NPR Music Tiny Desk Concerts

A thrill of recognition passed through the crowd gathered around the Tiny Desk when the Indigo Girls began the first song of this set of stone-cold classics. It's "Closer To Fine" — arguably the singalong song of the '90s (it was released in 1989) and still a signature for the duo that's been offering life lessons to its fervent fans for nearly four decades. "Closer to Fine" "Look Long" "Go" "Kid Fears"

Tye Tribbett brings his high energy praise music to the Tiny Desk in a set of six inspiring songs.

Andress writes songs that have a way of digging up clear-headed truths; here, she performs three tracks from across her catalog.

This magical, four-song set is an Athens, Ga., insider's dream.

The New Zealand band writes sparkling indie pop underpinned by empathy. At the Tiny Desk, you can hear that support and camaraderie in the band's stripped-down arrangements and dry banter.

In her Tiny Desk, Tivel's empathy elevates her folk-based, jazz-touched compositions from mere stories to secular prayers.

The singer and rapper displays the subtle breadth of his music in this Tiny Desk (home) concert.

2023's Tiny Desk Contest unique, winning band performs a range of emotional and creative songs.

The Indonesian artist Nicole Zefanya brings a tiny toy piano and sleek songs to this Tiny Desk debut.

The band's Tiny Desk performance featured songs that leaned right into its incalculability.

The old-school funk and R&B artist tells a tale of "two Charlies" in his Tiny Desk performance.

Joined by top-tier talent — Tank, Chanté Moore and Avery Wilson — Babyface came out swinging. From the songs that put him on the map, to those he wrote or produced for other icons, around the room hit after hit was met with swoons, sighs and not a few tears. (Ok, maybe that was just me.) Babyface is a titan of the music industry: with numerous top 10 hits, 12 Grammys (50 nominations) and a jaw-dropping roster of collaborations. In 2022, he assembled a stellar ensemble of women for one of my favorite albums of the year, Girls Night Out. To watch this master of pen and sound behind the Tiny Desk was truly epic and nothing short of a dream come true. SET LIST "Two Occasions" "Whip Appeal" "Superwoman" "Take A Bow" "Not Gon' Cry" "Can We Talk" "Change the World" "Thnks fr th Mmrs" "I'll Make Love To You" "End Of The Road" "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)"

Backed by the phenomenal Florida-based MVP Band, along with a trio of famed background vocalists — singer-songwriter-actor Luke James, singer Brooke Valentine and songwriter/producer Lonny Bereal — we got a taste of the songs that not only established Tank as a pillar in R&B, but hits he wrote and produced for other notable artists such as Jamie Foxx, Omarion, Marques Houston and LeToya Luckett. Full of buttery smooth runs and yearning melodies (along with the occasional, witty HR joke), Tank's Tiny Desk concert is a stellar display of how powerful the allure of R&B can be, and perhaps a masterclass for any youngin' learning how to woo. SET LIST "Slowly" "Coldest" "Do What It Do" "O" "Naked" "Regret" "When We" "Dirty" "Can't Let It Show" "Slow" "See Through Love" "Maybe I Deserve" "I Deserve" "Please Don't Go"

The set opened with a surprise collaboration. Adam's mentor, the legendary DJ and producer Jazzy Jeff, joined the band and sprinkled in the jazz bop, "Brother J," with one of the key elements of hip-hop: the scratch. Then Adam introduced one of his favorite vocalists, Blakely, who captivated the office with a heartfelt rendition of Thelonius Monk's "'Round Midnight." The jazz vibe continued with a silky smooth composition by trumpeter Melvin Jones called, "The Storm Will Pass." Taking time to reflect on his early career, Adam shared how one session with a certain artist changed his life. To the surprise and delight of those gathered, that person was none other than Musiq Soulchild, who performed two of his hit songs, "teachme" and "Just Friends (Sunny)." SET LIST "Brother J" "'Round Midnight" "The Storm Will Pass" "teachme" "Legacy" / "Just Friends (Sunny)"

