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Floetry: Tiny Desk Concert

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 22:45:36 -0700

This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk celebrates the undeniable legacy of BET. Like the network that put Black artistry first, these sets reflect the essence of Black music.

Mitra I. Arthur | June 2, 2026
Floetry made its way “from London’s SE5 to Philly's west side just to bring the vibe” to the Tiny Desk. And with the poetic flows of Natalie Stewart (aka The Floacist) and a rich, floating soprano from Marsha Ambrosius (aka The Songstress), the vibe in our space was immaculate.

This duo has known and made music with each other since youth — it’s a sisterhood that doesn’t diminish through the ebbs and flows of life. They began their musical journey together in London and found themselves embedded in Philadelphia’s rich music scene, building a catalog of soulful R&B projects that charmed audiences.

Floetry took a moment from its first tour in a decade to stop by the Tiny Desk. The duo starts their set with “Big Ben,” a callback to their U.K. origins. “Butterflies,” co-written by Ambrosius and Andre Harris — and famously performed by Michael Jackson — is mesmerizing as Ambrosius’ voice flutters. Situated in the middle of the set are the sensual “Say Yes” and “Getting Late,” songs that steam up any environment, causing the pair to joke it might be too early in the day for them. There's a palpable joy and playfulness in the little moments between songs; that joy spills over to the audience, who excitedly sing along. Floetry closes with its debut single, “Floetic,” taking the audience back to the 20-somethings who announced their arrival onto the R&B landscape.

SET LIST
“Big Ben”
“SupaStar”
“Butterflies”
“Say Yes”
“Getting Late”
“Floetic”

MUSICIANS
Marsha Ambrosius: vocals:
Natalie Stewart: vocals
E. Will: keys, music director
Steven Johnson: keys
Shago Elizondo: guitar
Mykal Curtis: bass
Nigel Lawrence: percussion
Darryl Staves Jr.: drums
DJ Aktive: DJ

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Mitra I. Arthur
Director: Kara Frame
Audio Engineer/Mix: Josephine Nyounai
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Video Editor: Maia Stern
Videographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern
Audio Engineer: Tiffany Vera Castro
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Michael Zamora
Tiny Desk Team: Josh Newell, Felix Contreras
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#tinydesk #nprmusic #floetry

Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Proud supporters of NPR Music and the Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at Capital One dot com.

Cure For Paranoia, 2026 Tiny Desk Contest Winner: Tiny Desk Concert

Thu, 28 May 2026 21:15:34 -0700

Elle Mannion | May 28, 2026
Cure For Paranoia wants you to believe in yourself. Perseverance, plus a whole lot of talent, is what got the Dallas hip-hop collective to our space after submitting to the Tiny Desk Contest four years in a row.

Here, between laying down clever verses alongside his ten-piece band, frontperson Cameron McCloud introduces the group and their mission. “Ten years ago, I was placed on medication for bipolar depression and paranoid schizophrenia — but it turned out that music was way more therapeutic than medication was, so I created this band, this brand, this movement, called Cure For Paranoia,” he shares. “Making music with these people is my therapy, so hopefully the music we create can be therapy for other people as well.”

No matter how many major names have stopped by the Desk, discovery is still the heart of the series. The Tiny Desk Contest, which we host annually in search of the next great undiscovered artist, is a perfect example of that. This year, we received more than 6,000 entries from independent artists across the country, but one act had undeniable star power. Among our judges, the decision to crown Cure For Paranoia was unanimous.

Each song performed here was once a Contest submission. And each verse in the group’s winning song, “No Brainer,” comes from a project where McCloud posted a new rap verse on Instagram every day of 2025. The last song — called “That Kid Cam,” which is what McCloud went by when he was selling CDs at the mall as a kid — is a set highlight that showcases McCloud’s magnetism, the group’s dynamism and just how far they’ve come since they started believing in the power of their music together.

