Object Of Sound

What is the sound of where you come from? Is it a particular song you remember from your childhood? Maybe it’s a collection of remembered sounds from your first home—a train that passed nearby, or th…

Welcome to our first ever year end special, ‘This Year In Music with Hanif Abdurraqib.’ December is the perfect time to look back on all the incredible music that has been released over the past year…

In Mali, where Fatoumata Diawara was raised, it is common for women to sing, but much rarer for women to play an instrument. As a result, Fatoumata—who is one of the first, if not the first woman gui…

The night before Thanksgiving, Hanif has a special invented tradition: every year, he makes a batch of cupcakes and watches The Last Waltz—and every year, he finds new things to love about the film. …

“Music is a time machine,” says Ben Gibbard, singer and guitarist of Death Cab for Cutie. Just a few bars of a beloved song can be transportative, an instant reminder of another time and place. “And …

“While I’m alive, I’ll make tiny changes to Earth.” Written by Scott Hutchison, the late frontman of the band Frightened Rabbit, this line has provided comfort, consolation, and inspiration to those …

Before Tegan and Sara sat down to make Crybaby, they had to navigate a series of breakups—with their label, their management, and (almost) with each other. “This is our breakup record,” says Sara Qui…

Carly Rae Jepsen is a writer’s writer. “I am very excited about the idea of writing it in all directions,” Carly says — and for the making of her latest album, The Loneliest Time, that meant writing …

“One of the most meditative things about writing is that you kind of forget where you are,” says Nick Hakim. “If you're tapped into it, you're not really thinking about anything else.” On this episod…

“I came into my own and I was able to find my voice through my writing,” says artist Ravyn Lenae. The making of her album, HYPNOS, was a four-year-long journey of blood, sweat and tears—but the resul…

“It’s like digging a hole and moving into it, and listening to a lot of bass, and loving it.” So says Björk of the meaning behind the word ‘Fossora’—the title of her tenth studio album, just released…

“When I'm onstage, it's the happiest I feel. It's the most in love with myself I feel,” says Danielle Ponder. “I know that’s my purpose.” On this episode of Object of Sound, Danielle and Hanif talk a…

Welcome to Season Four of Object of Sound! To kick us off, Hanif sits down with Madison Cunningham, who just released her latest album, Revealer. Hanif and Madison dig deep into the songwriting proce…

“I have lived half my life in fear of judgment,” says Margo Price. “I'm so done with it.” In the final episode of this season, recorded from the back lounge of Margo’s tour bus, Margo reveals how the…

So many coming-of-age stories focus on leaving where you’re from—but what compels someone to come back? Musician PJ Morton returned to his hometown of New Orleans in 2016, and since then, he’s establ…

“I still have every bit of my voice,” says singer and civil rights icon Mavis Staples. “It’s still here, and I’m still here.” Throughout her career, Mavis has used her voice to uplift the truth throu…

“Anyone who loves music can karaoke.” So declares Raina Lee, Karaoke Queen and author of Hit Me With Your Best Shot: The Ultimate Guide to Karaoke Domination. In celebration of National Karaoke Week,…

What does anger look like? In Yaeji’s case, the answer is simple: a fearsome, bedazzled hammer. At least, that’s the idea behind her forthcoming debut album. “It's a story about me and my anger,” say…

Jack White has won twelve Grammys, founded his own label, and is regularly ranked as one of the top guitarists of all time—but, “I’ve never felt like I’ve arrived or felt satisfied,” he tells Hanif. …