As host of her namesake Apple Music 1 show, broadcaster Dotty has a big self-proclaimed goal: to bring Black music culture from around the world to life. And she’s remarkably suited for the task: She grew up in global music mecca London as a second-generation immigrant—“all of my grandparents came to the UK from the Caribbean during the Windrush generation,” she explains—and surrounded herself with soul from the US, dancehall from Jamaica, and much more. “I love all branches of the Black music tree, from reggae to R&B,” she says. The Dotty Show finds her interviewing the artists lighting up Apple Music with the biggest tracks across hip-hop, dancehall, Afrobeats, and everything in between, from the UK and beyond. “It’s wall-to-wall Black music from all across the globe,” she says. “A guided tour of the very best.” Tune in to The Dotty Show every Monday through Thursday on Apple Music 1 at 7 am LA/10 am NYC/3 pm LDN.
4.7 (3)
MUSIC COMMENTARY
New forms of African popular music fuse traditional and contemporary sensibilities, morphing into new sonic fusions that connect Joburg to Nairobi via Lagos and Accra—and reflect the global diaspora. On Africa Now Radio, South African actor, singer, media personality, and entrepreneur Nandi Madida presents the latest African sounds in their lush entirety, be it amapiano, Afrobeats, highlife, alté, house, hip-hop, Afrobongo, or kuduro—along with interviews with the continent’s biggest stars and most exciting emerging acts. Kicking off her television career at just 15 years old, Nandi Madida has hosted some of South Africa’s most popular lifestyle shows, including All Access Mzansi and Coke Studio, and hosted and executive-produced BET Africa’s Made in Africa. Nandi starred in The Road, which won the South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA) for Best TV Soap in 2017, and 2020’s Black Is King, the Disney+ visual album and film experience written and directed by Beyoncé. “From the day I was born, I loved entertaining people, I loved the arts,” Nandi tells Apple Music 1. “I think because I got to choose my trajectory—my life, my goals, my plans, where I'm going—that's why I believe I still love it. There's a purpose, rather than the rewards that come with it. I absolutely love entertainment and I've never stopped since.” Through her own music, including her 2012 debut album NANDI and singles like 2020’s “Organic,” Nandi celebrates the natural beauty of African people, while her journey as a fashion entrepreneur led her to co-found the label Colour alongside Project Runway South Africa winner Kentse Masilo; together they’ve showcased vibrant, regal collections at New York Fashion Week. In addition to her creative projects, Nandi currently serves as a Global Citizen advocate and helps to promote gender equality and sexual and reproductive health rights. Inspired by her desire to share the beauty of the continent and its people around the world, Nandi sees herself as a true ambassador for African creativity. “I have never been this riveted by the African music scene,” she explains. “What we've been trying to do for so many years is finally happening. Africans are getting the recognition, but from an equal level, where we are not being compromised; we are not being undermined in any way. We’re being appreciated but also respected—and so many people fought for that. I think that's paramount, that people understand that we are so capable, with or without any assistance. We really are. And I think people are seeing that. I think our leaders [need] to understand that as well. Our artists are showing us that whether or not we have the support, we're doing it ourselves.” “I’m big on uniting African people across the continent and across the diaspora,” Nandi continues. “I hope to lift the voices of our African artists even higher, to really be a representative of how incredible this continent is and has been.” Tune in to a new episode of Africa Now Radio every Friday at 1 am LA, 4 am NY, 9 am Lagos/London, and 10 am Johannesburg/Paris on Apple Music 1.
2.8 (10)
MUSIC INTERVIEWS
Welcome to 100 Best Albums Radio, where we reveal our definitive list of the greatest albums ever made. Assembled with the help of artists and experts, it’s a love letter to the records that have shaped the world we live and listen in. Below you’ll find the official countdown, daily radio episodes with our hosts’ reactions, and stories behind each of the albums. Dive in, (re)discover some classics, and see if your favorite albums made our list.