Accompanied by a dynamic band composed mostly of Tiny Desk alums, Ambré sets the tone with "3 Peat," from her sophomore EP 3000º. The EP is a salute to NOLA's finest — Lil Wayne and Juvenile, who'll be closing out our Black Music Month celebration. She then smoothly transitions into "Wild Life..." a love letter to the 504 before hitting "plenty" and "band practice" from her debut EP Pulp. It was only right that she closed out the show with "I'm Baby," perhaps her most beloved track and her first No. 1 entry on the Billboard R&B charts. The recording of this performance couldn't have come at a better time — she found out she was nominated for the BET Awards for Best New Artist right after the shoot, all while gearing up to release her follow-up EP who's loving you?, which is out now. If this Tiny Desk happens to be your introduction to Ambré, be prepared to be enraptured. SET LIST "3 Peat" "Wild Life..." "plenty" "band practice" "AMBRÉ'S INTERLUDE" "I'm Baby"

Born in the Bronx but hailing from Accra, Ghana, Amaarae's appearance on NPR Music's Black Music Month lineup proves how far the sounds of West Africa have stretched to influence the U.S. and, more implicitly, just how much the music defies catch-all labels like "Afrobeats." Fountain Baby, the album that's home to most of the songs Amaarae performs at the Desk, represents what she does best. While it may be categorized as "pop" by streaming services, as an experience, Fountain Baby is an overflowing stream of genre-swerving liquid dopamine, lulling and surprising its listener in waves. Pulling influence from a grab bag of global incantations, Amaarae makes African percussion flirt with baile funk and alté, pop punk and garage, resulting in one of most triumphant albums and Tiny Desk Concerts of 2023 so far. SET LIST "Reckless & Sweet" "Wasted Eyes" "Disguise" "Big Steppa" "Co-Star" "HELLZ ANGEL" "SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY"

Expanded into a septet, MUNA used the setting as an opportunity to lean into its moodier side. "Loose Garment" placed Naomi McPherson at the piano as Gavin applied subtle effects to her own plaintive voice. And "Stayaway," a highlight from 2019's Saves The World, placed such a demand on the three voices at MUNA's core — Gavin, McPherson and Josette Maskin — that they practically exploded with relief when it was over. MUNA's appearance happened to coincide with a loosening of pandemic restrictions at the Tiny Desk — most notably the hard cap on the number of audience members who could attend. It was hard to miss the sense of liberation, and the surge of energy, in the sheer size of the crowd. SET LIST "Loose Garment" "Stayaway" "Silk Chiffon"

Today, as Eastman's music is being brought into the spotlight by Wild Up and others, he's celebrated as an experimental visionary who brandished his own provocative way of getting the listener to think about sound and context. For this performance, the band plays a 15-minute arrangement of a longer piece from 1973 called Stay On It. The music is nothing less than an exuberant house party unto itself, infectious and revelatory. To perform Eastman's works, Rountree says, can be transformational. "They're the kind of pieces you breathe in as a musician, and they do their work on you," he explains. "And when you breathe them out again, you're breathing not only the piece but also a different version of yourself." SET LIST Stay On It

For her Tiny Desk, Younger presents some of her newest entries into the jazz harp canon. "Brand New Life" and "Moving Target" feature vocalist Tatiana "LadyMay" Mayfield's ethereal voice perfectly complimenting the transcendental tones of the harp, which is expanded into a one woman choir of sound through the use of vocal pedals. Younger closes with "Unrest I" and "Unrest II," composed during the height of both the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020's Black Lives Matter protests. In these two movements, Younger, drummer Allan Mednard and bassist Rashaan Carter stunningly convey a maelstrom of tension, confusion, upheaval and release, emotions undoubtedly present in many who similarly witnessed a world in confusion outside their windows at this time. SET LIST "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" "Brand New Life" "Moving Target" "Unrest I" "Unrest II"

The pressure to deliver was palpable in the planning stages but as the band was assembled, my expectations were exceeded. Tiny Desk alumni and New Orleans natives Trombone Shorty and Alvin Ford were brought into the fold. Another Tiny Desk vet from New Orleans, Jon Batiste, flew in from London just to be a part of the set. Juvenile sourced The Amours from right here in D.C. to handle background vocals, along with string players from the Louisiana Philharmonic for the grand finale. The architect of the Juvenile/Cash Money Records sound, DJ Mannie Fresh, became the glue that pieced it all together. The result was one of the most rambunctious experiences at the Desk. The Hot Boy coasted through highlights from a decades-long, groundbreaking career, concluding with a performance of "Back That Azz Up," so exuberant that the audience demanded an encore and the band obliged. A Tiny Desk first.

