This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk is giving the ladies their flowers. We’re releasing nine Tiny Desk concerts from Black women artists, from veterans who’ve paved the way for what we hear today in Black music, to those who are carving out their own paths.

Mitra I. Arthur | June 14, 2024
After a moment of praise in her set, Kierra Sheard said jokingly, “I don’t wanna make this Tiny Desk Sunday morning service.” That ability to unapologetically speak on faith in any location, even the Tiny Desk, is a hallmark of Gospel music and a strength of Sheard’s. Since her solo debut at 17, Sheard has released music that keeps God’s word at the forefront, while being packaged to reach audiences who might not be in the church pew on Sunday mornings. That music has garnered her several Dove and Stellar awards, as well as multiple Grammy nominations. She and her brother, producer and drummer J. Drew Sheard II, learned music ministry under the tutelage of their mother, Karen Clark-Sheard, and aunts, who make up the legendary gospel group The Clark Sisters.

In our meeting prior to filming her Tiny Desk, Sheard asked “Can I get at least one run?” To which our team replied “Absolutely — more than one!” Those soul stirring runs are present in this uplifting medley of new cuts from her latest album, All Yours, and tracks from her 20 year catalog. “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” aptly introduces Sheard’s presence at the Tiny Desk. I found myself continually singing “All Yours” and “Hang On” for days after the performance. Her testimony in “It Keeps Happening” and “Something Has To Break” moved many in our office as Sheard declared, “What I can’t do, God can do!” And in classic church “turn to your neighbor” fashion, she implored the audience to “Turn to somebody and say I’m supposed to be here!” There is no doubt Sheard is supposed to be at the Tiny Desk.

SET LIST
“You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet”
“You Don’t Know”
“Yes”
“Love Like Crazy”
“Praise Offering”
“It Keeps Happening”
“Indescribable”
“Something Has To Break”
“All Yours”
“Hang On”
“Miracles”

MUSICIANS
Kierra Sheard: lead vocals
Justin Brooks: keys, musical direction
J. Drew Sheard ll: drums, musical direction
Aaron Draper: percussion
Tony Stanford: guitar
Alan “Snoop” Evans: bass
De’Sean Jones: saxophone
Frank Walton: trumpet
Zacharia El-magharbel: trombone
Marcus Johnson: vocals
Kevin Stewart: vocals
Johnyce Jackson: vocals
Jemika Ferguson: vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producers: Mitra I. Arthur, Bobby Carter
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Technical Director: Josephine Nyounai
Videographers: Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Sofia Seidel
Audio Engineer: Josh Newell
Production Assistant: Alanté Serene
Photographer: Michael Zamora
Animation: Jackie Lay
Florist: Kelanda Edwards
Tiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

#nprmusic #tinydesk #kierrasheard

Bobby Carter | November 25, 2024
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of her debut album, Complex Simplicity, Teedra Moses came draped in all red, the same color she wore on the album’s cover. She couldn’t wait to get into the office and sing. Admittedly, I held off from formally inviting her to play the Desk for a couple of years because I knew this landmark was approaching, and this album was worth honoring in a major way. She rarely performs songs from Complex… exclusively, so she brought family and invited special guests to participate, including long-time collaborator J. Black and Tiny Desk alumnus Durand Bernarr.

2004 was a banner year for R&B albums, with debuts from John Legend, Ciara, and Fantasia. We also got the final album from Destiny’s Child and Usher’s magnum opus, Confessions, among many others. Moses came at a time when love songs still reigned supreme and while she carried that tradition into Complex Simplicity, on the flip side, she also wrote about how she really felt, which makes this album so unique. The balance of hard, soft and slick was a refreshing formula. Moses’ brazen approach to songwriting influenced a generation of women in R&B, like SZA, Summer Walker, and Ari Lennox. Behind the Desk, she ran through the best of Complex Simplicity, closing with the original and Kaytranada remix of “Be Your Girl.”

SET LIST
“Caught Up”
“Complex Simplicity”
“You'll Never Find (a Better Woman)”
“You Better Tell Her”
“No More Tears”
“Take Me”
“Backstroke”
“Be Your Girl”

MUSICIANS
Teedra Moses: vocals
LeShawn Thomas: bass, musical direction
Sharod Virtuoso: guitar
Branden Akinyele: drums
Brandon Butler: keys
Durand Bernarr: background vocals, co-musical direction
J. Black: background vocals
Amanda Mikkel: background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bobby Carter
Director/Editor: Kara Frame
Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Sofia Seidel
Audio Engineer: Josephine Nyounai
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Estefania Mitre
Tiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel Cills
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

#tinydesk #nprmusic #teedramoses

Support for NPR Music comes from Better Help, committed to making mental well-being a priority
and offering support in taking on everything life demands. With therapists available to communicate via video, chat, or phone. At BetterHelp.com/TinyDesk.

June 30, 2016 by FELIX CONTRERAS • Sometimes it's necessary to get back to basics. In the case of Los Hacheros, that means returning to the deep groove of Afro-Caribbean music that provides the source material for modern salsa and all of its permutations.