SET LIST
“The Artshow”
“No Brainer”
“That Kid Cam”

MUSICIANS
Cameron McCloud: vocals
Jay Analog: MPC
Tomahawk Jonez: MPC
Kwinton Gray: keys, background vocals
Mack Price Jr.: guitar
KJ Gray: bass
Emery Varrie III: drums
Nick Rothouse: percussion
Jordan Carr: trumpet
Kierra Gray: background vocals
Dana Harper: background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producers: Elle Mannion, Bobby Carter
Director/Editor: Kara Frame
Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell
Videographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Alanté Serene
Audio Engineer: Tiffany Vera Castro
Production Assistant: Dora Levite
Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez
Tiny Desk Team: Ashley Pointer, Felix Contreras
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#tinydesk #nprmusic #cureforparanoia

Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Proud supporters of NPR Music and the Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at Capital One dot com.

Annahstasia: Tiny Desk Concert

Tue, 26 May 2026 20:45:48 -0700

Elle Mannion | May 26, 2026
Take a deep breath. This is what songwriter Annahstasia tenderly instructs her band to do between songs; it's also an apt description of what listening to her music can feel like.

Annahstasia's voice is soothing, strong, textured and grounded. At the Tiny Desk, it's exquisitely attuned with the band's varied instrumentation. Like deep breaths, each song rises and falls as the group starts softly, builds to a crescendo, then lands in a gentle place.

For the finale, Annahstasia offers a twist on "Villain," a standout track from her debut album Tether. What begins as a song about insecurity now ends with a new, more hopeful verse that she sings over Hailey Niswanger's bird-like whistling: "Take it, take it back / All that you left within me / All the doubt and the fear / When love was always abundant in me."

SET LIST
"Stress Test"
"Be Kind"
"Sunday"
"Villain"

MUSICIANS
Annahstasia: vocals, guitar
Mia Garcia: guitar, bass
Yunus Iyriboz: oud, guitar
Aaron Liao: bass, shruti box, piano, music director
Hailey Niswanger: flute, alto sax
Zander Howard-Scott: cello, piano

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Elle Mannion
Director: Maia Stern
Audio Engineer/Mix: Hannah Gluvna
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant
Video Editor: Nikki Birch
Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#nprmusic #tinydesk #Annahstasia

Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Proud supporters of NPR Music and the Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at Capital One dot com.

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Mon, 25 May 2026 16:00:48 -0700

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Sat, 23 May 2026 15:45:07 -0700

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Laurie Anderson: Tiny Desk Concert

Fri, 22 May 2026 20:15:09 -0700

Tom Huizenga | May 22, 2026
Laurie Anderson has a way of holding our lives up to a mirror, reintroducing us to ourselves, in all our ridiculousness and splendor. Now in her late 70s, the curious-minded visionary maintains her impish smile; her incantations — on everything from the American Dream to Amelia Earhart in this Tiny Desk set — seem more sage-like than ever.

The idea of playing music behind an office desk struck Anderson as just another off-beat idea. She's had hundreds of her own. No one can boast being NASA's first artist in residence and performing a concert for dogs at the Sydney Opera House.

Anderson emerged from a hothouse of visual arts, theatre and music that commingled in lower Manhattan in the early 1970s. She hung out at Philip Glass' loft, she once told me, listening to "organs at ear-bleeding levels," while staring at the ceiling. In 1981, she enjoyed an unexpected hit in "O Superman," and since then has created thoughtful, tech-savvy musical meditations on wide-ranging topics.

Coming straight from the Big Ears Festival, where she played with a seven-piece band, Anderson pared down to a trio for this career-spanning set with violist Martha Mooke and multi-instrumentalist Doug Wieselman.

"Let X=X," with its inscrutable references, random yet consequential, is from her debut album Big Science. It might be telling us what you see is what you get, but also that it's OK to let the unknowable be what it is. "The Letter," which follows, is from her latest, Amelia, a moving travelogue following the flight path of the famed pilot. From the desolation of her late husband Lou Reed's "Dirty Blvd.," Anderson shifts to brief moments of beauty — a paean to the stars above and a dream of being a dog.