We've had hundreds of different voices and instruments behind the Tiny Desk over the years, but to my ears the performance that featured Omar Sosa and Seckou Keita sounded as if it was dropped directly from the heavens of musical compatibility right into our laps.

You gotta love a band that names itself after siblings that don't exist, and under a name that doesn't match anyone in the band. At least I do. I've been a fan of the edgy sonic traditions of the Meridian Brothers for a while now, and jumped at the chance to bring the duo's space age cumbia direct from Bogotá, Colombia to the Tiny Desk. And band leader Eblis Alvarez did not disappoint.

Drones abound, and a pensive atmosphere filled the office when Lisa O'Neill and her bandmates began one of my favorite songs of 2023, "Old Note." The deep, harmonic drones comprise a bowed hammer dulcimer, a shruti box, a harmonium and a bowed upright bass. Then the Irish singer's plaintive voice tells a tale she describes as "orality" and "how we communicated before we started writing stuff down. It's a song also about hearing the music in nature.

As captivating as birds who sing in sync, MARO's guitar trio brought an almost imperceptible, natural beauty to her Tiny Desk, characteristic of an artist truly in her element.

When Alice Sara Ott walked into our Tiny Desk office space she was fascinated by all the knickknacks and doodads musicians have left on the shelves over the years. She immediately got to work, folding an origami swan, which would be her own contribution. But first, it was given pride of place atop our trusty Yamaha upright — a talisman of good things to come.

As the band of intergalactic monsters strapped guitars to their battle-worn bodies, thunder and rain pounded the NPR building outside. As if the late Oderus Urungus was pissing his blessing from Valhalla, the prophecy had finally been fulfilled: GWAR came to destroy the Tiny Desk once and for all.

It's hard for me to comprehend what a newcomer to Sparks would make of seeing brothers Ron and Russell Mael for the first time. Ron, the mustached one behind the keys, looks like he once was a silent film star and just fell off the silver screen (and is a bit grumpy about it.) On the other hand, Russell, with his upbeat posture, sings about a girl crying in her latte. Hopefully, by the time Russell introduces us to the second tune, about a 22-hour-old child seeing the world and wishing to go back to whence he came, the innocent viewer/listener will understand the twisted humor Sparks has been dispensing for over 50 years across a few dozen albums.

The first thing I noticed as Cypress Hill strolled into NPR headquarters was Sen Dog cradling his signature bucket hat. I asked him if my assumptions were correct; it was indeed the original hat seen in all the videos from the early '90s. Before I could process that confirmation, B Real asked me, "Yo, is your greenroom a greenroom?" We got everything we expected and more from Cypress Hill at the Tiny Desk.

What's an artist to do when, instead of standing and dancing before a stadium of adoring fans, she's instead sitting behind the Tiny Desk? You do exactly what Puerto Rican vocalist Kany García does: dig deep into the intimacy of her songwriting and the musicality of one of the most distinctive voices in any form of Latin music.

Peter One's tender voice has a storied past. These are passion-filled songs often with references and connections to his past.

During the show, I witnessed my colleagues go from wiping away tears to bouncing and clapping within a matter of minutes. That emotional balance is Obongjayar’s Tiny Desk in a nutshell. He gave us everything.

One of the many musical manifestations of the history of Latin America is the arrival of the European accordion. And in the hands of Colombian musician Gregorio Uribe, the accordion is both a melodic and rhythmic wonder.

Bam Bam, primarily known as a rapper, has turned his passion for food, clothing, sneakers, wrestling, writing, fitness and painting into bonafide professions. Never veering too far away from the booth, he's consistently dropped projects since 2011.

