ListenUp

An all-women week in new music

Chaka Khan: Like Sugar The Queen of Funk, Chaka Khan has returned with “Like Sugar,” her first new music since 2007’s Funk This. Produced by Major Lazer’s Switch (who also put out a remix of the track), the super-funky tune builds off a classic dance beat. This undeniable bop proves that Khan (who is touring this summer) is just as groovy as she always has …

Hatchie: Bad Guy

From her debut EP Sugar & Spice, Hatchie’s “Bad Guy” is a hazy, shimmery piece of shoegaze-meets-dream-pop. The closing track from the Australian singer/songwriter’s record, it’s lush but perhaps more importantly feels honest thanks to stripped-back lyrics: “I’m backwards / And I feel stupid / Watching you back away / I just wanted more from you / And what did you do? / I opened …

Nina Simone’s Childhood Home Saved and Made National Treasure

Beloved singer, pianist and activist Nina Simone grew up in a small house in Tryon, North Carolina—and over the years it’s been bought and sold several times, with some owners investing in its restoration. But recently the home was falling into disrepair, until last year several artists—Ellen Gallagher, Rashid Johnson, Julie Mehretu and Adam Pendleton—joined forces and bought it for $95K in order to save …