Ken Tucker reviews rock, country, hip-hop and pop music for Fresh Air. He is a cultural critic who has been the editor-at-large at Entertainment Weekly, and a film critic for New York Magazine. His work has won two National Magazine Awards and two ASCAP-Deems Taylor Awards. He has written book reviews for The New York Times Book Review and other publications.
A pop critic looks at two benefit shows in Nashville that put a rainbow-hued spotlight on the way a buzzword like "visibility" can become more than symbolic, especially in moments of crisis.
The K-pop phenomenon BTS is on a break right now. But their fans are not — especially thousands of them in the Philippines, who call themselves the "titas" or aunties of BTS. All of them are over 30.
Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Spellbound, Cheat Codes, This Is Pop and more.