As you'll see in this video, the band's dedication to authenticity is masterfully executed with a serious dose of sabor. In fact, the band was so swinging, it was impossible to sit on the sidelines and pass up my own chance to jump in during "Bambulaye" and perform with the band myself. So clear out the furniture and turn up the sound on this video to create your own dance party.

Bambulaye is available now:
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/al....bum/bambulaye/id1083
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Bambula....ye-LOS-HACHEROS/dp/B

Set List:
"Baila Con Los Hacheros"
"Papote's Guajira"
"Bambulaye"

Credits:
Producers: Felix Contreras, Niki Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Niki Walker, Kara Frame, Colin Marshall; Production Assistant: Jackson Sinnenberg; Photo: NPR.

For more Tiny Desk concerts, subscribe to our podcast.

Suraya Mohamed | November 10, 2022
The day before The Ezra Collective’s Tiny Desk concert, the band members practiced for hours at a nearby community music space and the next morning, they walked in the door giddy and ready to go. The warm-up was good, but once we started to record, a crazy intensity and energy spilled out into the room. They were fierce and fun and all of their solos were on fire.

The band makes amazing jazz music and mixes it with a fusion of other genres like Afrobeat, hip-hop and grime. The London-based band was supposed to play this Tiny Desk concert in 2020, but then, as bandleader and phenom drummer Femi Koleoso put it, “the world collapsed.” Here it is now, rockin’ hard with the highest level of musicianship and technique.

Before coming to NPR, Koleoso had just finished a world tour with the group Gorillaz. He met up with his bandmates in Washington, D.C., to play this concert and kick off promotion for the band’s newly released sophomore album, Where I’m Meant To Be. He explained on Instagram that he loves the album title because it's vague and specific at the same time, just like his band, a multifaceted complement of contrasting attributes. The first two songs in this set are from that new album while the last, “Chapter 7,” is from the group’s 2016 EP. Throughout the set, watch how keyboard player Joe Armon-Jones barely stays on his seat and hear how the audience couldn’t keep quiet. After the concert, the spirit of the music lingered for a long time and the day ended with pictures, hugs and plenty of smiles.

SET LIST
“Victory Dance”
“Welcome To My World”
“Chapter 7”

MUSICIANS
Femi Koleoso: drums
TJ Koleoso: bass
Joe Armon-Jones: keys
James Mollison: saxophone
Ife Ogunjobi: trumpet

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin
Creative Director: Bob Boilen
Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Sofia Seidel
Audio Assistant: Andie Huether
Production Assistant: Jill Britton
Tiny Desk Team: Marissa Lorusso, Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer, Teresa Xie
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#nprmusic #tinydesk #ezracollective

LORENA CALABRIA || No pequeno espaço do Tiny Desk Brasil, Gilberto Gil parece em casa. E, de certa forma, está. Sentado ao lado dos netos Bento e Flor, a cena reproduz algo que poderia acontecer em uma tarde de domingo qualquer, na sala de estar da família. Não há esforço algum para transformar o ambiente em espetáculo; o encanto está justamente no contrário. “É muito frequente a gente fazer isso em casa. Mas no quarto, na cama, no sofá da sala”, comenta Gil, rindo da própria naturalidade da situação.

Bento Gil confirma a sensação de continuidade. “É mesmo uma extensão do que a gente gosta de fazer dia a dia, juntos. O Tiny Desk é sobre experimentar novos formatos como artista. Ele está com uma turnê grande em cartaz, com muitas pessoas na banda e um repertório enorme. Uma linguagem completamente diferente do que vai acontecer aqui no programa, com dois violões apenas.”

Flor Gil, que participa atualmente da turnê Tempo Rei, a última grande excursão de Gil pelos palcos, aqui divide os vocais com o primo e o avô. “Algumas das minhas canções, por exemplo, a Flor já se debruça sobre elas em muitos dos nosso shows. E tem o que ela mesma está fazendo”, observa o avô. Para Flor, o Tiny Desk também carrega um sentido especial. “É uma oportunidade de gravar músicas do meu avô que não existem nesse formato acústico, só com voz e violão. Eu e o Bento cantamos, tocamos e fazemos shows juntos. Meu avô e o Bento são do violão, eles tocam muito juntos. Então, é tudo muito natural.”

Gilberto Gil construiu ao longo do tempo uma ligação profunda com o violão. Antes dele, o primeiro instrumento foi o acordeon, ainda na infância, mas o impacto de ouvir João Gilberto redefiniu seu horizonte musical. Com o tempo, o violão passou a estruturar sua própria linguagem, moldando harmonias, silêncios e respirações. Ele atravessa discos decisivos, reaparece nos formatos enxutos de voz e violão e sustenta encontros memoráveis, como o espetáculo com Caetano Veloso, Dois Amigos, Um Século de Música.

A escolha do repertório nasceu justamente do convívio familiar. “É parecido com o que a gente vinha tocando na sala. Vai passando os meses e tem uma música que fica mais presente. Tem um disco dele, Gilbertos Samba, que eu gosto muito. Foi com esse disco que me apaixonei pelo violão”, conta Bento. “Desde que o Samba é Samba”, parceria de Gil com Caetano Veloso lançada em 1993 no álbum Tropicália 2, abre o set. “Tempo Rei”, gravada em 1984, ecoa o nome da turnê. “Se Eu Quiser Falar com Deus”, lançada em 1980, traz Gil solo ao violão, com o recolhimento que a canção pede. “Choro Rosa”, registrada por Flor em seu primeiro disco, Cinema Love, de 2025, também integra o repertório. Para encerrar, “Esotérico”, faixa do álbum Refazenda, de 1976.

