NYC Music News

Kid Cudi Will Testify in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial

Casandra Ventura had testified that the mogul threatened to have the entertainer’s car blown up after learning about their relationship.

Published on: May 21, 2025, 1:03 pm

How Grace Potter Lost (and Found) a Solo Album, and a New Life

The Grace Potter and the Nocturnals frontwoman made an LP with T Bone Burnett that got held. Sixteen years later, after a twisting tale of love and music, it’s arriving.

Published on: May 20, 2025, 3:00 pm

A 7-Song, 130-Minute Jam Band Primer

Listen to noodling tracks by Dave Matthews Band, Grateful Dead, Goose and more.

Published on: May 20, 2025, 6:00 pm

Review: Unsuk Chin’s New Opera Gives Music to the Unsaid

Unsuk Chin’s “The Dark Side of the Moon,” a reinterpretation of the Faust myth, reflects a restless mind with constant musical invention.

Published on: May 20, 2025, 6:14 am

Chris Brown Released on $6 Million Bail by London Court

The R&B singer was charged last week with grievous bodily harm over a 2023 incident in England. His release from custody means he can proceed with a world tour.

Published on: May 21, 2025, 2:01 pm

Review: How Music Came Down to Earth, in ‘Goddess’

Amber Iman lives up to the title of a musical about the divine gift of song.

Published on: May 21, 2025, 1:30 am

On TikTok, ‘Propaganda’ Lists Go Viral

TikTok users are building eye-catching lists of their dislikes and are labeling them as propaganda that they’re “not falling for.”

Published on: May 20, 2025, 4:03 pm

Shane Doyle, Founder of a Storied East Village Venue, Dies at 73

An Irish expatriate, he created Sin-é, a bare-bones cafe that became an unlikely magnet for stars like Sinead O’Connor, Bono of U2 and Iggy Pop.

Published on: May 20, 2025, 3:25 pm

Cassie’s Mother Testifies at Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s Trial About Bruises and a Payment

Casandra Ventura’s mother said she tried to pay the mogul to ensure her daughter’s safety, and an escort known as Punisher described engaging in up to a dozen “freak-offs.”

Published on: May 20, 2025, 11:13 pm

How the Cowbell Gave Latin Music Its Swing

When life gets loud, let the rhythm get louder.

Published on: May 20, 2025, 2:54 pm

Santa Fe Opera Continues to Draw Performers From Across the Globe

Nearly 70 years old, the Santa Fe Opera and its summer season draw singers, directors, designers, conductors and apprentices from across the globe.

Published on: May 20, 2025, 9:01 am

Opera Companies Find Savings and Gains Through Collaborations

Co-productions can help companies across the globe save money, collaborate artistically and ensure that lesser-known works are seen by more audiences.

Published on: May 20, 2025, 9:01 am

The Soprano Sonya Yoncheva Has Many Roles, On and Off the Stage

Sonya Yoncheva discusses her turn as Lisa in “The Queen of Spades” at the Metropolitan Opera, her summer concerts, her production company and more.

Published on: May 20, 2025, 9:01 am

Head of Trump’s Kennedy Center Calls for Inquiry Into Its Finances

The center’s new president said prosecutors should look at its “criminal” debt and deferred maintenance, as the center announced dance and theater offerings that include some with nonunion casts.

Published on: May 20, 2025, 5:49 pm

Lincoln Center Plans a $335 Million Makeover of Its Western Edge

The center in Manhattan aims to attract new audiences, as it takes down a wall on Amsterdam Avenue and revamps Damrosch Park.

Published on: May 19, 2025, 4:12 pm

Review: New York Philharmonic, Renée Fleming and a Sub Conductor

Brett Mitchell led the New York Philharmonic in the local premiere of a song cycle by Kevin Puts, featuring the soprano Renée Fleming.

Published on: May 19, 2025, 3:03 pm

Dawn Richard Recalls Witnessing Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s Violence Against Cassie

After four days of testimony from Casandra Ventura, the mogul’s former girlfriend, prosecutors are questioning collaborators and friends about their relationship.

Published on: May 19, 2025, 7:52 pm

Review: A Game of Light and Shadow in Gounod’s ‘Faust’

Sara Holdren’s new production for Heartbeat Opera takes its lead from Bulgakov’s Faustian novel “The Master and Margarita.”

Published on: May 18, 2025, 7:52 pm

Austria Wins Eurovision 2025 Song Contest With JJ’s ‘Wasted Love’

Austria’s entrant, JJ, took the prize after a tense count that was neck-and-neck until the last votes were revealed.

Published on: May 18, 2025, 12:10 am

France’s Eurovision act, Louane, wants to tell her mom she’s OK.

Published on: May 17, 2025, 9:13 pm

Kaj: A Finnish band, representing Sweden.

Published on: May 17, 2025, 9:05 pm

To stay in the competition, Malta had to change the lyrics.

Published on: May 17, 2025, 8:51 pm

Finland’s Eurovision entry, Erika Vikman, shows her ‘sexual power.’

Published on: May 17, 2025, 8:16 pm

Claude, representing the Netherlands, is a refugee turned pop star.

Published on: May 17, 2025, 8:12 pm

JJ hits some high notes for Austria.

Published on: May 17, 2025, 7:58 pm

Yuval Raphael, Israel’s Eurovision Entrant, Survived the Hamas Attacks of Oct. 7

Not long after the attacks, Yuval Raphael said, she resolved to follow her long-held dream of becoming a professional singer.

Published on: May 17, 2025, 7:31 pm

Estonia’s entry, ‘Espresso Macchiato,’ brewed trouble in Italy.