3.8 (16)
MUSIC
A defining character of New York’s music scene and a trusted voice in hip-hop, Apple Music 1 host Ebro Darden brings the city's urgent mix of music and culture to the world. “When I hear something with real heart and energy,” he says, “I want everyone to hear it.” Ebro splits his time at Apple Music as host of his namesake show and Rap Life Radio and global editorial head of hip-hop and R&B, genres in which Apple Music has proved dominant. A longtime fixture in New York radio, he brings a five-boroughs outlook to Apple Music 1’s global audience, but in a way that incorporates both music from all over the African diaspora and Black culture’s worldwide impact. Shot in Apple Music’s studio near Manhattan’s Union Square, The Ebro Show “has a New York City lens, but because New York City is an international city, we embrace a lot of different cultures,” Ebro—who grew up in the Bay Area but has called New York home for decades—explains. “We lean heavily on rap, but hip-hop is a very international music, so through there comes what's going on in Africa, what's going on in the UK, what's going on in Latin America, what's going on in Australia, what's going on in Asia. I don't know of any show that plays as much Caribbean music as we play.” But the show doesn’t only touch on music. “I don’t shy away from talking about social issues as it pertains to the community, specifically Black and brown people,” Ebro adds. “I try to find records that speak to that, music that speaks to that.” Tune in to hear Ebro on The Ebro Show every Monday through Thursday at 12 pm LA/3 pm NY/8 pm LDN and on Rap Life Radio every Friday at 10 am LA/1 pm NY/6 pm LDN.
5.0 (1)
MUSIC COMMENTARY
“Throughout my life music has meant a great deal to me,” His Majesty King Charles III says. “I know that is also the case for so many others. But it has that remarkable ability to bring happy memories flooding back from the deepest recesses of our memory, to comfort us in times of sadness and take us to distant places. But perhaps above all, it can lift our spirits to such a degree. All the more so when it brings us together in celebration. In other words, it brings us joy.” The King’s Music Room—exclusively on Apple Music—is where you can explore this relationship further. From his desk in his office at Buckingham Palace, His Majesty reveals a selection of his favourite songs—featuring artists stretching from crooners to Afrobeats stars, via disco divas and reggae icons. It’s a musical journey that spans 10 decades and reflects the diversity of the Commonwealth and a personal taste shaped by extraordinary experiences around the world. The King also shares stories about meeting some of these artists and reveals why the songs help form the soundtrack to his life.
4.5 (2)
MUSIC
Jayde Donovan is many things—an award-winning host, a storyteller, a philanthropist, a mother with a wicked sense of humor. But she’s also positive energy personified, so it makes sense that her radio show would offer just that. Weekday mornings, she shares her colorful take on pop hits throughout the decades, curating a nostalgic and lively radio experience that only she can deliver. Jayde is a three-time Gracie Award winner, a writer, a television host, and an active philanthropist through her nonprofit, Apple a Day, which supports kids in cancer treatment. She founded her organization in memory of a friend she lost to neuroblastoma. Jayde and her team have gifted thousands of smart devices to kids fighting cancer throughout the US. Check out Jayde Donovan every morning on Apple Music Hits, Monday through Friday, 8 am-10 am PT.
The best music stories from Apple Music are now available on Apple Podcasts.
Here, you can listen to can’t-miss specials and in-depth artist interviews—interspersed with full songs and hosted by some of the world’s best music experts, like Zane Lowe, Ebro Darden, Matt Wilkinson, Dotty, and Kelleigh Bannen.
You’ll also find shows hosted by trailblazing musicians such as Nile Rodgers, Alexis Ffrench, Soulection’s Joe Kay, and Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig, who offer up an inside look at the creative process.
These shows already broadcast across Apple Music’s global radio stations—Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits, and Apple Music Country—but now you can explore them, music and all, alongside a wealth of other creators and storytellers.