SET LIST
"Let X=X"
"The Letter"
"Dirty Blvd."
"The Reason I Love the Stars" (excerpt from "Another Day in America")
"Dog Show"

MUSICIANS
Laurie Anderson: vocals, electronics, violin
Martha Mooke: viola, electronics
Doug Wieselman: guitar, clarinet

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Tom Huizenga
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Engineer/Mix: Josephine Nyounai
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant
Audio Engineer: Tiffany Vera Castro
Production Assistant: Alina Edwards
Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez
Tiny Desk Team: Ashley Pointer, Josh Newell
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#nprmusic #tinydesk #laurieanderson

Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Proud supporters of NPR Music and the Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at Capital One dot com.

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Thu, 21 May 2026 15:30:08 -0700

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RaiNao: Tiny Desk Concert

Wed, 20 May 2026 19:45:07 -0700

Anamaria Sayre | May 20, 2026
What will Caribbean waters and Puerto Rican percussion sound like in the years to come? Hija de la isla RaiNao’s Tiny Desk is here to show us. “Soy hija — especialmente, hija del Mar Caribe y de la hermosa tierra que me había nacer, Puerto Rico,” the artist explained, introducing herself: “I am a daughter — above all, a daughter of the Caribbean Sea and of the beautiful land where I was born, Puerto Rico.”

In her recordings, RaiNao leans into reggaeton and electronic beats, sounds viewed widely as the backbone of the current generation of music in Latin America — sometimes begrudgingly, though increasingly with reverence in the age of Bad Bunny. RaiNao’s Tiny Desk performance presents a different, equally significant version of Puerto Rico’s song spine. Built on guiros, timbales and maracas, it’s a rich homage to an island that beats to bomba, plena and salsa alongside reggaeton.

What RaiNao does in plain sight at the Desk is seamlessly fuse different worlds atop traditional percussion. A traditional drum kit is absent from the set, yet nods to jazz and R&B are strong. She shines through as the tantalizing, easy-listening thread — particularly in the saxophone accents peppered throughout — and her uniqueness puts a name, face and sound to new waves of Puerto Rican creation. Her music offers an important truth: Being a daughter of the island, in its most authentic sense, requires being fiercely, unapologetically you.

SET LIST
“Celular”
“Limbo”
“track4”
“dandovueltasdandovueltasdandovueltasdandovueltasdandovueltasdandovueltasdandovueltas”

MUSICIANS
RaiNao: vocals, tenor sax, maracas
Frido Vargas: guitar, music director, timbal, background vocals
Emilio Mendez Ramirez: keys
Giovanni Ortiz: bass
LuisFra Colon: tenor sax, güiro, flute
Jahaziel Garcia: trumpet
Joey Oyola: trombone
Nubia Marina Garcia: percussion
Naisa Suané: percussion
Deborah Amanda: background vocals
Veronica Rolon: güiro, background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Anamaria Sayre
Director/Editor: Kara Frame
Audio Engineer/Mix: Josephine Nyounai
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Alanté Serene
Audio Engineer: Tiffany Vera Castro
Production Assistants: Dhanika Pineda, Alina Edwards
Photographer: Bronson Arcuri
Tiny Desk Team: Ashley Pointer, Josh Newell
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Copy Editor: Daoud Tyler-Ameen
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#tinydesk #nprmusic #rainao

Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Proud supporters of NPR Music and the Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at Capital One dot com.

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Tue, 19 May 2026 15:00:07 -0700

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Vince Gill: Tiny Desk Concert

Mon, 18 May 2026 19:15:06 -0700

Lars Gotrich | May 18, 2026
Once you're inside of a Vince Gill song, you enter an entire world. In power ballads and two-steppers, he crafts intimate songs about how we treat each other: a relationship that has weathered the decades, one that's broken and another fighting to revive the spark. Some are silly, most are tearjerkers, but in these three-minute songs, you always come away with a full shape of humanity.

