NPR Music Tiny Desk Concerts

Omar Montes (2023x76)

: 17, 2023

Shrouded in all black, flamenco garb and flanked by his very own angelitos at the Tiny Desk, Spanish singer Omar Montes is the shining embodiment of the contrasts he constantly plays with. Dancing along the border of tradition and modernity — flamenco and hip hop — the artist recounts his story as a kid of Roma heritage growing up on the streets of Madrid, over the melodic heartbeat of clapping hands. Opening the show with “Patio de la Cárcel,” he trades synthetic beats for transitive horns and lays bare his soul with vivid bars about life in his barrio. Locking in his audience with a heart-thumping trombone line, he switches to flamenco-driven “Metió en un Lío.” Settling back into the beat of clapping hands, he and his band dance through the up-tempo “La Llama del Amor.” Omar Montes walked into the building on a video call with his grandma — one of the most important people in his life. He closes out his performance with “Conmigo,” infused with the kind of romance you’d imagine hi