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‘Uncanny’ AI music generators blur the line between creators and consumers. Will they turn music from high art to an everyday language? Listen to these AI-generated tracks and judge for yourself.
Beyoncé photographed by Mason Poole.
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Beyoncé playfully mixes aural identifiers of both ‘blackness’ and ‘whiteness’ to create something new
Beth Garrabrant
In the album, Swift claims that she can use heartbreak as a stimulus for creativity, rather than allow it to dictate her everyday life.
Tutu Puoane’s Wrapped in Rhythm features words by poet Lebo Mashile.
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Wrapped in Rhythm powerfully uses the poems of Lebo Mashile as lyrics.
L-R: Mike Skinner, Ray Davies, James Smith of Yard Act and Lady Leshurr.
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Social and literary realism have long detailed people’s everyday lives – and they have been a staple in popular music for decades.
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The best love songs strive to keep things as simple as possible.
Irish folk music group, Lankum.
Sorcha Frances Ryder
A new generation of Irish musicians is using music not just as entertainment but as a powerful tool for social commentary.
After Irving Berlin, left, penned ‘White Christmas,’ he pegged Bing Crosby as the ideal singer for what would become a holiday classic.
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The secular carol doesn’t mention Jesus, angels or wise men, while reminding listeners of what makes them not just American, but human.
Shane MacGowan playing with The Pogues in 2014.
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The Pogues singer and songwriter Shane MacGowan revolutionised music with his fusion of Irish folk and English punk.
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I was 17 and just starting to get into songwriting when I first heard Sinéad O'Connor. Her music cut through everything else.
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This case was about more than Sheeran’s artistic integrity; it was about protecting the common musical ‘currency’ that underpins all songwriting.
The Eurovision Song Contest stage.
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The UK has now chalked up a record 16 second place finishes. But what would it take to go one better and win the whole thing?
Stormzy performs during the 56th Montreux Jazz Festival.
Gabriel Monnet
Stormzy’s new album contains some deeply personal reflections on faith.
Literary devices abound in Taylor Swift’s body of work.
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Swift, like all writers, draws from her literary forebears to craft new works.
Loretta Lynn’s music articulated the fears, dreams and anger of women living in a patriarchal society.
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Through songs such as ‘The Pill,’ Lynn addressed issues confronting all women. The country star died on Oct. 4 at age 90.
Albarn has apologised ‘unreservedly and unconditionally’ to the US singer Taylor Swift after claiming she didn’t write her own songs.
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Anyone involved in the creation of a song is a songwriter.
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He fearlessly pushed at artistic boundaries, and believed in the spontaneity of live performance; Freddie Mercury’s legend continues.
For Paul McCartney, songwriting involved a convergence of memory, experience and happenstance.
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The ‘Eureka!’ moment is a myth – an altogether naïve and fanciful account of innovation.
During their 1962 residency at Hamburg’s Star-Club, the Beatles had the opportunity of a lifetime: opening for Little Richard.
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When a 14-year-old Paul McCartney watched Little Richard in the hit film ‘The Girl Can’t Help It,’ he couldn’t have imagined that the two would one day take the stage together.
Roger Waters continues to perform ‘The Wall’ even after leaving Pink Floyd.
AP Photo/MTI, Balazs Mohai
The story of the album, which was released 40 years ago, is a classic tale of how bands struggle with unchecked egos and competing visions.