For 50 years, that tender storytelling — paired with the voice of an angel and guitar licks that playfully dance on the fretboard — has taken Gill to the Country Hall of Fame. He's collaborated with the likes of Patty Loveless, Dolly Parton and Maren Morris. He's a member of the Eagles. He's Mr. Amy Grant ("The best thing I ever pulled off," he told me.) How do you encapsulate that career into a Tiny Desk? By showing us what's been and what is, with the same care that's guided Gill all along.

This set sandwiches '90s hits with new material in the middle. There's the party song "One More Last Chance" — somewhere, George Jones' ghost is raising hell on a tractor. "Whenever You Come Around," written about the first time Gill saw Grant's smile, will make you swoon. "Heroes" is yet to be released, but will eventually appear on the 50 Years from Home project, where Gill will release one EP per month for one year. "When a Soldier Dies," inspired by a visit to Arlington Cemetery, is one of many songs already featured in that series.

As he strums the familiar chords and the keys play the last song's mournful melody, Gill simply says, "This song came from losing my brother 33 years ago." There are several reasons why "Go Rest High on That Mountain" was just added to the National Recording Registry, Library of Congress' list of significant recordings that reflect the nation's heritage, but mostly, it's a masterful song that not only understands our need to grieve but our capacity to love someone beyond this life.

SET LIST
"One More Last Chance"
"Whenever You Come Around"
"Heroes"
"When a Soldier Dies"
"Go Rest High on That Mountain"

MUSICIANS
Vince Gill: vocals, guitar
John Meador: guitar, background vocals
John Jarvis: keys
Jimmie Lee Sloas: bass
Billy Thomas: drums

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Lars Gotrich
Director/Editor: Kara Frame
Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern
Audio Engineer: Neil Tevault
Production Assistants: Ashley Pointer, Alina Edwards
Photographer: Elizabeth Gillis
Copy Editor: Hazel Cills
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#nprmusic #vincegill #tinydesk

Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Proud supporters of NPR Music and the Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at Capital One dot com.

Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble: Tiny Desk Concert

Fri, 15 May 2026 18:30:08 -0700

Felix Contreras | May 15, 2026
Is it possible to be ubiquitous and behind-the-scenes at the same time? That pretty much sums up Don Was and his long career in the music business.

After co-leading the funky pop-rock band Was (Not Was) in the 1980s, Was went on to win an armful of Grammy awards as a producer. He's worked with Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, Elton John, Ringo Starr and Bob Weir, to name just a few. Since 2012, he has been president of the legendary Blue Note Records.

Was is also a son of Detroit. In recent years, he put together a band under his own name for the first time: Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble. "We are on a mission to promulgate the indigenous sounds of our hometown of Detroit, Michigan," he explains.

This is a tight and powerful group, with an emphasis on the groove, but all eyes and ears are on lead vocalist Steffanie Christi'an. In this Tiny Desk performance, she breathes a very different kind of fire into the Grateful Dead classic "The Music Never Stopped" and smolders on re-working of Hank Williams' "I Ain't Got Nothing But Time." The entire set is a perfect example of how, as the Dead used to say, "the music plays the band."

SET LIST
"The Music Never Stopped"
"You Asked, I Came"
"Midnight Marauders"
"I Ain't Got Nothin' But Time"
"Insane"

MUSICIANS
Don Was: bass
Steffanie Christi'an: vocals
Wayne Gerard Milton: guitar
Luis Resto: keys
Dave McMurray: tenor sax
Vincent Chandler: trombone
John Douglas: trumpet
Jeff Canady: drums
Mahindi Masai: percussion
Herschel Boone: background vocals
Terena Boone: background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Felix Contreras
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Alanté Serene
Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Vanessa Castillo
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#donwas #nprmusic #tinydesk

Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Proud supporters of NPR Music and the Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at Capital One dot com.

