Natalie Merchant, who performs on The Tonight Show this Thursday, will receive the 2019 John Lennon Real Love Award and will lead a multi-artist tribute concert of her favorite John Lennon and Beatles tunes at Symphony Space in NYC on December 6. The award is given in recognition of Merchant's artistic achievements and lifelong commitment to social activism and charitable causes. Proceeds will benefit Theatre Within's ongoing free workshops at Gilda's Club NYC.

k.d. lang concluded her tour of the UK and Ireland, part of her ongoing world tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of her acclaimed album Ingénue, appearing on BBC Radio 4's Front Row and earning critical acclaim across the tour. "k.d. lang is so good that she is in a class of her own," exclaimed the Daily Telegraph. "Wow. Just wow. Most other singers should just give up now." The Mail on Sunday says that in 1992, Ingénue "seemed like an elegant set of timeless songs about unrequited love. Today it stands as a monument on the road to equal rights." "lang is a peerless communicator of feeling and emotion," says musicOMH, " a class act and one of the greatest singers currently at work in any genre." The Arts Desk says: "Her voice has withstood the years magnificently, and its purity and power soared."

Devendra Banhart has released the third song from his forthcoming album Ma, "Memorial." A tribute to loved ones who have gone too soon, "Memorial" explores the process of mourning. The intimacy of the recording, the sadness in Banhart's quivering vocals, and the beautiful melancholy of the lyrics showcase an artist attempting to understand death. You can watch a visualizer featuring Banhart's art from the album cover, here.

Gaby Moreno will begin a six-week, twenty-one concert tour of Europe in Neumunster, Germany, September 24. The tour takes her across Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, and Spain, culminating in Malaga November 1, and surrounds the October 4 release of her new album, ¡Spangled!, with Van Dyke Parks. She begins a US tour November 8, including a just-announced show at Merkin Hall in NYC for Ecstatic Music December 2.

Congratulations to Olivia Chaney, who has been nominated for Folk Singer of the Year in the 2019 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. The nominees were announced on Mark Radcliffe's Radio 2 The Folk Show tonight. The 20th annual Folk Awards will take place at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester on October 16, during the Manchester Folk Festival. Shortly thereafter, Chaney will perform at Kings Place in London on October 19.

Portuguese fado singer Carminho's album Maria is due in the US on September 27 via Nonesuch Records. Its title is her given first name and a name in Portugal that's both traditional and a popular choice among contemporary young parents, as fado is both part of a tradition and belongs to today's world. Carminho, who wrote many of the lyrics and songs and produced the record herself, considers it a dialogue between herself and two fado singers who blazed a trail for her: Beatriz da Conceição and Teresa Siqueira (her mother). London Jazz News calls it "a beautifully realized, remarkably varied yet uniformly gorgeous album." Pre-order to download the tracks "O Menino e a Cidade" and "Estrela" now.

Yola has released the video for her song "Shady Grove," from her album Walk Through Fire. The video, directed by Jessie Craig, includes footage from Yola's appearance at this year's Glastonbury Festival. The video "explores something equally untouched by most of music: the beauty and fashion routine of a Black woman," says Refinery 29, which premiered the video. "The moments the camera catches her psyching herself up before she steps out feels like an intimate look into what it takes to keep Yola going." Watch it here.

Live from Here with Chris Thile will kick off its fourth season from its new broadcast home, The Town Hall in NYC, on September 7. The new dates include guest performances from Lake Street Dive's own Rachael Price, Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend, The Lumineers, Raphael Saadiq, Trey Anastasio, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Jamila Woods, and more.

Natalie Merchant begins a two-week, sold-out A Summer Evening With… tour of intimate venues across the US Northeast tonight, visiting towns in which she has never performed. "We're looking forward to seeing the rocky coast of Maine, the green rolling hills of Vermont, the historic village squares and white-steepled churches of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut," says Merchant.

Soul singer Robert Finley returned to America's Got Talent on NBC last night to perform "Medicine Woman," from his Dan Auerbach–produced album Goin' Platinum! You can watch Finley's performance, which once again wowed the audience and the judges and has advanced him to the next round of competition, here.

Yola visited Relix in New York City to perform three songs from her debut album, Walk Through Fire: "Ride Out in the Country," "Still Gone," and "Shady Grove." You can watch the set here. Yola performs at the Newport Folk Festival this Friday.

The Black Keys were guests on NPR's World Cafe on Friday. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney spoke with host Talia Schlanger about their songwriting process, life on the road, and their return to the studio to make their new album, "Let's Rock." They also share a live performance of four songs: "Eagle Birds" and "Go" from the new album, and earlier songs "I Got Mine" and "Lonely Boy." Hear it here.