Entre acordes compartilhados e olhares cúmplices, um dos maiores nomes da música brasileira condensa décadas de trajetória em uma cena ao mesmo tempo íntima e simbólica: o encontro de um avô com seus netos, em que a herança se converte em presença viva, todos unidos pela deusa Música.

***

Baseado no “Tiny Desk Concerts” criado por NPR
Produzido por Anonymous Content Brazil

@anoncontent
@tinydeskbra

***

setlist

Desde que o samba é samba
Tempo rei
Se eu quiser falar com Deus
Choro rosa
Esotérico

***

músicos

Gilberto Gil - voz e violão
Flor Gil - voz
Bento Gil - voz e violão

Oct. 18, 2017 | Bobby Carter -- Thundercat, born Stephen Bruner, is willing and able to shape-shift to fit into just about any box you show him — he just won't stay in there for long. Whether fusing his talent for jazz while a bassist with punk legacy act Suicidal Tendencies or as a member of Snoop Dogg's band — maybe running a little too far with a solo here and there — the focus seems to eventually drift his way.

After releasing two brilliant solo albums, he was plucked to work on what eventually became one of the most important works of art released this decade: Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly. Capitalizing off of the new exposure, he quickly released the EP The Beyond/Where the Giants Roam. That was followed about two years later by Drunk, his most solid project to date.

I didn't know what to expect in the days leading to the performance, but I was hoping to get what I thought a Thundercat experience would be like. All boxes ended up checked: He arrived wearing a neon pink hoodie with his signature logo plastered about, kickboxing shorts, white chancletas, playing a Nintendo portable gaming console. He and his bandmates Dennis Hamm, Justin Brown and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, all master musicians in their own right, polished off some bacon croissant sandwiches and proceeded to give us three of the best of what Drunk has to offer.

Set List

"Lava Lamp"
"Friend Zone"
"Them Changes"

MUSICIANS

Steven Bruner (vocals, bass); Dennis Hamm (keys); Justin Brown (drums); Miguel Atwood Ferguson (violin)

CREDITS

Producers: Bobby Carter, Morgan Noelle Smith; Creative Director: Bob Boilen; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Noelle Smith, Maia Stern, Alyse young; Production Assistant: CJ Riculan; Photo: Jennifer Kerrigan/NPR.

For more Tiny Desk concerts, subscribe to our podcast: http://www.npr.org/podcasts/51....0292/tiny-desk-conce

Girl Like Me (Live from NPR Tiny Desk Home Edition) out now! https://smarturl.it/GirlLikeMeLive

'Heaux Tales' out now: https://smarturl.it/HeauxTales

Follow Jazmine Sullivan:
https://www.facebook.com/jazminesullivan
https://twitter.com/jsullivanmusic
https://www.instagram.com/jsullivanmusic
http://jazminesullivanmusic.com/

Follow H.E.R.:
https://www.facebook.com/officialHERmusic
https://twitter.com/HERMusicx
https://www.instagram.com/hermusicofficial/
https://damage.her-official.com/


#JazmineSullivan #GirLikeMe #HER #TinyDesk #RnB

This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk honors the anniversaries of landmark albums that have shaped the course of music and culture.

Bobby Carter | June 2, 2025
Bay Area ambassador E-40 moves with the energy of an up-and-coming emcee, but he's been around a minute. To put it 40 Water's way: "I've been doing this since Kermit the Frog was a pollywog!" Our biggest hurdle to clear was packing in three decades of music at the Tiny Desk, but 40 Fonzarelli and his band clocked weeks of rehearsal to make sure this office was rockin'.

E-40's sophomore solo album In a Major Way dropped in 1995, one of the most competitive years in hip-hop history, with certified classics dropping weekly by the likes of 2Pac, Mobb Deep, Goodie Mob, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Raekwon and GZA. Straightforward and plain has never been E-40's nature, and that left-of-center spit has been the thing that has sustained his illustrious entertainment career.

At the Desk, Charlie Hustle sets things off with "Da Bumble" from In a Major Way and continues to bounce through a catalog of big hits sprinkled with nods to his day ones. Producer Lil Jon brought him back to the mainstream in the early 2000s with "Tell Me When to Go," "U and Dat" and "Snap Yo Fingers," while TikTok injected new life in "Choices (Yup)" and introduced him to Gen Z. "I'm on my fourth wind!" 40 tells us. No lies told.

