Music News - Frontline

Kris Kristofferson performs on the Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm in Somerset during the Glastonbury Festival in Britain, on June 23, 2017.

Kris Kristofferson (1936-2024): The Rhodes scholar who became Nashville’s rebel poet

Kristofferson’s dual career as a respected songwriter and Hollywood actor cemented his status as a cultural icon who lived life on his own terms.

Suhrid Sankar Chattopadhyay

A portrait of Vallalar, born Chidambaram Ramalingam on October 5, 1823.

Reimagining Vallalar

The saint, the song, and the social revolution

A new music project titled Anbenum Peruveli radically reinterprets the work of the 19th-century Tamil poet-prophet in the year of his bicentenary.

Abhirami Girija Sriram

Kumar Gandharva: Timeless icon who redefined khayal

Kumarji’s radical reinvention of classical music continues to captivate a century after his birth, as a series of events at Ahmedabad University illus

Lakshmi Sreeram

Shakti: Still jamming with joy, still making history

The legendary band’s 2024 Grammy win for Best Global Music Album proves the power and popularity of its own unique brand of fusion music.

Suhrid Sankar Chattopadhyay

Ustad Rashid Khan (1968-2023): Maestro whose music transcended time and genre

Ustad Rashid Khan (1968-2023): Maestro whose music transcended time and genre

His voice and rendition were an integration of the best values of the past masters of his gharana.

Ustad Rashid Khan (1968-2023): A voice that bridged generations

His artistry, a contemporary embrace of tradition, resonated with a generation of music enthusiasts. Hindustani music will feel his absence forever.

More stories from Music

Amabel while meeting one of many elderly women and folk musicians to gather information about Meghalaya’s musical heritage.

How a 28-year-old PhD scholar from Meghalaya is documenting timeless lullabies

The north-eastern region is earmarked for indigenous melodies and lullabies that have been enjoyed by generations of children.

Aishwarya Mohanty

Birendranath Datta gained more fame as a folk culturist, teacher, and singer than as an economics graduate. Datta died on October 23 following a prolonged illness.

Birendranath Datta (1935–2023): A cultural icon of Assam

Renowned folklorist, teacher, and singer, Datta leaves a lasting legacy.

Arindam Borkataki

The FEA has undertaken an ambitious endeavour towards the creation of Indian Classical Music & Performing Arts Public Digital Archive.

2,000 hours of Indian classical music

As a monumental project to create a digital archive of Indian classical music and performing arts takes shape, ideator Devina Dutt talks to Frontline.

Shailendra was one of Hindi cinema’s most prolific lyricists whose work appealed to audiences across India.

Shailendra: Lyricist who found divinity in humanity

This year marks the birth centenary of the lyrical genius whose verses transcended borders.

Ashutosh Sharma

Jay Z performs during a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in Cleveland in November 2016.

How Jay-Z’s remix of ‘Mundian To Bach Ke’ helped bridge cultural divides in post-9/11 America

Remembering a song that helped challenge stereotypes about Muslims and Arabs.

The artistic value of the violin playing along with the lead performer in all sections of the concert is questionable. In photo, vocalists Ranjani and Gayatri performing in Chennai in December 2018.

Can Carnatic music concerts stand alone without the violin?

Many question the need for the violin as accompaniment, arguing that gaps and silences make for a greater musical experience.

Lakshmi Sreeram

Assamese singer Sudakshina Sarma.

Sudakshina Sarma (1934-2023): Assamese music legend leaves a profound legacy

Through enchanting melodies, Sarma touched hearts across the country and became a cultural ambassador.

Suhrid Sankar Chattopadhyay

Uru Music Collective during a performance.

Uru Music Collective: Recreating ancient instruments

How a young band in Chennai is combining scholarship, innovation, and tradition to make ancient musical instruments come alive.

Pandit Kumar Gandharva, the famous vocalist of India. (Photo by: Avinash Pasricha/IndiaPictures/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Kumar Gandharva

A currency called Kumarji: Celebrating the centenary of Kumar Gandharva

Presenting a small playlist of classical renditions by Kumar Gandharva (1924-1992) from across the genres he favoured.

Vocalist Manjiri Asanare-Kelkar’s choice to sing the rarely heard Sampoorna-poorva raga came straight out of the Jaipur gharana playbook.

Tributaries of song in full flow at Kolkata tribute concert

A tribute concert for Kalyan Mukherjea was an occasion to reflect upon musical experience.

Srijan Deshpande

Terada Yoshitaka.

Terada Yoshitaka (1954-2023): The man from Japan who played the nagaswaram

A towering personality, he looked at various aspects of classical music and power politics within.

A.S. Panneerselvan

Motta Maadi Music performing during Chennai Sangamam.

Chennai Sangamam: Taking performing arts to the people

Festivals bring people together, says Lok Sabha member K. Kanimozhi, the brain behind the cultural event.

R.K. Radhakrishnan ,Siddarth Muralidharan

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