The Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt is on BBC World Service’s Music Life with Beirut's Zach Condon and Blondie's Debbie Harry and Chris Stein. They discuss artistic self-expression, the influence of location on songwriting, and what unexpected musical genres have inspired them. You can hear it here. The Magnetic Fields, who just completed a European tour, will tour the US with songs from 69 Love Songs next year for the album's 25th anniversary. Their 2004 Nonesuch debut album, i, was released on vinyl for the first time this past spring.

“Her music shows off her passion for storytelling and finding the connections between vaudeville, blues, jazz, baroque, and folkloric music. And her latest album, Mélusine, showcases all of that,” Jess Gillam says of Cécile McLorin Salvant, her guest on BBC Radio 3’s This Classical Life. “Her live shows are absolutely electric, full of drama, invention, and commitment to the music.” Salvant shares some of her favorite music—by Puccini, Gabriel Bataille, Camarón de la Isla, and Wanda Jackson—as does Gillam, whose own selections include (past This Classical Life guest) Caroline Shaw’s Plan & Elevation: V. The Beech Tree, from Orange, Shaw’s Grammy-winning album with Attacca Quartet. You can hear the episode here.

“The multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer-songwriter Lætitia Tamko even surprised herself when many of the songs she wrote in the wake of the loss of her best friend and closest collaborator were rhythmic electropop gems,” Sheroes host Carmel Holt says of her guest, aka Vagabon. “A feeling of celebrating life and giving herself the gift of solace and fun in the music she was creating came together on a new collection of songs for her third full-length album, Sorry I Haven’t Called.” You can hear their conversation here.

“This week’s guest is a trailblazer, a musical activist, a multi-disciplinary, multi-genre artist who has truly carved her own path of both honoring and celebrating lineage and creating a new one for generations to come,” Carmel Holt says of the guest on the third-anniversary episode of her show Sheroes. “Now nearly two decades into her career, Rhiannon Giddens has become one of the most awe-inspiring and influential artists of our time.” Holt talks with Giddens—who was also the radio show’s first guest three years ago—about her Grammy-nominated new album, You’re the One, and more. You can hear their conversation here.

Natalie Merchant was on Radio Popolare in Milan to discuss her new album, Keep Your Courage, and more and perform the title track to her 2001 album, Motherland, live in the studio. The session comes ahead of the close of Merchant's European tour and her first shows in Italy in over 20 years, in Milan and Chiara this weekend. You can hear the conversation and performance here. Merchant will return to Italy to host a new workshop at Fondazione Prada’s Accademia dei bambini in Milan on January 28.

“Rhiannon Giddens added to her impressive list of accomplishments earlier this year when the Grammy winner and MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grant recipient won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Music as co-composer of the opera Omar,” Kallao says of his guest on NPR’s World Cafe. “The highly decorated singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, composer, and author is relentlessly busy, so we are thrilled to talk to her about her new album, You’re the One.” You can hear their conversation and a live performance of songs from the Grammy-nominated new album and from earlier albums Freedom Highway and Tomorrow Is My Turn here.

David Byrne is on NPR’s Fresh Air to talk with host Terry Gross about Talking Heads—whose 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense is in theaters now—and his own evolution, from early musical influences to overcoming setbacks, leading him to wonder what allows people to persevere. "Why is it that people don't give up? That's a real puzzle to me," he says. "I just thought, 'No, I love this. I'm going to keep doing it myself … because I enjoy it.’ So I kept going.” You can hear it here.

Natalie Merchant was on BBC Radio 4's Start the Week to talk with presenter Kirsty Wark and fellow guests Jeffrey Boakye and Michel Faber about her new album, Keep Your Courage, and more. You can hear their conversation here. Merchant embarks on a European headlining tour beginning in Berlin tomorrow, followed by two nights at The London Palladium on Thursday and Friday, and including her first shows in Italy since 2002. 

Rhiannon Giddens recently gave an intimate performance at Racket in New York City for WFUV’s FUV Live. She spoke with host Alisa Ali about her new album, You’re the One, and more, and was joined by her band to perform several songs from it. You can now watch the performance of the album tracks “Too Little, Too Late, Too Bad,” “You Louisiana Man,” and “Yet to Be” below and listen to the complete session at wfuv.org.

Rhiannon Giddens was on WNYC’s All of It with Alison Stewart to talk about and share songs from her new album, You’re the One. You can hear their conversation here. This Saturday, Giddens—who won this year's Pulitzer Prize in Music for her opera Omar with Michael Abels and hosts the Aria Code podcast from WNYC partner station WQXR and The Metropolitan Opera—will host The Met Opera’s Live in HD broadcast of Jake Heggie's opera Dead Man Walking, based on Sister Helen Prejean’s memoir.

Rhiannon Giddens was on BBC Radio 3’s Private Passions to talk with host Michael Berkeley about and share music from Bach, Dvořák, Mahalia Jackson, Duke Ellington, Stephen Sondheim, and more. You can hear their conversation and Giddens’ selections here.

Natalie Merchant recently gave an intimate performance at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture in NYC for WFUV’s FUV Live. She spoke with host Alisa Ali and was joined by her longtime guitarist Erik Della Penna to perform several songs from throughout her career. You can now watch her perform "Sister Tilly," from her new album, Keep Your Courage, as well as “Carnival” and “Break Your Heart” from the set here and listen to the complete session at wfuv.org. Merchant resumes her Keep Your Courage tour on the US West Coast, Europe, and the UK in the autumn.