SET LIST
"Da Bumble"
"Yay Area"
"Sprinkle Me"
"Captain Save a Hoe"
"Snap Yo Fingers"
"U and Dat"
"Choices (Yup)"
"Hope I Don't Go Back"
"1-Luv"
"Function"
"Tell Me When to Go"

MUSICIANS
E-40: vocals
Kev Choice: music director, keys
Bosko Kante: music director, background vocals
Martin Luther: guitar, background vocals
Howard Wiley: saxophone, EWI
Marcus Phillips: bass, keys
Dame Drummer: drums, background vocals
Silk-E The People's Champ aka Sherri Stack-A-Grip: background vocals
DJ KMP: DJ, background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bobby Carter
Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Mitra I. Arthur
Audio Engineer: Andie Huether
Production Assistants: Dora Levite, Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez
Tiny Desk Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

#nprmusic #tinydesk #e40typebeat

Nikki Birch | January 13, 2025
The first law of soca music, according to Machel Montano, is: "it's dancing time all the time." And in his Tiny Desk Concert, the "King of Soca" provides irrefutable evidence to support that statement.

Montano's performance is the first to bring soca, the high energy dance music of the Caribbean, to the Tiny Desk. The genre was born in Trinidad and Tobago in the early 1970s when calypso artist Lord Shorty (who later chose the name Ras Shorty I) added traditional Indian percussion instruments and rhythms to calypso music — itself a fusion that incorporates elements of African, Venezuelan, French and American music.

A proud Trinidadian, Montano's contribution to soca has earned him awards and recognition since his youth. His career began in earnest when he was 7 years old, and by the time he was 10, he'd shared the stage with Calypsonian pioneers and icons, most notably performing at Madison Square Garden with Mighty Sparrow, Lord Kitchener and The Mighty Shadow.

Indeed, Montano's Tiny Desk Concert was representative of his 40-plus-year career and, to the delight of those in attendance, included some of his biggest hits: "One More Time," "Famalay," "Like Ah Boss" and "Soca Kingdom."

Guests who attended Montano's performance came ready to fête! They jumped, they wined and they waved the flags of their respective Caribbean islands up high, singing along word for word. Being a Barbados-born, Saint Lucian-bred gyal, seeing and feeling the spirit of unity inherent to the cultural sound ingrained in my DNA — and foundational to my upbringing — represented at Tiny Desk made me beam with pride. If this is your first exposure to soca music, I suggest you stretch and loosen up your waistline before pushing play on this one, because there is no sitting still when soca fills the room.

SET LIST
"One More Time"
"Dance With You"
"Fast Wine"
"Like Ah Boss"
"Famalay"
"Soca Kingdom"

MUSICIANS
Machel Montano: vocals
Dwain Antrobus: keys
Duane Williams: effects
Bayete Williams: keys
Damien Neblett: bass
Melvin Alick: drums
Kyle Peters: guitar
Modupe Onilu: percussion
Rhys Thompson: percussion
Etienne Charles: trumpet, flügelhorn
Lamar Robinson: background vocals
Michael Chandler: background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Nikki Birch
Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Alanté Serene, Mitra I. Arthur
Audio Engineer: Tiffany Vera Castro
Photographer: Sofia Seidel
Tiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer, Kara Frame
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

#nprmusic #tinydesk #machelmontano

Bob Boilen | February 28, 2017 — They're simply an abundance of euphoria. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band blasted the Tiny Desk with a Sousaphone, trumpets, saxophones, guitar and drums, at stunning volume, for a joyful celebration.

This band has been mixing be-bop and funk for 40 years. Around this time of year, when Mardi Gras revelry is fueled by New Orleans jazz, it was so good to feel their sounds in the office. Since today is Fat Tuesday — just before Lent and its fasts begin for some — we are sharing the party we hosted, filled with brass and sass from this fixture of great American music. Enjoy.

Funeral For A Friend is available now:
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/al....bum/funeral-for-a-fr
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Funeral....-Friend-Dirty-Dozen-

Set List
"Use Your Brain"
"Best Of All"
"Tomorrow"
"My Feet Can't Fail Me Now"

Musicians
Roger Lewis (baritone sax); Gregory Davis (trumpet, vocals); Kevin Harris (tenor sax, vocals); Efrem Towns (trumpet, vocals); Kirk Joseph (sousaphone); Julian Addison (drums); Takeshi Shimmura (guitar)

Credits
Producers: Bob Boilen, Niki Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Niki Walker, Morgan Noelle Smith, Bronson Arcuri; Production Assistant: Maia Stern; Photo: Claire Harbage/NPR.

For more Tiny Desk concerts, subscribe to our podcast: http://www.npr.org/podcasts/51....0292/tiny-desk-conce

Anamaria Sayre | May 15, 2023
Arriving at the Tiny Desk not long after becoming the first female artist to have a Spanish-language album top the Billboard 200 chart, Colombian singer Karol G shined brighter than ever. With an all-female crew backing her, the proud energia femenina and the prowess of a band dominated exclusively by women is undeniably brilliant here. It was also the first time in many years, she said, that she hadn't rehearsed without her typical on-stage equipment, like in-ear monitors. "I forgot how cool it feels," she said. Authenticity isn't a prescription for Karol G, it's a natural state — something that she carries with her, waiting for the next opportunity to reveal another version of Carolina.

"CAROLINA," her given name, was also the title of the opening track of her performance, as she got to jamming in a manner atypical for the superstar. Trading her flute and trumpet for an accordion and tuba she "bring[s] some Mexican vibe to this place," she said, with "GUCCI LOS PAÑOS." She paused between songs and offered a cheers to the room, admitting that she had meant to sip her Mezcalito before the previous song.

