Anoushka Shankar stars in the May issue of Songlines

The May 2025 issue of Songlines is out now. Our cover star is Anoushka Shankar, who is not only completing a trilogy of stunning releases this year but is also curating Brighton Festival.

We give some love to Carolina Chocolate Drops, talking to bluegrass, Americana and old-time artists who they influenced.

We go in-depth on a new wave of Spanish folk artists finding inspiration in their regional traditions; we look at Polish musicians who found a home in the Brazilian hinterlands and find out how London is the place to be for live Cuban timba.

We look at flute-centric folk four-piece Flook in our Beginner’s Guide, celebrate 50 years of Italy’s Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino and have a My World interview with Merlin Sheldrake to discuss mushrooms and music.

Plus, we travel with Julian Belbachir’s Maroc-Aussie band, find out how the Grammys are failing global music, hear about cultural protests in Slovakia and pick out ten essential Iranian albums, as well as Sona Jobarteh, Joshua Burnside, Natalie Wildgoose, Zar Electrik, Aurelio Martínez 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 – Youssou N’Dour, Hajda Banda, Trio da Kali, René Lacaille, Anoushka Shankar, Joshua Burnside, Orchestral Qawwali and more – as well as five bonus tracks to accompany our feature articles from Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, Flook, Yusuf Lateef, Natalie Wildgoose and Bracia Szymanek.

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