What's Your 2021 Musical Resolution?

Plus, a Tiny Desk (home) concert from Jazmine Sullivan. by Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Kristen Urdoa for NPR New Year’s resolutions can be an excuse for big, bold goals that challenge us in life-changing ways. But they can also be smaller, more intimate moments of reflection and intention. As our colleague Ann Powers put it, “Musical resolutions can be all about turning to the music or career of an artist for sustenance, uplift and even a kind of guidance in a rough time.” In many ways and for many reasons, we felt it appropriate to share that wisdom in this week’s newsletter. As customary at this time of year, we look back and plan ahead, we ask ourselves what we want to see in the days, weeks, months and years to come: whether that’s learning more about the career of a particular artist, being more intentional about how and where we seek out new music or simply chasing the relief of a well-ordered downloads folder for our Bandcamp mp3s. If you have musical resolutions for the year ahead, we’d love to hear about them. You can send us your thoughts by replying via the link at the bottom of this email. For auld lang syne, Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- New Music - Every year, we look forward to the [Viking’s Choice episode]( of All Songs Considered, where our pal Lars Gotrich shares the year’s best music from the worlds of punk, metal, drone and outer sounds. The most recent edition serves up Spanish punk, metal-sampling rap, Kenyan grindcore, Russian synth-pop and more. - A new year means a new opportunity for fresh faces to rise above the noise. Announcing: the Slingshot class of 2021, [17 exciting new artists to watch]( selected by NPR music partner stations. - This week, our friends at WXPN shared a video of 2021 Slingshot artist [Bartees Strange]( performing songs from his new album Live Forever as part of their Winter Break Sessions. - As part of Morning Edition's Song Project series, [country singer Brandy Clark]( wrote "Remember Me Beautiful” after a writing session with friends who had lost relatives during the pandemic. - Though best known for his disco days, the last living Gibb brother is a lifelong country fan. His new album [reimagines the Bee Gees' catalog]( as duets with some of Nashville's biggest stars. --------------------------------------------------------------- Featuring - All five of the 2021 Grammy nominees for best children’s album are white. Now three of the five acts – Alastair Moock, Dog on Fleas and the Okee Dokee Brothers – [are protesting by turning down their nominations](. - Los Angeles County has become the [worst-hit county in the U.S.]( for both confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths from the disease. The worsening situation has prompted the [Recording Academy to postpone the 2021 Grammy Awards]( ceremony from Jan. 31 to March 14. - A is for adventure, B is for boots, C is for country: Reaching kids on their level is a big part of Lil Nas X’s public persona these days; just watch his [viral elementary school performance]( for proof. This week, the Grammy winner [released a children’s book]( C is for Country. --------------------------------------------------------------- Tiny Desk NPR [Jazmine Sullivan]( drops a body of work every five years or so, shakes up the world of R&B with each offering, then quietly goes back to minding her own business. To celebrate the release of her new album Heaux Tales, we shared a Tiny Desk (home) concert from the R&B powerhouse — complete with a guest appearance by Tiny Desk alum H.E.R. Also this week: [Active Child]( layers his choral-styled voice on top of melodic harp and piano, and [Sevdaliza]( takes us on an elegant, ethereal journey from a bookstore and publishing house in Amsterdam. --------------------------------------------------------------- Incoming Join us (virtually!) all next week for [Tiny Desk meets globalFEST]( as we bring the annual New York-based festival of music from around the world directly to your home. Each night from Jan. 11–14, we’ll be presenting performances from international recording artists, all hosted by Angélique Kidjo. --------------------------------------------------------------- One More Thing A Pop Culture Happy Hour episode that’s [good for your Soul](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. --------------------------------------------------------------- What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [nprmusic@npr.org](mailto:nprmusic@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on [Spotify]( and [Apple Music]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]