Exploring The Pop Crossover With ‘It’s Been A Minute’

Plus, new music from Adele. [View this email online]( [NPR Music]( by Marissa Lorusso [Soul Train made its national television premiere 50 years ago, in October 1971]( Blake Cale for NPR For the past few weeks, the NPR podcast It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders has been sharing episodes that examine the concept of crossover in pop music across three decades. We asked Sam to tell us more about the series: In the last decade or so, the rise of streaming and the death of traditional music sales has democratized the music industry in big ways. The algorithm can do what record labels used to, and artists can become stars on platforms like YouTube without any music executives’ help. It increasingly makes a term like “crossover” seem obsolete, at least when it comes to music. If everything is available to all of us on demand, it’s ostensibly easier to reach anyone. But just a few decades ago, getting music crossover right — getting white people to listen to “Black” music, for instance, or English speakers to listen to music in Spanish — took a lot of luck, and usually a lot of hard work. For the last few weeks at It’s Been a Minute, we’ve been examining three big moments in pop music crossover history: - [Soul Train]( the 1970s]( which appealed to Black and white audiences alike by being unabashedly Black - [Janet Jackson in the 1980s]( who crossed over almost stealthily with a sound that was just too big and fun for any radio programmer to deny - [The “Latin explosion” of the late ’90s]( which made Latin stars like Ricky Martin and Shakira pop sensations overnight, but in hindsight feels clumsy, if not a bit racist. Check out these episodes for a little music history, and a lot of great songs along the way. Sam Sanders, It’s Been A Minute --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- New Music - [Adele released a new single, “Easy On Me,”]( this week and announced her forthcoming album 30. We covered the tender ballad on #NowPlaying this week, plus an intimate anthem from [Erin Rae]( and a thrilling transcontinental epic from [Black Country, New Road](. - This was a [big week for debut albums]( Billie Eilish’s brother and producer Finneas released his first solo record, Optimist, along with debuts from singers Remi Wolf, Joy Crookes and PinkPantheress. Hear about all of those — plus new releases from Coldplay and Young Thug — on New Music Friday from All Songs Considered. - It was “love at first listen” when Bob Boilen first heard the folk quartet Doran. The group’s song “Old Moon” is in this week’s [New Mix]( from All Songs Considered, alongside new tracks from Cate Le Bon and Shamir. --------------------------------------------------------------- Featuring - Remi Wolf had quite a few adventures before becoming a viral pop sensation: A previous junior Olympic ski racer and American Idol contestant, [she’s now releasing her debut album]( Juno, which celebrates the intimacy of self-acknowledgment. - The four members of the percussion ensemble Recap — and their new record, Count to Five — represent [nothing less than a paradigm shift in the field of percussion](. “We want to show the world that anyone can do this,” one member said. “We're young women of color doing this and you can too.” - In his new documentary, filmmaker Todd Haynes [uses the language of experimental cinema]( to tell the story of The Velvet Underground and the time, place and culture that inspired it. - Autumn in New York is often a wondrous time — but last year, jazz clubs were still dark, and there was a lot of hurt in the musical community. So Jimmy Katz, legendary photographer and founder of Giant Step Arts, [aimed to bring a glimmer of hope]( by producing an outdoor concert series in Central Park. This week, Jazz Night In America shares highlights from that series. --------------------------------------------------------------- Tiny Desk [Camila Cabello's Tiny Desk (home) concert]( NPR The final week of the “El Tiny” takeover of the Tiny Desk went out with a bang. [Argentine singer Nicki Nicole’s performance]( is representative of her artistry writ large, as an artist born in 2000 but with a connection to sounds and styles beyond her years. And for the final concert of the takeover, [Camila Cabello]( gives a performance that epitomizes the cross-cultural, transnational musical identity at the heart of our Hispanic Heritage Month series, with an at-home ease that feels novel for the global popstar. --------------------------------------------------------------- One More Thing [It’s the end of an era.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( 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? 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