And finally – a deserving winner, whose second solo album is a truly relatable, pin-sharp pop classic. We reveal our No 1 album of 2021
November 2021
‘You can’t cancel me, I’ve got bills to pay!’: music stars on pop’s strange 2021
Laura Mvula, Kasabian’s Serge Pizzorno, Snail Mail, BackRoad Gee, Sigrid and Eris Drew mull over the year’s big stories, from Britney’s freedom to battles over plagiarism and streaming
October 2021
Race and money
63% of Black music makers have experienced racism in UK industry – study
Survey of 1,718 performers, creatives and staff reveals microgression, pay disparities and discrimination are rife
September 2021
Mercury prize 2021: Arlo Parks wins for Collapsed in Sunbeams
21-year-old singer-songwriter adds to Brit award win earlier in the year
August 2021
Laura Mvula review – joyous, keytar-toting pop masterclass
Closing the Edinburgh international festival after years out of the spotlight, Mvula delivers a triumphant evening of lush 80s soundscapes
No 1 albums by Wolf Alice, Mogwai and Celeste are joined by leftfield artists such as Hannah Peel and Nubya Garcia in race for prestigious music award
The month's best album reviews
Laura Mvula, Martha Argerich and more: July’s best album reviews
Discover all our four- and five-star album reviews from the last month, from pop to folk, classical and beyond
Laura Mvula: Pink Noise review – an album of overdue fun
Mvula’s renaissance continues with a bold album fuelled by 80s dance pop and letting go
June 2021
Teenage kicks
Laura Mvula’s teenage obsessions: ‘I thought a briefcase was the most buff thing ever’
Edinburgh international festival returns with music-heavy lineup
June 2020
Black Britain matters
Clara Amfo, Laura Mvula, David Lammy and more: 'We’re shifting the deadly disease of racism'
Presenters, performers, writers and politicians on whether the protests in the UK in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death will have a lasting effect
November 2019
On my radar
On my radar: Wendell Pierce’s cultural highlights
The American actor on Lucian Freud’s self-portraits, the music of Laura Mvula, and Labour MP David Lammy
September 2019
'I thought I'd hate it': Bridget Christie on loving the Last Night of the Proms
Laura Mvula was captivating, and I cried when opera star Jamie Barton took to the stage with a rainbow flag. Shame the conductor spent the entire night with his back to us
January 2019
Laura Mvula and Black Voices review – impressive, gutsy tribute to life-changing women
The Mobo-winning star joined forces with family to exquisitely harmonise in songs by Nina Simone, Sweet Honey in the Rock and Mvula herself
June 2018
Books to give us hope: Philip Pullman, Jacqueline Wilson, Rose McGowan and more share their picks
This week at Hay festival, writers, artists and thinkers have been discussing the world we live in today. How do we stay positive and fight for change? Here they reveal the books that give them hope
March 2018
Yasiin Bey and Robert Glasper review – mercurial hip-hop star finds magic in the moment
Teaming up with jazz maverick Glasper, the rapper formerly known as Mos Def performed a gripping set with the spontaneous vibe of an after-hours jam session
September 2017
Bestival review – Pet Shop Boys and battleship raves keep spirits stormproof
Pet Shop Boys, Dizzee Rascal and A Tribe Called Quest’s last ever gig all added to a gloriously vibrant weekend that kept the boutique festival in glittering mood
July 2017
The best original photographs from the Observer
Original Observer photography: June 2017
Jeremy Corbyn at Glastonbury, musicians Liam Gallagher, Laura Mvula, Katy Perry and One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson all feature in this month’s showcase of the best photography commissioned by the Observer
June 2017
Life on a plate
Laura Mvula: ‘I can’t make music when I’ve got a dirty kitchen’
The singer-songwriter on Mum’s Caribbean cooking, food platters with Prince – and the worst time to have a burger
May 2017
Skepta wins songwriter of the year at Ivor Novello awards
Star also won best contemporary song as rise of grime was seen at ceremony previously dominated by white artists
