Isabella Gomez Sarmiento
Isabella Gomez Sarmiento is a reporter with NPR Music.
She covers topics ranging from breaking news to cultural trends and artists she's listening to. Recently, she spent weeks closely covering the criminal trial of hip-hop mogul Sean Combs, reporting from a Lower Manhattan courtroom on a daily basis.
In her stories, she likes to answer questions like: why are musicians joining OnlyFans? How are streaming services responding to the rise of AI-generated content? And what's the definitive song of the summer? She's also profiled musicians including Audrey Hobert, Young Miko, and Durand Jones. Her work can be heard across NPR's radio programs and on podcasts like Alt.Latino, Pop Culture Happy Hour and It's Been A Minute.
Gomez Sarmiento got her start in public radio as a Kroc Fellow in 2019. She's part of the NPR teams that won a 2023 Edward R. Murrow Award for the ongoing coverage of the fall of Roe v. Wade and a 2024 New York Press Club Award for a story about haptic suits transforming the live music experience.
Originally from Venezuela, she learned English with the help of her friends Junie B. Jones and Nancy Drew.
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The Dominican singer Tokischa built her career through a series of transgressions. On a new album, she veers in a different direction. -
Artists and organizers NPR spoke with say they don't expect to see any immediate changes in the live music industry following the Live Nation decision — but they see this is a first step in the right direction. -
An antitrust suit alleged that the company unfairly controlled too much of the live music industry at the expense of venues, artists and fans. The decision could reshape the industry. -
The Rock Hall's inductees will include eight acts who have all been eligible for at least a decade. In its "musical influence" category, the hall nods to Latin and African pop for the first time. -
Justin Bieber made a high-profile return to public performance at the Coachella Music Festival last weekend. But it's how he did it that has fans talking.
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From SZA and Kendrick Lamar, to MJ Lenderman and Waxahatchee, there's been an uptick in recent years of prominent artists joining forces for a co-headlining tour. -
Afrika Bambaataa, a pioneer in hip-hop and electronic music in the 1970s and '80s, has died. Later in life, he was accused by several men of sexually abusing them when they were children.
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The rapper and producer helped script hip-hop and electronic music's blueprint with songs like "Planet Rock" and "Looking for the Perfect Beat." -
The rapper previously known as Kanye West, scheduled to perform this summer in London, was denied entry into the U.K. on the grounds that his presence "would not be conducive to the public good." -
Independent venue closures, social media algorithms and the rise of generative AI are all part of an ecosystem that artists say is becoming increasingly difficult for working musicians to weather.