She emphasized the rawness of the moment by slowing things down for a stripped down, reggae-leaning version of "PERO TÚ." Sliding seamlessly into a bossa nova-esque "MERCURIO" — the version she wishes she'd included on the album — "La Bichota" brought the music back up and danced herself off stage. Away from the stadium lights, Karol G's performance wasn't just a blip of normalcy for the pop star — it was permission from the self-described "happy-heartbreak girl" to get up, whether in the streets of Medellín or an office in Washington, D.C., and dance with every version of yourself.

SET LIST
"CAROLINA"
"GUCCI LOS PAÑOS"
"PERO TÚ"
"MERCURIO"

MUSICIANS
Carolina Giraldo (Karol G): vocals
Susana Vasquez: guitar
Jemma Heigis: piano
Giulliana Merello: drums
Patricia Ligia: bass
Crystal Torres: trumpet
Hailey-Mae Niswanger: flute
Katiuska Fernandes: percussion
Irany Martinez: accordion
India Anderson: tuba
Rob Trujillo: musical director

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Anamaria Sayre
Director/Editor: Kara Frame
Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin
Creative Director: Bob Boilen
Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Sofia Seidel, Michael Zamora
Audio Assistant: Josephine Nyounai
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Tiny Desk Team: Suraya Mohamed, Maia Stern, Hazel Cills, Marissa Lorusso, Pilar Galván, Jill Britton
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#tinydesk #eltiny #karolg

Bob Boilen | March 10, 2017 — Out of over 6,000 entries — more submissions than we've ever received — Tank And The Bangas won, unanimously, this year's Tiny Desk Contest. I fully expected their victory performance here at NPR headquarters in D.C. to be celebratory. I didn't know we'd all end up in tears.

This band combines R&B with hip-hop's poetry and rollercoaster storytelling, with a flair and alchemy that could only come from New Orleans. Their winning song, "Quick," mixes liquor and revenge — a sort of modern day take on a great folk tale, but peppered with their own idiosyncratic flair and humor. What I couldn't see, until they took over my desk, was the depth of their lyricism and the versatility of their players. At one moment fun-filled funk, the next laid-back jazz, rhythm-driven blues — and it all flows seamlessly. And it's fun to watch: There's a magic kinship between Tarriona "Tank" Ball and Anjelika "Jelly" Joseph as they share singing roles, like two best friends finishing one another's sentences.

This is the third year that NPR Music has put out a call in hopes of finding a shining star. I'm still amazed how, after sifting through thousands of videos from abundantly talented musicians, we can find a common winner amongst a range of judges with such different musical backgrounds. But in the end, my All Songs Considered co-host Robin Hilton, Trey Anastasio (Phish), Miguel, Anthony Hamilton, Ben Hopkins (PWR BTTM), BANKS, and folks who listen to an awful lot of music — NPR member station hosts Rita Houston (WFUV), Talia Schlanger (WXPN), Stas THEE Boss (KEXP) — and myself were all equally charmed, delighted and captivated.

And so here it is, a chance to see an artist truly blossoming. It's just the beginning: A few years ago, for our first Contest, Fantastic Negrito won our hearts. This year he won a Grammy. Last year Gaelynn Lea, an unknown violinist, teacher and singer sent a video captured on a phone and won our affection and souls. A few weeks ago, her Tiny Desk Concert had been seen more than a million times. These days she's taken to the road, touring the world.

Tank And The Bangas will be hitting the road in April with NPR Music to find their new audience — I'll be along for the ride — visiting many of our member stations with help from those music-loving beer brewers at Lagunitas. I can't wait to see the reaction in these crowds' eyes, as they fill with wonder and tears like ours did, experiencing this band for the first time.

Set List
"Boxes And Squares"
"Quick"
"Rollercoasters"

Musicians
Tarriona Tank Ball (vocals); Jelly Joseph (vocals); Merell Burkett Jr. (keys); Norman Spence II (keys); Joshua Johnson (drums); Jonathan Johnson (bass); Albert Allenback (saxophone)

Credits
Producers: Bob Boilen, Niki Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Niki Walker, Nick Michael, Bronson Arcuri, Morgan Noelle Smith; Production Assistants: A Noah Harrison, Ameeta Ganatra; Photo: Niki Walker/NPR.

For more Tiny Desk concerts, subscribe to our podcast: http://www.npr.org/podcasts/51....0292/tiny-desk-conce

The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music's Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It's the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.

In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, NPR Music presents four very special Tiny Desk Home Concerts recorded especially for this week. This video from global superstar Ozuna is a world premiere.

Oct. 16, 2020 | Stefanie Fernández -- From a verdant room tucked away in Miami, Ozuna's Tiny Desk performance might allow you, as it did me, to forget for a moment that he's one of the most watched and listened-to artists on earth. For someone whose work often operates at galactic proportions, this performance of five songs makes room for Ozuna's sweet tenor to take center-desk in a love letter to the global communities that supported and streamed him to god tier status.

