Songlines - December 2025
The December issue (#213) of Songlines is out now. Fresh from appearing in the Oscar-nominated film Poor Things, we speak to Portuguese fado singer Carminho about her new album. We have a conversation with Mariam about her final album with Amadou. Wu Man stops by to tell us about her recent albums exploring Chinese folk culture, and about her multicultural excursions with the Aga Khan Master Musicians. We talk to English musician Martin Simpson and Canada’s Matthew Byrne about folk songs that have crossed the Atlantic. We pay a visit to a polyphonic singing festival in Corsica to understand the power of the voice. We look at the extraordinary career of Benin’s Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou, discover the new artists fuelling an Amazigh renaissance and report from an all-star Martin Carthy tribute in London. Our Dispatch takes us to Almaty where ancient Kazakh arts are invigorating new generations, Noura Mint Seymali reinvigorates a Mauritanian wedding song and Oscar-winning screenwriter Peter Straughan tells us about his favourite music. Plus, Essential 10 Gimbri Albums, Mishra & Deepa Shakthi, Wayku, Vumbi Dekula, Chris Thile, Syrian Cassette Archives and all the usual news, listings, reviews and competitions.
Print and digital subscribers will also receive our accompanying Top of the World compilation featuring our pick of the month’s best new music – Cheikh Lô, Amadou & Mariam, Leveret, Sarathy Korwar, Saha Gnawa, Meklit and more – as well as five bonus tracks from Noura Mint Seymali, Wu Man, Matthew Byrne, Mishra & Deepa Shakthi and Anoushka Shankar.
You can buy the latest issue or subscribe to receive this and future issues delivered to your door as soon as they're published. We also offer digital subscriptions that give you access to every one of our 213 issues from 1999 to 2025… and beyond.