Foo Fighters: Tiny Desk Concert

Wed, 13 May 2026 18:00:09 -0700

Robin Hilton | May 13, 2026
Like a lot of artists who play the Tiny Desk, the guys in Foo Fighters carefully curated and worked through their set for weeks leading up to their appearance, even taping out the dimensions of the Desk in a practice space to puzzle-out the close quarters. But once they were in the office, they tossed most of those plans. "If you put instruments in our hands and there are people," Dave Grohl jokes, "it's fun to play!"

For a better part of the last 30 years, Foo Fighters has worn the crown for stadium-sized guitar rock. But for this performance, the band shrinks down that outsized sound to something that fits perfectly behind the Desk, without losing any urgency or oomph. They open big with a banging take on "Spit Shine" from the band's latest album, Your Favorite Toy, followed by "Learn to Fly" from 1999's There is Nothing Left to Lose. They also include the introspective and quieter "Child Actor" (also from the new album), before closing out with "My Hero" and "Everlong," both from 1997's The Colour and the Shape.

SET LIST
"Spit Shine"
"Learn to Fly"
"Child Actor"
"My Hero"
"Everlong"

MUSICIANS
Dave Grohl: vocals, guitar
Pat Smear: guitar
Chris Shiflett: guitar, background vocals
Nate Mendel: bass, background vocals
Rami Jaffee: keys
Ilan Rubin: drums, background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Robin Hilton
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame
Audio Engineer: Neil Tevault
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#foofighters #nprmusic #tinydesk

Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Proud supporters of NPR Music and the Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at Capital One dot com.

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Wed, 13 May 2026 13:30:09 -0700

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JADE: Tiny Desk Concert

Mon, 11 May 2026 17:30:07 -0700

Elle Mannion | May 11, 2026
JADE brings her creative vision to everything she does. The British pop star, a member of the girl group Little Mix, makes her Tiny Desk a "tiny version" of the theatrical stage production that she's been touring for her debut solo album THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! As a result, no props were spared: a cardboard proscenium arch and red curtain for the video's introduction, roses for the Desk and angel wings as she performs next to photos of herself as a child.

"Plastic Box," which made NPR Music's best songs of 2025, is a standout here — the stripped down performance lets the pleading lyrics shine. We also get a rocking rendition of "Angel of My Dreams," JADE's colossal first single, which she says represents her complicated relationship with the music industry and ends with her singing sweetly, "I'll always love you."

SET LIST
"Midnight Cowboy"
"Fantasy"
"Silent Disco"
"Plastic Box"
"Angel of My Dreams"

MUSICIANS
Jade Thirlwall: vocals
Rashaan Brown: piano, keys, guitar
Leanne Bowes: bass, keys
Joe Hornby-Patterson: drums

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Elle Mannion
Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Catie Dull
Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
Production Assistants: Ashley Pointer, Dhanika Pineda, Alina Edwards
Photographer: Danielle Scruggs
Tiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Felix Contreras
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#nprmusic #tinydesk #jade

Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Proud supporters of NPR Music and the Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at Capital One dot com.

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Sat, 09 May 2026 12:30:07 -0700

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KestheBand: Tiny Desk Concert

Fri, 08 May 2026 16:45:08 -0700

Nikki Birch | May 8, 2026
The island has come to Tiny Desk. "Representing for soca music, happy music, love music," leader Kees "Kes" Dieffenthaller tells us, KestheBand opens with "Hello," a warm, Caribbean welcome.

Founded in Trinidad and Tobago, KestheBand is must-play-music in soca DJ sets and a staple at international carnival celebrations. These are the kind of songs that inspire you to whisper their double entendres to your sweetheart and shout them raucously on the road, grabbing onto the night (or a waist) with both hands. While "Rum & Coca-Cola" (co-written by Michael “Tano” Montano), "Jolene," and "Cocoa Tea" (bakes not included) belong to the first category, "Fallin' " and the band's breakout song, "Wotless," exemplify the latter. It's clear from the smiles, waving flags and whining in the office that fun is the order of the day.

