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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Social media can make a song go viral — even push it up the pop charts — seemingly overnight. Perhaps it's not surprising that some influencers are being paid to promote music without disclosing it. -
NPR's Books We Love has staff suggestions for non-fiction, including "My Mother's Daughter," "Days of Love and Rage" and "When It's Darkness on the Delta."
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Meet the fourth and fifth grades who are superstars on the Internet: An elementary school chorus from Staten Island known as PS22, where kids learn to be their most authentic selves through singing. -
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. -
The trial, which began a week ago in a New York City courtroom, aimed to break up Live Nation and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster. -
On Tuesday opening statements will begin for the federal antitrust trial against Live Nation, one of the largest entertainment companies in the world. -
At the 2026 Grammys, Bad Bunny became the first artist to win the album of the year award for a Spanish-language release. Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga also took home major awards. -
What do this year's best new artist Grammy nominees have in common? Six little letters that are currently the most powerful tool for musicians in pursuit of a breakthrough moment. -
On Wednesday, Bruce Springsteen released 'Streets of Minneapolis,' a protest song condemning the violence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis.
