Mud, mess and murder ballads: SZA’s massive success shows that pop fans are craving realness
Shaad D'Souza
With her revenge anthem Kill Bill hitting US No 1 this week, the SOS singer brings something far more intense than the easily digestible break-up songs of Miley Cyrus and co
August 2022
I was a teenage Napster obsessive – and illegal downloading changed my music taste for good
Emma Garland
The P2P giant was shut down 20 years ago this week. But the omnivorous mindset it encouraged in a generation resonates in the very best of today’s genre-smashing pop
March 2021
Who will – and should – win the 2021 Grammy awards?
Beyoncé is looking to convert her nine nominations while Billie Eilish could repeat her success last year – but there’s strong competition from Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift, and an all-female rock lineup
December 2020
'All that mattered was survival': the songs that got us through 2020
Mariah with butterflies, Bronski Beat in the Peak District, Snoop Dogg on a food delivery ad … our writers reveal the tracks that made 2020 bearable
Observer critics' review of 2020
Music: Kitty Empire's 10 best of 2020
Our critic’s picks, from righteous old-school hip-hop via euphoric retro pop to classic American songwriting
Best music of 2020
The 50 best albums of 2020: the full list
Best music of 2020
The 50 best albums of 2020, No 1: Fiona Apple – Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Best music of 2020
Fiona Apple on the album of the year, Grammys hypocrisy and how #MeToo helped her get sober
November 2020
Best music of 2020
The 20 best songs of 2020
Our writers considered hundreds of contenders – and here are their picks of the year. Listen to all 390 tracks they voted for on our playlist
August 2020
The Guardian view on lockdown creativity: a freedom for female musicians?
Editorial: For some the domestic space has offered artistic liberation at odds with the home’s reputation as a place of constraint for women
May 2020
On my radar
On my radar: Lisa Taddeo's cultural highlights
The best albums of 2020 so far
April 2020
Kitty Empire's album of the week
Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters review – a strange, exceptional record
Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters review – a glorious eruption
March 2020
Listener's digest
Fiona Apple: where to start in her back catalogue
Fiona Apple: six reasons she is the perfect artist for a time of crisis
September 2018
Singled out: the Top 40 formats that fell by the wayside
Remember when a pop rookie and grandee would team up? Or when a soap star could call in Beyoncé to guest on their single? We pay tribute to the song types consigned to chart history
January 2017
Music blog
Arcade Fire, Gorillaz, Fiona Apple and more – this week's anti-Trump songs reviewed
Ahead of the presidential inauguration, musicians piled in to set their thoughts to music. Here are five of the most notable
June 2013
Music blog
Can bands be trusted to name their own albums?
Kings of Leon are to release Mechanical Bull. It's a terrible title, but terrible titles are part of rock's rich tapestry
December 2012
Fiona Apple: The Idler Wheel … – review
Fiona Apple's extraordinary new album makes quite some demands on the listener, but more than repays them, writes Dave Simpson