KestheBand concludes its performance with "Savannah Grass," a nod to the Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago's capital. Formerly a sugar cane plantation, it's become a vibrant center for culture and celebration for Trinibagoans. The song also holds special significance for Dieffenthaller and his brother, Jon, the band's guitarist. In performing it, they honor the memory of their father, George "Bunny" Dieffenthaller, credited as a co-writer, and their late sister, Danielle, a filmmaker whose pictures can be seen on the Desk. Soca's unique gift is its ability to simultaneously hold space for the bitter and the sweet, for pain and passion — a beautiful reminder that joy has season tickets to the Tiny Desk.

In that spirit, I dedicate this one to my beloved grandmother, the late Mrs. Cecilia Nicholas, aka Ma Cécile, a Saint Lucian who loved KestheBand's music so much that, even well into her 90s, she'd grab a hold of a chair and teach us a thing or two about whining.

SET LIST
"Hello"
"Fallin' "
"Rum & Coca-Cola"
"Jolene"
"Cocoa Tea"
"Wotless"
"Savannah Grass"

MUSICIANS
Kees Dieffenthaller: vocals
Jon Dieffenthaller: guitar
Riad Boochoon: bass
Mario Callender: keys
Geiron Mang: keys
Dean James: drums
Denilson Gulston: percussion
Robert “Robby Styles” Persaud: quattro, percussion
Dane Gulston: steelpan
Terri Lyons: background vocals
Teddyson John: background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producers: Suraya Mohamed, Nikki Birch
Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
Audio Engineer/Mix: Josephine Nyounai
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Mitra I. Arthur
Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Vanessa Castillo
Tiny Desk Team: Josh Newell, Felix Contreras
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#nprmusic #tinydesk #kestheband

Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Proud supporters of NPR Music and the Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at Capital One dot com.

Ragtime: Tiny Desk Concert

Wed, 06 May 2026 16:15:07 -0700

Mitra I. Arthur | May 6, 2026
Ragtime is a tale of history repeating itself. The musical centers on figures from three communities — Black Americans, immigrants and upper class whites — in New York at the dawn of the 20th century and what the American dream means to them as they intersect and, at times, clash. Company members from the Tony-nominated, Lincoln Center Theater revival stop by the Tiny Desk to share a bit of that American dream.

The musical by Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty addresses the fraught topics of racial injustice, workers’ rights, immigration, women’s autonomy, technological innovation, celebrity worship and capitalism. Moreover, Ragtime explores the complexities of love, family, and community and what we owe each other. For a musical set in the early 1900s, these themes still ring loudly.

The journey into this show begins with “New Music,” a song that marks the monumental change that the show’s cast of characters face. Caissie Levy and Brandon Uranowitz’s performance of “Our Children” is a charming, parental reflection on the innocence of youth. Joshua Henry’s warm and enveloping voice perfectly compliments Nichelle Lewis’ sweet tone as their characters Coalhouse and Sarah imagine a bright future with their son in “Wheels of a Dream.” In “Journey On,” Colin Donnell, Uranowitz and Levy present very different relationships to America: one departing with a privileged passion for exploration, one settled in a cage of comfort, and one arriving with hope for better. As he performs “Make Them Hear You,” the show’s call to action, Henry implores: “Go out and tell our story.” That story is not just of the specific story of these characters or this musical, but of what they represent and what we can learn from them.

SET LIST
“New Music”
“Our Children”
“Wheels of a Dream”
“Journey On”
“Make Them Hear You”

MUSICIANS
Joshua Henry: vocals
Caissie Levy: vocals
Brandon Uranowitz: vocals
Colin Donnell: vocals
Nichelle Lewis: vocals
Ben Levi Ross: vocals
Danny Percefull: piano
Eric B. Davis: guitar
Chala Yancy: violin
Epongue Ekille: violin
Tia Allen: viola
Laura Bontrager: cello

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Mitra I. Arthur
Director/Editor: Kara Frame
Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Elizabeth Gillis, Grace Raver
Audio Engineer: Tiffany Vera Castro
Production Assistant: Alina Edwards
Tiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Ashley Pointer
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#tinydesk #nprmusic #ragtime #broadway

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Milo J: Tiny Desk Concert

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:30:12 -0700

Etched with Argentine folklore and fueled by the rap batallas of Buenos Aires, Milo J’s songs call upon the cumulative spirit of the centuries.

