Louder: 75 Questions. 7 Artists. One Very Bad Year.

March 12, 2021

By Caryn Ganz

Pop Music Editor

This week marks the intersection of two major events: the one-year anniversary of the coronavirus lockdowns in the United States, and the run-up to the Grammy Awards, which take place Sunday in Los Angeles.

Our Arts & Leisure crew put together a special package about how the Covid-19 milestone impacts the culture world, with notes from Hayley Williams, Trent Reznor, Aaron Dessner, Perfume Genius, Makaya McCraven, Tiwa Savage, Phoebe Bridgers and Jon Batiste about creativity in quarantine.

Ben Sisario set the table for the Grammys with a story examining what’s at stake this year, and how the show seeks to bring together a music world in the grip of uncertainty. One artist who won’t be there: the Weeknd, who will no longer allow his label to submit his music to the Grammys. (Find out much more in Ben’s story.) Joe Coscarelli and the “Diary of a Song” team put together a special bonus episode wherein our critics try to answer the question: Who will win record of the year? (My answer was predictable.) And Lindsay Zoladz took a look at how Taylor Swift’s five-times-nominated “Folklore” explores the wisdom of youth.

Follow us on Twitter Sunday night @nytimesmusic, where I will lead you to our live coverage, commentary, celebrations and deep sighs.

Continue reading the main story

75 Artists, 7 Questions, One Very Bad Year

Musicians, authors, directors, comedians, painters and playwrights open up about trying to be creative, and sometimes failing, in quarantine.

By The New York Times

March 12, 2020: The Night the City Sighed to Sleep

Chocolate fountains, Debbie Harry and an artist’s swan song cut short. We gathered scenes from the New York City cultural landscape in the last moments before lockdown.

By Michael Paulson, Julia Jacobs and Jason Farago

On Comedy

I Miss Being Part of an Audience

Crowds can be mindless, even dangerous. But that feeling of losing yourself as you experience art together hasn’t been replicated since live entertainment went online.

By Jason Zinoman

The Virus Cost Performers Their Work, Then Their Health Coverage

As the entertainment industry collapsed during the pandemic, several major health plans made it harder to qualify for insurance. Thousands lost it.

By Matt Stevens and Jeremy Fassler

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images, Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images, Caitlin Ochs/Reuters

The Grammys

Grammys Ready Pandemic Show, as the Weeknd Boycotts Future Awards

The event on Sunday will address the challenges of a music industry hit hard by the pandemic. The Weeknd, who was snubbed, says he will boycott the awards going forward, in a sign of continuing friction with artists.

By Ben Sisario

Continue reading the main story

Who Will Win Record of the Year at the Grammys? Let’s Discuss.

Beyoncé, Megan Thee Stallion, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and more will face off Sunday. In this special “Diary of a Song” episode, critics for The New York Times break down the show’s premier category.

By Joe Coscarelli

Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Dick Clark Productions

Critic’s Notebook

Taylor Swift and the Wisdom of Youth

“Folklore,” the album that earned five of Swift’s six Grammy nominations, is stocked with references to the specific, oft-denigrated insight of teenagers.

By Lindsay Zoladz

Jermaine Jr. Jackson for The New York Times

The Grammys

Thulani Davis and the Secret History of Women Writing Album Liner Notes

Since its inception in 1964, the Grammy for best album notes has been awarded to just three women. Davis, who won in 1993 for an Aretha Franklin boxed set, was the first.

By Daphne A. Brooks

Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images For Iheartmedia, Rich Fury/Getty Images For Visible, Kevin Winter/Getty Images For Dcp

Taylor Swift, BTS and Megan Thee Stallion Will Perform at the Grammys

The awards show next Sunday night will feature a mix of live and taped appearances shot in downtown Los Angeles.

By Ben Sisario

NEW MUSIC

Vevo	The Playlist SZA Teases What’s Next, and 11 More New Songs Hear tracks by Lucy Dacus, Jorja Smith, Charles Lloyd and the Marvels, and others. By Jon Pareles, Giovanni Russonello and Lindsay Zoladz

OBITUARIES

Lou Ottens, Father of Countless Mixtapes, Is Dead at 94

He led the team at Philips that changed the audio world in 1963 by introducing a small, portable way to play and record: the cassette.

By Neil Genzlinger

Ralph Peterson Jr., Jazz Drummer and Bandleader, Dies at 58

Probably the most prominent drummer of his generation to consistently front his own groups, he was also an insightful educator and mentor.

By Giovanni Russonello

Henry Goldrich, Gear Guru to Rock Stars, Is Dead at 88

Owning Manny’s Music in Manhattan, he brought wah-wah to Hendrix and Clapton and connected musicians with equipment that helped define their styles.

By Corey Kilgannon

Continue reading the main story

For Women in Music, Equality Remains Out of Reach

The latest study by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California found that women’s representation in music has not improved in the last decade.

By Ben Sisario

The Charts

Olivia Rodrigo and Morgan Wallen Dominate the Charts After Eight Weeks

The 18-year-old singer and actress’s song “Drivers License” holds at the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, and the country star’s LP repeats at No. 1 on the Top 200.

By Ben Sisario