‘I’m an ever-changing vessel’: Erykah Badu on defying definition, life as a birth and death doula and her first album in 11 years

Why do the Texan innovator’s records take so long to make? ‘It’s important to gather the data,’ she says: the death, dating and dopamine behind her exquisite comeback alongside the Alchemist

‘You notice the quiet’: Lorde and Little Simz to star at festival run on green power

A zero-emission compact hydrogen power plant will drive the two stages at Clifton Down in Bristol

Dolly Parton’s sister reveals singer offered to test experimental cancer drugs before she died

‘My sister was always thinking of others,’ Parton’s younger sister Stella wrote in a Facebook tribute

Greek Orthodox priest and cult musician clarifies views on homosexuality

Father Dionysios Tabakis says his views are those of Orthodox church, ‘nothing more, nothing less’

Like a rhinestone cowgirl – Dolly Parton’s most glorious, joyful and meta looks

Across six decades, the late country singer and pop culture icon turned self‑presentation into a flamboyant art form

‘We’re going to have to groove!’ The cello, horn and sax prodigies jazzing up the Proms

The finalists from the BBC young musician of 2016 have teamed up with a Mercury-nominated composer to craft a Proms premiere that’s uplifting, lyrical and goes out with an almighty bang

Song & Dance album review – Jacques Forestier’s impressive debut has persuasive rhythmic poise

The Canadian violinist’s album definitely does what it says on the tin: from Bartók to Ernst, there is a quiet and beguiling eloquence to his playing

‘She should have been queen of the world!’ Readers remember Dolly Parton

From quiet acts of generosity and life-changing gigs to singing for a professional puppeteer, Dolly Parton has had a profound impact on readers’ lives

Ain’t nobody better: Chaka Khan’s 20 best songs – ranked!

Ahead of the release of her 13th solo album, the fantastically titled Chakzilla, we rank the best of a sublime catalogue of funk, slow jams and tears-on-the-dancefloor disco

Billy Strings: So Much for Goodbyes review – staggering, stirring songs of grief draw the blues out of bluegrass

The crossover star’s introspective sixth album is full of memories of his mother, who died in 2025, bringing his dextrous guitar to songs rooted in tradition and yearning

Met Orchestra/Nézet-Séguin review – messy bonbons and a hero’s triumph in a classy all-Strauss lineup

Yannick Nézet-Séguin polished up the Rosenkavalier suite then gave a exceptional reading of the composer’s self-congratulatory tone poem, while Elza van den Heever delivered a visceral account of Salome’s final scene

‘We’re at a crisis point’: Chappell Roan, Shirley Manson and Eli on playing Olivia Rodrigo’s women-led festival

Ahead of playing Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields, artists explain why female-first festivals are due for a resurgence

‘It’s sad to lose a really nice person’: mourners flock to Dollywood after death of Dolly Parton

A memorial at the park’s entrance held bouquets, and a child asked his mothers why so many people were crying

Affairs? Drugs? You could ask Dolly Parton about anything and get a laugh. Just stay away from politics …

One autumn day in 2023 I bathed in the luminous glow of this utterly authentic star – and while she did have one weak spot, her life and music will speak for themselves

‘9 to 5? She was full-on round the clock!’ Dolly Parton celebrated by kd lang, Peggy Seeger, Annie Lennox and more

Musicians and performers pay tribute to the country legend who managed to be a generational talent, a formidable entrepreneur, a dedicated philanthropist and a truly kind person