The last time Swedish band Little Dragon performed for Tiny Desk, the group wasn't actually at the Desk. Like a number of Tiny Desk alum who played between 2020 and 2022, Little Dragon delivered its debut Tiny Desk as a (home) concert in the band's Gothenburg studio. That performance provided a comforting balm to many during the early and confusing months of the global pandemic. Finally hosting the quartet in our Washington, D.C. office was the ultimate goal, and in this in person Tiny Desk, Little Dragon delivers a performance awash with upbeat and optimistic melodies balanced by a grounded presentation. Since the band's debut album in 2007, Little Dragon created a blend of R&B, soul, electronica and dance pop that pushes the boundaries of simplistic genre classification. The whimsical whistling of drummer Erik Bodin in "Tumbling Dice" is the perfect complement to singer Yukimi Nagano encouraging us to "make it worth every step as we go." The cosmic pop tones of "Ritual Union'' are s

The Tiny Desk has hosted plenty of major pop, rock and hip-hop stars in its 15-plus years, but you'd be hard-pressed to find one more agreeable or self-effacing than Austin Richard Post. Whether lamenting the state of his singing voice, joking about his nerves or sitting slack-jawed in awe of the fantastic band his people had assembled for this show, Post had the bearing of a lottery winner who wouldn't even give himself credit for buying a ticket. Before, during and after the show, Post Malone was a joy to have around. But he also just happened to bring a few of the biggest pop hits of the 21st century: Set-opener "Sunflower," for example, has been certified eighteen-times platinum by the RIAA since its release in 2018 — that's an all-time record — while the 2017 single "I Fall Apart" and 2019's "Circles" lag behind at a mere ten-times platinum apiece. "Enough Is Enough," which closes this set, enjoys no such designation, but give it time: A track from Post Malone's new album Austin,

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

Pianist Sarah Cahill commands a near godlike status among fans of contemporary classical music. She's commissioned dozens of new works from today's top composers including John Adams, Julia Wolfe and Terry Riley. But when she sat down at the piano behind Bob Boilen's desk, she was focused not so much on new music but instead the plight of women composers. While compositions by women are being heard slightly more often in concert halls over the past three years, historically the numbers have been pitiful. (In the 2018-19 season, both the Philadelphia and the Chicago Symphony Orchestras presented music by 55 different composers — none were women.) Cahill is doing her part to remedy the situation. For this performance, she offers a sampler of The Future is Female, her multi-volume project that collects piano music by a staggeringly wide swath of women composers over a four-century span. A spirited prelude by the short-lived Czech composer Vítězslava Kaprálová opens the set. She managed

If you close your eyes at the beginning of this Tiny Desk concert, you could easily imagine yourself at a party somewhere along the Texas-Mexican border around the 1930s, just after the guitars come out. But open your eyes and you'll see Yahritza y Su Esencia, a trio of musicians from Washington's Yakima Valley, belting out songs about lost love and longing. Such is the magic of the current wave of Mexican regional music. Yahritza Martínez's voice on "Soy El Unico" speaks to a new generation of Mexican music fans as deeply as some of us old timers. Surrounded by her brothers Armando, on 12-string guitar, and Jairo, on bass, Martínez's impassioned vocals speak of loving someone who does not return the favor. There is an art to singing the kind of impassioned lyrics that are found in the corridos and rancheras of the best Mexican regional music and Yahritza does it again on "Dejalo Ir," another song she wrote when she was 13 years old. I was doing okay until the group hit its stride wi

The groove is funky too. For almost eight years, McBride and his bandmates — trumpeter Josh Evans, Marcus Strickland on woodwinds and drummer Nasheet Waits — have been playing exploratory post-bop music without a polyphonic instrument — one that can easily play more than one note at a time — like a piano or a guitar. This makes for a genuinely distinct sound, one that's less dependent on strict harmonic understructures and more creative interplay between instrumentalists.

Ten years ago, sometime after Speedy Ortiz transformed itself from a Sadie Dupuis solo project into a functioning rock band, its jagged and clever early singles caught the attention of NPR Music's Lars Gotrich. So we reached out to inquire about a Tiny Desk concert, only to learn that the timing wasn't quite right: The group didn't have any days off and its members were concerned they wouldn't sound their best, so they responded to our request with a question of their own. "Can we do it later?