The Puerto Rican singer kicks it off with a breezy rendition of "Caramelo" that leads into a solo version of the sun-drenched "Del Mar" from ENOC, his fourth album that he's deemed a return to his roots. This pared-down performance makes good on that promise, reworking star-studded collaborations, like the ballad "Despeinada," as they should be sung: languorously and with intimacy. Even the pop smash "Taki Taki" sounds brand new, buoyed by his alchemical flow and energy.

Ozuna is a crown jewel in the global crest of Latin pop, a movement whose modern success in reggaeton and Latin trap is indebted to the Caribbean genres Ozuna heard growing up in Puerto Rico, sounds like old-school reggaeton and reggae en español, dembow, dancehall and more. From then to now, Ozuna's bare talent remains his greatest asset. It's rare to see a star of his magnitude brush the earth so closely, and when it does, it's even rarer for it to feel and sound like second nature.

SET LIST
"Caramelo"
"Del Mar"
"Despeinada"
"Taki Taki"
"Mamacita"

MUSICIANS
Ozuna: vocals
Freddie "YoFred" Lugo: bass
Elí Bonilla: drums
Carlos Mercader: guitar
Benson Pagán: guitar
Edgardo Santiago: keys
Hector Meléndez: piano
Erick "Yonell" Pachecho: DJ
José Aponte: vocals

CREDITS
Video By: Miguel Gonzalez "UnEnano"
Director: Nuno Gomes
Audio By: Jose Rivera, Raymond Perez
Producer: Bobby Carter
Associate Producer: Stefanie Fernández
Audio Mastering Engineer: Josh Rogosin
Video Producer: Morgan Noelle Smith
Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk honors the anniversaries of landmark albums that have shaped the course of music and culture.

Felix Contreras | June 25, 2025
Did we really squeeze the big sound of Living Colour behind the Tiny Desk? Yes, we did. And, yet, the band lost none of its intensity at a slightly lower volume.

Living Colour starts with "Cult of Personality," the shot heard around the world, but spends the rest of the set celebrating 35 years of Time's Up. The album planted a flag for Black rock bands inspired by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Motown and hardcore-punk pioneers Bad Brains, which gets a heartfelt shout out here before "Time's Up." Guitarist Vernon Reid's sonic bag of tricks is on full display as are the deep grooves of drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Doug Wimbish. Corey Glover's voice cuts through it all.

Will the smaller setting inspire the band to trade in its equipment truck for a van and smaller amps? Perhaps, but this performance shows that, at any sound level, Living Colour commands attention and respect for its past and present.

SET LIST
"Cult of Personality"
"Pride"
"Love Rears Its Ugly Head"
"Time's Up"
"Solace of You"

MUSICIANS
Corey Glover: vocals
Vernon Reid: guitar, background vocals
Doug Wimbish: bass, background vocals
Will Calhoun: drums

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bobby Carter
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame
Audio Engineer: Josephine Nyounai
Production Assistant: Dora Levite
Photographer: Grace Raver
Tiny Desk Team: Lars Gotrich, Ashley Pointer
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

#livingcolour #nprmusic #tinydesk

This performance was recorded on Nov. 8, 2019. We will continue releasing Tiny Desk videos of shows that had already been taped. In light of current events, NPR is postponing new live tapings of Tiny Desk Concerts. In the meantime, check out Tiny Desk (home) concerts! They’re recorded by the artists in their home. It’s the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.

May 4, 2020 | Bob Boilen -- Jon Batiste came to the Tiny Desk with some surprises back in November of 2019. Midway through his set, he stopped to say, "it's the first time we're ever playing these songs, and it's the first time we're playing together." The New Orleans musician came to the Tiny Desk not with his late-night house band, but with an all-new cast. His all-female collaborators — Endea Owens on acoustic bass, Negah Santos on percussion, Sarah Thawer on drums, and Celisse Henderson on guitar and vocals — were an inspiration.

As is often the case when musicians perform in Washington (and especially blocks from the Capitol) the banter hinted at the political. Jon Batiste stopped to tell the NPR crowd, "we're playing some music, and we're coping. The times are in an interesting place, but music is always that universal language that can bring people in a room together." Little did Jon know how those words would feel six months later.

Jon Batiste took us through some of the many sides of his rich musical history, from the soulful ballad titled "Cry," to the jazz and hip-hop inspired, "Coltrane" and a rocking Motown-inspired tune, "Tell The Truth," before ending with a bit of church with, "I Need You." In just over 15 minutes, Jon Batiste bounced from playing the Wurlitzer to the electric guitar to the piano and then a melodica, all the while singing and sharing his talents and bringing us joy in interesting times.

SET LIST
"Cry"
"Coltrane"
"Tell The Truth"
"I Need You"

MUSICIANS
Jon Batiste: vocals, piano, Wurlitzer, guitar; Endea Owens - acoustic bass; Negah Santos: percussion; Sarah Thawer: drums; Celisse Henderson: guitar, vocals

CREDITS
Producers: Bob Boilen, Morgan Noelle Smith, Kara Frame; Creative director: Bob Boilen; Audio engineers: Josh Rogosin, J. Czys; Videographers: Kara Frame, Morgan Noelle Smith, Maia Stern, Jack Corbett; Editor: Maia Stern; Associate Producer: Bobby Carter; Executive producer: Lauren Onkey; VP, programming: Anya Grundmann; Photo: Mhari Shaw/NPR



Editor's note: On Jan. 6, 2020, this feature was briefly published prematurely. Its official publish date is May 4, 2020.

