Tag: NPR Music

Stephen Thompson | October 27, 2025 Here’s a crucial reminder from The Beaches: It’s always summer somewhere. The Toronto band released one of 2025’s most effervescent albums, No Hard Feelings, in late August. Its new-wave-inflected pop-rock jams — about bad love, queer love, bad queer love and a life built around the steadfast refusal to let a good party end — would have made a perfect soundtrack for the defiant joy of Pride Month back in June. But, with darkness falling earlier and earlier, they seemed to know something we didn’t: that the world needs these songs now more than [See More…]

Alanté Serene | October 24, 2025 Asake arrived at the office with a warm smile and a quiet confidence that instantly bloomed as he stepped behind the Desk. The Nigerian artist is known for his high-energy stage presence, but this concert shows just how effortlessly he can blend the sounds of Afrobeats, amapiano and Fuji in an intimate setting. Grounded in his Yoruba roots, Asake’s music unites people across cultures worldwide. This set pulls hits from his last three projects, laced together in a seamless medley and backed by a stellar band. By the end, Asake joins in on the [See More…]

Isabella Gomez Sarmiento | October 22, 2025 Parcels does not shy away from abundance. The Australian quintet’s songs often feature a myriad of guitars, rivaling piano and synths, slinky basslines, pulsing drums and four (yes, four) vocalists. But the group opens its Tiny Desk concert with a secret weapon: hauntingly bare harmonies, backed only by gentle keys and guitar, that transform a snippet of the irresistibly catchy “Leaveyourlove” into a solemn oath of devotion. It’s a stunningly stripped-down choice for a band that can — and does — properly rock out, with explosive live performances that turn its glossy, electro-pop [See More…]

Bobby Carter | October 20, 2025 Onome Edgeworth, Kokoroko’s band leader and percussionist, told us: “Up until today, I thought, ‘No chance. This is going to go horribly wrong.’ ” It’s not uncommon for bands to come into our space with doubts. Still, in Edgeworth’s case, the insecurities were quickly shed: the NPR crowd gave “good vibes” and, more importantly, this young group of British musicians is just so naturally talented. The timing couldn’t be better for this Tiny Desk. The themes and motivation behind Kokoroko’s latest album, Tuff Times Never Last, speak directly to what many people are going [See More…]

Bobby Carter | October 17, 2025 Kevin Parker’s team came back with two words: “all acoustic.” I was dumbfounded, not only by the notion of an acoustic Tame Impala set but also by the idea of the band playing the real Tiny Desk. In 2020, Tame Impala was able to toe and, by some standards, cross the line for its Tiny Desk (home) concert. Here at NPR headquarters, Parker and the crew had to relinquish a certain level of control. “Let’s just try it and see what happens,” Parker told me. From a production standpoint, it feels like Tame Impala [See More…]

This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an ‘El Tiny’ takeover. Anamaria Sayre | October 15, 2025 Silvana Estrada was born and raised in Veracruz, a seaside state known for its breathtaking ocean views and son jarocho, one of Mexico’s most storied folk styles. But against the backdrop of its beauty, there’s pain. Estrada confronts these realities in her art; she brings audiences to tears with her powerful, yet elegant vocals, but never leaves them without hope. In the five years I’ve come to work — and become friends — with [See More…]

This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an ‘El Tiny’ takeover. Anamaria Sayre | October 10, 2025 Street sweeping by night in Mexico City and writing music when he could and where he could, Macario Martínez turned his longing into songs with beautiful lyrics and simple guitar picking. “¿Cómo es que me duele el no saber?” he sings on “Sueña Lindo, Corazón,” the song that exploded on TikTok. How come the not knowing hurts so much? Martínez translates that feeling — wanting what you’re not sure you can have — into [See More…]

This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an ‘El Tiny’ takeover. Anamaria Sayre | October 6, 2025 The Tiny Desk has witnessed some pretty legendary guitar solos. Shrouded in fog, this one opens with some shred played by a puppet. Only the deeply beloved 31 Minutos could pull off such a dramatic feat, even at the Desk. 31 Minutos is a Chilean TV show, but more than that, it’s an institution of Latin American children’s programming. Known for being equal parts educational and just plain silly, it’s smart, cutting and dynamic [See More…]

This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an ‘El Tiny’ takeover. Anamaria Sayre | September 25, 2025 The song that opens Chuwi’s Tiny Desk is quick, coy and questioning. In staggered vocals, keys and percussion, the Puerto Rican band gently tells a story about a life well-lived, but something lingers. “Que me faltara,” they all sing. What am I missing? This is a common theme throughout Chuwi’s music — that the members love their family, their island, their home — but, like many Puerto Ricans, they still seek something better: “un [See More…]

This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an ‘El Tiny’ takeover. Felix Contreras | September 23, 2025 Imagine the burden of not only being a well known and respected musician but also an indelible icon of your country’s folk tradition. That is the mantle that Carlos Vives carries for his native Colombia. During his turn behind the Tiny Desk, he takes on the role with a deep sense of pride and musical mastery. In 1995, Vives released La Tierra del Olvido, a landmark recording that introduced the world to Colombia’s vallenato [See More…]