Marina and composed by former London financier, Anthony Bolton seeks to tell more of his story. A British public inquiry in 2016 concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin had "probably approved" Litvinenko's killing, which it said was likely to have been FSB-directed, but no one has ever been brought to justice.

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.

Going back to live performances is very much on the mind of musicians these days, after months of introspective confinements and home recordings due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. Ben Shemie from Suuns tells us more about his band's new album "The Witness", whose instinctive new sound will soon be taken to the stage, first in their native Canada and then on tour in Europe.

Tucked away in an indoor market in Manchester, northwest England, lies the last shop in Britain dedicated to selling cassettes. Mars Tapes, founded in 2019 by a group of music lovers, is tapping into a nostalgic trend in cultural consumption accentuated by the coronavirus pandemic.

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.

He arrived at the head of a venerated cultural institution at one of the most critical moments of its 300-year history, as the Paris Opera grappled with a pandemic, prolonged strikes and ethical questions about diversity both on and off the stage. Yet its director Alexander Neef is not one to shy away from a challenge. He joins us in the studio to tell us about the upcoming season of live performances after a turbulent year at the helm.

We start by looking at how the German papers are covering the upcoming coalition talks. We then focus on disgraced US singer R. Kelly’s conviction for sex trafficking. Variety wonders if his music should be banned from streaming sites. We also see how the fight for the right to an abortion continues in France. Finally, we take a look at the non-fairy tale coverage of Japan's upcoming royal wedding.