Suraya Mohamed | November 10, 2022
The day before The Ezra Collective’s Tiny Desk concert, the band members practiced for hours at a nearby community music space and the next morning, they walked in the door giddy and ready to go. The warm-up was good, but once we started to record, a crazy intensity and energy spilled out into the room. They were fierce and fun and all of their solos were on fire.

The band makes amazing jazz music and mixes it with a fusion of other genres like Afrobeat, hip-hop and grime. The London-based band was supposed to play this Tiny Desk concert in 2020, but then, as bandleader and phenom drummer Femi Koleoso put it, “the world collapsed.” Here it is now, rockin’ hard with the highest level of musicianship and technique.

Before coming to NPR, Koleoso had just finished a world tour with the group Gorillaz. He met up with his bandmates in Washington, D.C., to play this concert and kick off promotion for the band’s newly released sophomore album, Where I’m Meant To Be. He explained on Instagram that he loves the album title because it's vague and specific at the same time, just like his band, a multifaceted complement of contrasting attributes. The first two songs in this set are from that new album while the last, “Chapter 7,” is from the group’s 2016 EP. Throughout the set, watch how keyboard player Joe Armon-Jones barely stays on his seat and hear how the audience couldn’t keep quiet. After the concert, the spirit of the music lingered for a long time and the day ended with pictures, hugs and plenty of smiles.

SET LIST
“Victory Dance”
“Welcome To My World”
“Chapter 7”

MUSICIANS
Femi Koleoso: drums
TJ Koleoso: bass
Joe Armon-Jones: keys
James Mollison: saxophone
Ife Ogunjobi: trumpet

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin
Creative Director: Bob Boilen
Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Sofia Seidel
Audio Assistant: Andie Huether
Production Assistant: Jill Britton
Tiny Desk Team: Marissa Lorusso, Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer, Teresa Xie
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#nprmusic #tinydesk #ezracollective

Watch Jorja Smith play "On My Mind", "Teenage Fantasy" and "Blue Lights" at the Tiny Desk.

Did you know you can watch new Tiny Desk Concerts on npr.org ONE WEEK before they go up on YouTube? Click here: https://www.npr.org/tinydesk

Follow NPR Music:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nprmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nprmusic


June 11, 2018 | Sidney Madden -- It's a good thing the weather was gloomy the day Jorja Smith rolled in for her Tiny Desk concert. Even though the skies threatened rain and thunder, the overcast light lingering in our dimmed office space allowed the teardrop pendant lights, hung from the ceiling by her lighting team, to cast the desk in a warm, honey-hued glow. And while the nimble guitar strings and double-time drums of her supporting band was enough to dizzy the focus in the room, it was the U.K. singer's slow, silky cadence that anchored the performance in tranquility.

As Smith worked her way up the scales to each high note in "On My Mind" (a track usually sung over a reverberated garage beat) and "Teenage Fantasy" (a ballad to love lost written when she was 16), there wasn't an ounce of pressure evident in her face or body language. When she closed her eyes to deliver the rap verse of "Blue Lights," the anti-injustice song that first positioned her as a SoundCloud darling in 2016, a hush fell over the room in awe of her precision.

Though Smith's boldface collaborations to date range from Drake to Kali Uchis, her debut album Lost & Found is free of featured acts. Much like this Tiny Desk performance, those 12 tracks show off Smith's talent in a minimalist way — musing about life and love with the ambiguity and sense of agency that only comes with newfound freedom.

After she finished, but before retreating to the comfort of Supreme sweats, Smith and her band bestowed the Tiny Desk with a blue lava lamp signed by every member. Keep an eye out for that Easter egg in future episodes.

Set List

"On My Mind"
"Teenage Fantasy"
"Blue Lights"

MUSICIANS
Jorja Smith, Femi Koleoso, Benjamin Totten, Mutale Chashi, Amane Suganami

CREDITS
Producers: Sidney Madden, Morgan Noelle Smith; Creative Director: Bob Boilen; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Noelle Smith, Beck Harlan, Bronson Arcuri; Lighting: Tyler C. Trofatter; Production Assistant: Bobby Carter; Photo: Eslah Attar/NPR.

June 1, 2018 | Bobby Carter -- I learned a few things while watching Tom Misch perform at the Tiny Desk that should've been obvious to a longtime fan like me: He produces beats with a live audience in mind. As much as his drums slap, guitar is the foundation for most of his songs and he showcases a burgeoning talent on the instrument throughout his set.

I first caught wind of this UK wunderkind in 2014. Crafting his own instrumental projects and remixing tracks by artists ranging from Busta Rhymes to Lianne La Havas, Misch steadily garnered a dedicated following on SoundCloud. From there, he collaborated with other London artists and released EPs of original music on the platform. Misch's style doesn't revel in what's going on in pop music today; like a handful of other artists from the UK, his interpretation of hip-hop and R&B is a continuation of what the greats who came before him started. A healthy dose of that inspiration is drawn from the late J. Dilla, while Misch's up-tempo dance numbers align him with the Kaytranadas of the world. In 2016, Misch — still just 21 years old at the time — decided to dabble more in songwriting and explore that soothing timbre of his voice on Reverie, and all of a sudden, his potential rose exponentially.

