music - The Atlantic

music

November 23, 2025

Culture

The Coolest Girl on Earth Seeks God

Spencer Kornhaber

November 11, 2025

The Atlantic Daily

A Funny Book About Faith

Nancy Walecki

November 9, 2025

Books

What I Learned From Sammy Davis Jr.

Questlove

December 2025 Issue

illustrated black-ink sketch of Sammy Davis Jr. smiling and wearing large glasses on red background

Books Briefing

The Powerful, Unpredictable Nature of Fear

Boris Kachka

October 31, 2025

Books

Patti Smith’s Family Secrets

Amy Weiss-Meyer

December 2025 Issue

detail of black-and-white photo of dark-haired woman in room with tapestries hanging on wall

Culture

How to Make Music Popular Again

Jonathan Garrett

October 29, 2025

Culture

What Hollywood Gets Wrong About Springsteen

Mark Asch

October 24, 2025

Singer, songwriter, and performer Bruce Springsteen and manager Jon Landau pose for a portrait at the Power Station recording studios during sessions for Springsteen's 1981 album "The River" on March 15, 1980, in New York City, New York.

Culture

Jeremy Strong Is Ready to Let Go, Just a Little Bit

David Sims

October 23, 2025

Culture

D’Angelo Conjured More Than Music

Vann R. Newkirk II

October 18, 2025

A color photograph of D'Angelo on a street corner in Harlem

The Atlantic Daily

The Forces Changing Music and Film Criticism

Will Gottsegen

October 17, 2025

Culture

Traditional Criticism Is in Trouble. Here’s What’s Replacing It.

Spencer Kornhaber

October 17, 2025

Culture

Buy This Album. Now Buy It in Green.

Spencer Kornhaber

October 10, 2025

Culture

Taylor Swift’s Fairy Tale Is Over

Spencer Kornhaber

October 3, 2025

A color image of Taylor Swift halfway underwater

Culture

The Hard-Won Lessons of Lilith Fair

Sophie Gilbert

September 30, 2025

Global

Moscow Can’t Stop the Music

Anna Nemtsova

September 30, 2025

The Russian singer Monetochka performs in an anti-war concert in Poland in 2022.

Culture

Finally, a New Idea in Rock and Roll

Spencer Kornhaber

September 26, 2025

Ideas

A Censored Rap Legend Has Advice for Jimmy Kimmel

Jemele Hill

September 23, 2025

A black-and-white photo of the rapper Luther Campbell performing at the Apollo Theatre in New York City in 1992.

Poem

In the Beginning, There Was the Word

Ashley M. Jones

September 14, 2025

An abstract painting of a Black woman wearing a green dress, holding a Black child wearing a yellow dress with orange stripes, against a light blue background

Culture

August 29, 2025

The word "indie" written in different fonts

Family

The Tortured Poet of Love Gets Engaged

Julie Beck

August 27, 2025

Photo illustration of Taylor Swift's face inside a heart

Family

My Father, Guitar Guru to the Rock Gods

Nancy Walecki

September 2025 Issue

photo of man with white hair sitting behind desk and holding acoustic guitar and surrounded by other musical instruments, with large antique portrait of man playing violin in background

Ideas

A Love Letter to Music Listings

Gabriel Kahane

July 27, 2025

Magazine page folded like a map with a holes cut out in the shape of a movie camera, music note and paintbrush

Culture

How Justin Bieber Finally Gave Us the Song of the Summer

Spencer Kornhaber

July 26, 2025

A photo-illustration of Justin Bieber singing

Culture

The Human Side of Music’s Prince of Darkness

Spencer Kornhaber

July 23, 2025

Ozzy Osbourne looks out at viewer with his hand on his head in a living room.

Letters

Is Culture Really Dead?

August 2025 Issue

A color photograph of the Atlantic June 2025 issue, open to the article spread "The Day the Music Died."

Culture

How the Grateful Dead Nearly Solved the Problem With Live Music

John Hendrickson

July 10, 2025

A psychedelic illustration of a man with speakers for eyes

Technology

Nobody Cares If Music Is Real Anymore

Ian Bogost

July 4, 2025

Distorted image of a rock band in silhouette, seen on a monitor

Culture

The Bad Bunny Video That Captures the Cost of Gentrification

Valerie Trapp

July 2, 2025

Culture

The Epitome of First-Person Pop

Spencer Kornhaber

June 27, 2025

a color photograph portrait of Lorde seen through a reflective surface

How to Build a Life

The Ultimate Career Advice: Make Your Work Your Calling

Arthur C. Brooks

June 26, 2025

An illustration of a woman lying across a photocopier with sheets of paper flying around showing happy faces.

Culture

The New Old Sound of Adult Anxiety

Spencer Kornhaber

June 20, 2025

Culture

The Rolling Stones Play Zydeco

Reya Hart

July 2025 Issue

illustration with black-ink sketch of Mick Jagger singing into a mic on left and Clifton Chenier wearing crown and playing accordion on right, with 3 white circles on red background

Sections

The Print Edition

The Fantastical Storytelling of Nollywood Movies

The Coolest Girl on Earth Seeks God

A Funny Book About Faith

What I Learned From Sammy Davis Jr.

The Powerful, Unpredictable Nature of Fear

Patti Smith’s Family Secrets

How to Make Music Popular Again

What Hollywood Gets Wrong About Springsteen

Jeremy Strong Is Ready to Let Go, Just a Little Bit

D’Angelo Conjured More Than Music

The Forces Changing Music and Film Criticism

Traditional Criticism Is in Trouble. Here’s What’s Replacing It.

Buy This Album. Now Buy It in Green.

Taylor Swift’s Fairy Tale Is Over

The Hard-Won Lessons of Lilith Fair

Moscow Can’t Stop the Music

Finally, a New Idea in Rock and Roll

A Censored Rap Legend Has Advice for Jimmy Kimmel

In the Beginning, There Was the Word

For Those About to Mock

What Lisette Model Saw in Jazz

How Did Taylor Swift Convince the World That She’s Relatable?

The Music of Millennial Idealism

The Tortured Poet of Love Gets Engaged

My Father, Guitar Guru to the Rock Gods

A Love Letter to Music Listings

How Justin Bieber Finally Gave Us the Song of the Summer

The Human Side of Music’s Prince of Darkness

Is Culture Really Dead?

How the Grateful Dead Nearly Solved the Problem With Live Music

Nobody Cares If Music Is Real Anymore

The Bad Bunny Video That Captures the Cost of Gentrification

The Epitome of First-Person Pop

The Ultimate Career Advice: Make Your Work Your Calling

The New Old Sound of Adult Anxiety

The Rolling Stones Play Zydeco