Published on: May 17, 2025, 7:28 pm

Which act is the safest bet?

Published on: May 17, 2025, 6:50 pm

The 7 steps to winning Eurovision.

Published on: May 17, 2025, 6:30 pm

Whatever happened to Joost Klein, last year’s jilted Eurovision star?

Published on: May 17, 2025, 6:10 pm

Switzerland’s 2024 winner hoped to help nonbinary people.

Published on: May 17, 2025, 5:50 pm

Why Eurovision can’t escape politics.

Published on: May 17, 2025, 5:00 pm

Basel swaps high art for high camp.

Published on: May 17, 2025, 7:03 pm

The winner is a classically trained singer.

Published on: May 18, 2025, 12:05 am

Combs Defense Seeks to Undermine Cassie’s Rape Allegation as Testimony Ends

The singer spent four days on the stand recounting what she described as an 11-year relationship in which she came to feel more like a sex worker than a girlfriend.

Published on: May 17, 2025, 12:00 am

Michael Flynn, a Trump Ally, Sponsors Beethoven at the Kennedy Center

Following the president’s overhaul of the center, Mr. Flynn, the former national security adviser, has made a substantial gift to the National Symphony Orchestra.

Published on: May 16, 2025, 11:31 pm

The Broadway Best of Charles Strouse

The composer’s musicals, including “Annie” and “Bye Bye Birdie,” captured essential elements of American culture. Here are five of his most memorable songs.

Published on: May 16, 2025, 8:05 pm

Bruce Springsteen’s Rowdy ‘Repo Man,’ Plus 11 More New Songs

Hear tracks by S.G. Goodman, the Lemonheads, Rihanna, Lido Pimienta and more.

Published on: May 16, 2025, 5:26 pm

‘Is Betty Buckley Still Alive?’ Trump Asked. She Certainly Is.

“What’s happening these days,” the singer said at the start of a Joe’s Pub residency, “is weird, and not cool.”

Published on: May 16, 2025, 5:12 pm

Who is Dawn Richard, the Danity Kane Singer Who Will Testify at Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s Trial?

The musician performed in two of the mogul’s best-known recent acts, Danity Kane and Diddy — Dirty Money. She sued him last year, alleging threats and groping.

Published on: May 16, 2025, 3:48 pm

The defense is expected to continue grilling Cassie on the hotel assault.

Published on: May 16, 2025, 1:23 pm

5 Takeaways From Cassie’s Final Day of Testimony in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial

Casandra Ventura, the singer known professionally as Cassie, ended four days of sometimes grueling testimony about being abused by Mr. Combs.

Published on: May 16, 2025, 9:51 pm

Who Are the Favorites to Win Eurovision?

KAJ, representing Sweden with an ode to the sauna, is the bookmakers’ favorite, but singers from France, Austria, the Netherlands and Finland are also causing a stir.

Published on: May 18, 2025, 3:07 am

Chris Brown Ordered to Remain in Custody After Arrest in England

The singer was charged with grievous bodily harm over a 2023 incident in London. He was ordered to remain in custody until June 13.

Published on: May 16, 2025, 3:36 pm

Cassie Confronted by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s Lawyer Over ‘Freak-Offs’ During Trial

During cross-examination, the defense team depicted Casandra Ventura as fully engaged in staging and participating in the marathon sex sessions she says were abusive.

Published on: May 16, 2025, 1:34 am

Springsteen, in England, Blasts Trump Administration as ‘Treasonous’

His remarks, delivered to an audience abroad, stood out at a time when other superstar artists have seemed to mute their criticism of the president.

Published on: May 15, 2025, 10:17 pm

‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ Review: The Weeknd’s Overextended Music Video

A filmic companion to the Weeknd’s latest album, this meta psychological thriller is all style and no substance.

Published on: May 15, 2025, 10:00 pm

Charles Strouse, Composer of ‘Annie’ and ‘Bye Bye Birdie,’ Dies at 96

He wrote some of the most enduring musical theater numbers of his era and earned three Tony Awards, a Grammy and an Emmy.

Published on: May 19, 2025, 3:57 pm

Smokey Robinson Faces Criminal Investigation After Assault Allegations

The Motown legend, who was accused in a lawsuit earlier this month of sexually assaulting four former housekeepers, is being investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Published on: May 15, 2025, 8:14 pm

Kennedy Center Employees, Alarmed by Trump, Push to Unionize

Employees say they are concerned by the Trump administration’s efforts to “dismantle mission-essential departments and reshape our arts programming.”

Published on: May 15, 2025, 7:15 pm

Luigi Alva, Elegant Tenor With a Lighthearted Touch, Dies at 98

A Peruvian-born international star, he made a specialty of roles in operas by Donizetti, Rossini and Mozart, becoming one of their pre-eminent interpreters.

Published on: May 15, 2025, 3:55 pm

Diddy’s Lawyers Work to Establish Cassie’s Agency in Freak-Offs

On the first day of cross-examination, a defense lawyer asked Casandra Ventura about messages she wrote to the music mogul ahead of their sex sessions.

Published on: May 16, 2025, 11:39 am

How Much Does It Cost to See Beyoncé? It Depends.

Some fans who paid top dollar for the star’s Cowboy Carter Tour are feeling miffed as prices drop. Other procrastinators are reaping the benefits.

Published on: May 15, 2025, 3:00 pm

What to Expect From Cassie’s Cross-Examination at Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s Trial

Lawyers for Sean Combs are expected to focus on moments of her agency in the relationship and on jealousy related to infidelities.

Published on: May 15, 2025, 1:26 pm