Chlöe Bailey and her band were scheduled to fly in the day before this show. But with thousands of flights delayed or canceled at the start of the 4th of July holiday weekend, one member couldn't make it into town. Because the arrangements were designed for two background vocalists, it didn't make sense to have just one and the team decided the ensemble would go without.

When violinist Anne Akiko Meyers walked into NPR headquarters, I half expected her to be flanked by bodyguards. After all, she was carrying a very rare instrument. Her Guarneri del Gesù “Vieuxtemps” violin, built in 1741, is worth at least $16 million. Instead, Meyers arrived only with a pair of publicists and the perceptive pianist Max Levinson. She seemed nonchalant about the fact that her fiddle is worth a fortune.

Hiromi Uehara arrived at NPR wearing comfortable sweats, her chic hair already styled and perfectly coiffed for the performance. A keyboard gig bag was strapped on her back with her Nord Lead A1 analog modeling synthesizer, a versatile instrument loaded with her programmed patches. Its buzzy, modular sound started the show with a funky melodic line that sets up this highly energetic and joyful set.

It's not exactly typical for artists at the Tiny Desk to share their future burial plans, but that's exactly what Indigo de Souza does halfway through her performance. "I wrote this song about my love for nature," the singer-songwriter says, introducing the track "Not My Body." "I think that when I die ... what I want is to be composted and to become soil, and for that soil to be used to plant a tree, and I want that tree to be so big and strong."

The K-pop superstar and BTS member performs three love songs from his new album.

The Venezuelan group brings its infectious energy and beach-infused sound to the Tiny Desk.

Broadway stars Alyssa Fox and McKenzie Kurtz defy gravity, accompanied by composer Stephen Schwartz to celebrate 20 years of Wicked.

J Noa came to the Tiny Desk to show the world what a girl from her barrio is capable of.

The Chicano singer brings a grounded sense of reflection to the Tiny Desk.

The singer's Tiny Desk performance is a joy to behold.

Alex Cuba weaves evocative imagery into musical arrangements that conjure his native country.

Antillano shows why she's one of the most exciting voices in Latin trap and reggaeton right now.

Haters may say it's AutoTune, but when Caroline Polachek sings live, it's clear that the impressive range and control you're hearing is all her.

"La Caballota" herself gives a performance for the girls.

The stripped down sound of some of Becky G's biggest hits offered a rare view of her artistry.

If there was ever an artist the word "legend" applies to, it would be Smokey Robinson.

The Colombian superestrella brought his mesmerizing vocals and a few proud tears to the Tiny Desk.

The R&B singer performs a set of his most beloved musical moments.

The two artists perform a set of music full of yearning, joy and history.

As the ringleader of the CHIC experience, Rodgers crams a lifetime's worth of nightlife into every strum of his guitar.

It's hard to get past the significance of this performance by the Indian jazz fusion band, Shakti. Initially formed in 1973 by jazz guitarist John McLaughlin with virtuoso traditional Indian musicians, the band opened the doors for others to expand their musical appreciation beyond Western music. 50 years later, as guitarist McLaughlin reunites with tabla player Zakir Hussain to take Shakti on another world tour, the group stopped by for a magically inspiring performance behind the Tiny Desk. "Shrini's Dream" sets the stage with both melodic and rhythm instruments, before vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan and McLaughlin each take turns calling out to the muse for inspiration. The entire set is a drummer's dream given Hussain is considered a master tabla player both within and outside the tradition.

The singer-songwriter returns, bringing a handful of songs from her wildly fun sophomore album to the NPR Music office. "It's much cooler to be here," Rodrigo says. "I was saying earlier, I've never been starstruck by a room before." Many of the songs on GUTS, which earned a special recommendation on NPR Music's Best Albums of 2023 list, blow out Rodrigo's sound into colorful, grungy pop-rock fit for a stadium, like "love is embarrassing," performed here with Rodrigo on jangly acoustic guitar. But the artist builds her set out with GUTS cuts that fit the intimate setup, like the searing "vampire," her backup vocalists cooing eerily around each of her lines, or the potent ode to female jealousy, "lacy," which Rodrigo explains started out as a poetry exercise in a college class. By the end of her set, she's completely alone at the piano for the sobering "making the bed," and it's not difficult to see why she's one of pop's most promising rising performers.