This Week’s Issue: Who Is Matty Healy?

Inside the Music Issue: pop stars for hire; the case for and against Ed Sheeran; and the mysticism of Paul Simon. View in browser | Update your preferences Onward and Upward with the Arts Who Is Matty Healy? For the front man of the 1975, fame is its own kind of performance. By Jia Tolentino This Week’s Cover Cover Story Masha Titova’s “The Art of Music” The magazine publishes its first synesthetic, collaborative, and interactive cover. By Françoise Mouly Shop covers from The New Yorker in the Condé Nast Store » Reporting and Commentary Letter from Memphis The Secret Sound of Stax The rediscovery of demos performed by the songwriters of the legendary Memphis recording studio reveals a hidden history of soul. By Burkhard Bilger Profiles Kim Petras Wants to Be a Superstar The singer has dreamed of pop ubiquity since she was a teen-ager. After a No. 1 hit, “Unholy,” she is under pressure to do it again. By Kelefa Sanneh A Reporter at Large How to Hire a Pop Star for Your Private Party For the very rich, even the world’s biggest performers—Beyoncé, Drake, Jennifer Lopez, Andrea Bocelli—are available, at a price. By Evan Osnos Annals of Music The Case for and Against Ed Sheeran The pop singer’s trial for copyright infringement of Marvin Gaye and Ed Townsend’s “Let’s Get It On” highlights how hard it is to draw the property lines of pop. By John Seabrook The Critics Books The Trials and Triumphs of Writing While Woman From Mary Wollstonecraft to Toni Morrison, getting a start meant starting over. By Lauren Michele Jackson A Critic at Large The Mysticism of Paul Simon On “Seven Psalms,” the artist continues his spiritual seeking, imagining a divine presence only to interrogate its borders. By Amanda Petrusich Musical Events Gustavo Dudamel’s Mahler Misfire At the New York Philharmonic, the celebrity conductor gave a curiously inert reading of the Ninth Symphony. By Alex Ross Books Libertarianism’s Long Afterlife As a movement, it has imploded. As a credo, it’s here to stay. By Benjamin Wallace-Wells Fiction from the Issue Fiction “Do You Love Me?” “We are the parents of a missing person, but the kind no one around us can understand, not even us.” By Hila Blum Humor from The New Yorker Shouts & Murmurs Lesser-Known Postpartum Mood Disorders Pre-Weaning Depression: Depression associated with learning that “post-weaning depression” is a real thing. (Google it!) By Jena Friedman Cartoons from the Issue Cartoons from the Issue Funny drawings from this week’s magazine. Crossword A Challenging Puzzle Component in the mortar of the Great Wall of China: four letters. By Brooke Husic Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Will Nediger Newsletters Sign Up for The New Yorker’s Books & Fiction Newsletter Book recommendations, fiction, poetry, and dispatches from the world of literature, twice a week. More from The New Yorker On Television On the “Succession” Finale, the Roy Kids Shit the Deathbed We see a brief moment of genuine connection among the siblings. But this is Jesse Armstrong’s “Succession,” and nothing gold can stay. By Naomi Fry Daily Comment The Rise of Latino White Supremacy At a time of rising racial violence, Latinos are potential perpetrators and potential victims. By Geraldo Cadava Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters and invite a friend to sign up for The Daily. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for This Week's Issue from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2023. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.