Louder: Dave Grohl, 10-Year-Old Nandi Bushell and One Epic Drum Battle

Plus: Billie Eilish, Davido, Hyperpop and More

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story November 13, 2020 By Caryn Ganz It is exceedingly rare that I disavow one of the foundational rules of writing in the internet era and direct writers to read the comments. But nearly all of the 333 posts on Jeremy Gordon’s latest piece confirm what was clear when we first discussed it weeks ago: Dave Grohl and Nandi Bushell’s intergenerational, intercontinental bond over the drums is the feel-good story of the year. I will say no more: Just read it, watch the videos and experience joy. This week brought a third installment in Jon Pareles’s excellent series of profiles of Afrobeats artists breaking through in 2020: Davido, a musician who prefers to focus on the lighter side of life, but whose song “Fem” has become an anthem of resistance in Nigeria. And Ben Dandridge-Lemco explained how a microgenre known as hyperpop was born with assistance from Spotify, catapulting a few 15-year-olds into the spotlight and bringing some drama along the way. Plus: The Weeknd will perform at the Super Bowl halftime show; Britney Spears’s father will remain one of her conservators, for now; and Herb Alpert is responsible for helping to save an arts school in Harlem. And you will be unsurprised to learn that although she is between album cycles, I am still listening to anything Robyn puts into the world. Magdalena Wosinska for The New York Times Dave Grohl, 10-Year-Old Nandi Bushell and One Very Epic Drum Battle The Foo Fighters leader and the English prodigy struck up a competitive friendship on social media that has brought them, and thousands of music fans, immense joy. By Jeremy Gordon Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE CRITICS The Playlist Billie Eilish’s Kiss-Off, and 14 More New Songs Hear tracks by Foo Fighters, Valerie June, Chris Stapleton and others. By Jon Pareles, Jon Caramanica, Giovanni Russonello and Lindsay Zoladz Ariana Grande, a Pop Star for the Post-Pop Star Age A conversation about her unique route to the top of the charts — and what’s next. Critic’s Notebook CMA Awards Sum Up Country Music’s Upside-Down Year In a show featuring a distanced but unmasked audience, Nashville’s big stars celebrated the power of live music. By Jon Pareles FEATURES & INTERVIEWS Justin T. Gellerson for The New York Times How Hyperpop, a Small Spotify Playlist, Grew Into a Big Deal The microgenre — fueled by teen upstarts like osquinn and glaive, and more established names like 100 gecs and A.G. Cook — has a modest but dedicated following, and many different kinds of sounds. By Ben Dandridge-Lemco Stephen Tayo for The New York Times The Afrobeats Star Davido, an Upbeat Voice in a Turbulent Time The 27-year-old musician focuses on lighthearted topics. But one of his latest songs has become an anthem of resistance. By Jon Pareles How George Benson Turned an Early ‘No’ Into a Career of ‘Yes’ The 77-year-old guitarist talks about musicians who shaped him and how he learned to respond to critics as he releases his first live album in 30 years. By Shannon J. Effinger Rhiannon Giddens Aims at 1800s America in Her Silkroad Plans Under its new artistic director, the cross-cultural music organization will start a project devoted to the transcontinental railroad. By Brian Seibert My Ten Riz Ahmed Finds the Beat Between Qawwali and House Music The actor and rapper, who is shooting the sci-fi thriller “Invasion” with Octavia Spencer, talked about the things that he turned to “at different moments to recalibrate or go back to the well,” he said. By Kathryn Shattuck By the Book How ‘Catcher in the Rye’ Influenced Lenny Kravitz’s Memoir “It helped me reshuffle things in my head and how I wanted to speak.” Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT OBITUARY Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Viola Smith, ‘Fastest Girl Drummer in the World,’ Dies at 107 She became a star as a percussionist and bandleader in the swing era. But her call for the big bands to hire women instrumentalists during World War II had little impact. By Alex Vadukul NEWS N.F.L. Announces the Weeknd for Its Super Bowl Halftime Show The hitmaker, who blends R&B and cutting-edge grooves, will perform at a show that may have to bend to pandemic precautions. By Ken Belson, Katherine Rosman and Ben Sisario Britney Spears’s Father Remains in Control of Conservatorship, for Now At a hearing on Tuesday, a lawyer for the pop singer said that Spears was afraid of her father and would not perform while he was charge of her career. By Joe Coscarelli With Help From Herb Alpert, Letting the Light In at the Harlem School of the Arts Dorothy Maynor never sang at the Met, but the school she founded is glowing anew, thanks to the revitalization of its beloved “gathering place.” By James S. Russell Irvin Mayfield Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy in New Orleans Fraud Case The trumpeter and a partner had been accused of diverting library funds to a jazz orchestra they ran, and to themselves. By Giovanni Russonello The Charts Ariana Grande Streams Her Way to a Fifth No. 1 With ‘Positions’ The singer’s latest album opened with nearly 174 million streams, the most by a woman since Taylor Swift’s “Folklore” debuted in July. By Ben Sisario Blackpink Cuddled a Baby Panda. Not Cute, the Chinese Internet Said. The K-pop band was accused of putting the cub at risk after the group posted video of its antics at a South Korean zoo. By Yan Zhuang Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Make a friend’s day: Forward this email! 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