Misch and the band arrived bright and early to get situated behind the Tiny Desk and rehearse. Misch has said before that he isn't a jazz purist intrinsically, but the way he opens up a guitar solo or jams with saxophonist Braxton Cook, jazz music certainly runs through him.

If you haven't heard of Tom Misch before this performance, now's a good time to catch up. Check out his breakthrough album, Geography, as well as his earlier collaborations, then come back and watch his Tiny Desk again for a true appreciation of his growth as an artist.

SET LIST
"It Runs Through Me"
"I Wish"
"Movie"

MUSICIANS
Tom Misch (guitar/vocals), Tobias Tripp (guitar/violin/vocals), James Creswick (bass), Jamie Houghton (drums), Joseph Price (keys), Braxton Cook (saxophone)

CREDITS
Producers: Sidney Madden, Morgan Noelle Smith; Creative Director: Bob Boilen; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Noelle Smith, CJ Riculan, Beck Harlan; Production Assistant: Stefanie Fernández; Photo: Claire Harbage/NPR.

Watch Freddie Gibbs And Madlib play "Education"
, "Gat Damn"
, "Soul Right"
and
"Freestyle S***" at the Tiny Desk.

More from NPR Music:
Tiny Desk Concerts: https://www.npr.org/tinydesk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nprmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nprmusic

Dec. 6, 2019 | Abby O'Neill -- This Freddie Gibbs and Madlib Tiny Desk performance was a year in the making, largely because Madlib insisted on playing with El Michels Affair, a vintage funk and soul band based out of New York. But it was worth the wait. When pianist Marco Benevento opened with a delicate, almost jazzy run, it created the perfect opening — and juxtaposition — for hard-hitting emcee, Gibbs to jump in and ride the hell out of that beat.

From the moment they launched into "Education," a cut off the latest MadGibbs project Bandana, it was obvious Gibbs has spent countless hours honing his style. Meanwhile, Madlib, an enigmatic and reclusive producer known for his analog head-nodders, brought along a small thunder tube and vintage electric bongos circa 1960. Just getting a chance to see him ignited excitement in the NPR crowd.

But the conclusive jam in this killer set was "Freestyle S***," a track that drips with the smoothness of satin and swagger of the seventies. It and the rest of the set elevated the room for both longtime purists and new fans alike. But the way Gibbs emphatically showed his love for Madlib was just as beautiful to witness. There's little doubt about their deep admiration and appreciation for each other. It was hands down, for me, the best Tiny Desk of the year.

SET LIST
"Education"
"Gat Damn"
"Soul Right"
"Freestyle S***"

MUSICIANS
Freddie Gibbs: vocals; Madlib: percussion; Leon Michels; saxophone; Homer Steinweiss: drums; Nick Movshon: bass; Marco Benevento: piano; Dave Guy: trumpet

CREDITS
Producers: Abby O'Neill, Morgan Noelle Smith; Creative director: Bob Boilen; Audio engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Noelle Smith, CJ Riculan, Bronson Arcuri, Jack Corbett; Associate producer: Bobby Carter; Executive producer: Lauren Onkey; VP, programming: Anya Grundmann; Photo: Mhari Shaw/NPR

Watch Ty Dolla $ign pay a special tribute to Mac Miller at the Tiny Desk.

More from NPR Music:
Tiny Desk Concerts: https://www.npr.org/tinydesk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nprmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nprmusic

Aug. 8, 2019 | Bobby Carter -- Today, Aug. 8, marks the one-year anniversary of when NPR Music published the late Mac Miller's Tiny Desk. Last week, Ty Dolla $ign visited NPR headquarters to record a fantastic Tiny Desk concert of his own that will air in its entirety soon. But once we wrapped the taping, something special happened: I reminded Ty that he sat at the desk almost a year to the day that his friend, Mac, delivered what would be one of his final performances.

The band paused and huddled. They mulled over a few notes in a matter of seconds then gave me a signal that they were ready. The room was silenced and the cameras started rolling again.

Here's Ty performing a moving rendition of his 2016 collaboration with Mac, "Cinderella" from Mac's fourth studio album, The Divine Feminine. Ty's flanked by two close friends of Mac, Thundercat on bass and Justus West on guitar, both of whom played at the Tiny Desk with the Pittsburgh-born rapper a year ago.

SET LIST
"Cinderella"

MUSICIANS
Ty Dolla $ign: vocals; Thundercat: bass; Justus West: guitar; Cory Henry: keys; Aliandro Prawl: keys; Mike Moore: drums; Ant Clemons: vocals

CREDITS
Producers: Bobby Carter, Morgan Noelle Smith; Creative Director: Bob Boilen; Audio Engineers: Josh Rogosin, James Willetts; Videographers: Morgan Noelle Smith, Bronson Arcuri, CJ Riculan, Kara Frame; Production Assistant: Paul Georgoulis; Photo: Bob Boilen/NPR