Infinity Song: Tiny Desk Concert

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:15:07 -0700

Bobby Carter | April 27, 2026
Infinity Song, a band of siblings, has been on the road to glory for many years. And I can't think of a better proving ground for the Tiny Desk than busking on the streets and in the subways of New York City.

I find it difficult to classify Infinity Song's music. There's definitely a rock influence, but with those sweet harmonies, there's also a soul element that sets them apart from most "soft rock" bands. For this set, the group plays songs from Metamorphosis Complete, including the viral hit "Hater's Anthem." They also indicate a potential new direction, premiering the power ballad "Deja Vu."

Towards the end of Infinity Song's Tiny Desk, each member of the Boyd family makes their exit one by one. Abraham and Angel walk off first, allowing Momo and Israel to let loose on their guitars. Off to the side, Angel's in tears, visibly moved by the performance. "This was a culmination of all the ups and downs of our career," Angel told me afterward. "It just hit me." With their father/manager in the audience, I imagine the journey hits differently when you're with family.

SET LIST
"Sinking Boat"
"Hater's Anthem"
"Deja Vu"
"Metamorphosis"
"Slow Burn"

MUSICIANS
Abraham Boyd: vocals
Angel Boyd: vocals
Israel Boyd: vocals, guitar
Momo Boyd: vocals, guitar
David Tumpkin II: keys
Anthony Boyd: bass
Benaiah Brutus: drums

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bobby Carter
Director: Kara Frame
Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell
Video Editor: Nikki Birch
Videographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Mitra I. Arthur, Razi Jafri
Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
Production Assistant: Alina Edwards
Photographer: Vanessa Castillo
Tiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Ashley Pointer
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#nprmusic #tinydesk #infinitysong

Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Presenting sponsor of the Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at Capital One dot com.

Amaia: Tiny Desk Concert

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:30:19 -0700

Anamaria Sayre | April 23, 2026
Spanish singer Amaia is walking contradiction. She's a multi-instrumentalist, easily traipsing between piano, chair flute and — not featured in this Tiny Desk performance — her signature harp. But all of this hardly compares to a voice that dances between ferocity and softness.

The opener here, "C'est La Vie," jumps from charged piano to luxuriant strings — a perfect embodiment of her musical duality. "Zorongo," a mashup of canon classics "Zorongo Gitano" and "Rumores de la Caleta," lets loose the tremor of flamenco. Her set leaves Spain for a moment with the bachata-fueled "Auxiliar." Last year's Si Abro los Ojos No Es Real aimed to incorporate more global Latin elements and experimental production; this Tiny Desk version of "Giratutto" presents that edgier side of her sweetness.

Back at the piano, Amaia closes with a tribute to a park in her hometown. It's a tender reminder that, even as she plays with her sound, that she will always return to Pamplona.

SET LIST
"C'est La Vie"
"Nanai"
"Zorongo"
"Auxiliar"
"Giratutto"
"Yamaguchi"

MUSICIANS
Amaia: vocals, piano, chair flute
Victor Martinez: guitar, percussion, music director
Luis Martinez: guitar, electronics, percussion
Anika: violin, charango, percussion, background vocals
Zazo: keys, viola
Pedro Campos: bass, keys
Abril Saurí: drums, background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Anamaria Sayre
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Ben de la Cruz
Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
Production Assistants: Dhanika Pineda, Alina Edwards
Photographer: Michael Zamora
Tiny Desk Team: Ashley Pointer, Felix Contreras
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#nprmusic #tinydesk #amaia

Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Presenting sponsor of the Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at Capital One dot com.