Tiny Desk Concert
clipping. Perform Tiny Desk (Home) Concert: Watch
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-08T19:59:05+00:00“>April 8, 2021 | 3:59pm ET The experimental rap trio clipping. have shared their “(Home)” version of NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series, and they really took the “tiny” aspect to its most extreme point. In a typical, non-pandemic-times Tiny Desk concert, the guest artist performs an intimate set while stuffed behind desks in NPR’s actual office workspace. Throughout the coronavirus, NPR has kept the Tiny Desk institution alive by having musicians send in pre-recorded sets from their homes or studios, but clipping. decided to switch up that now-predictable format. For their contribution to the Tiny Desk Meets SXSW series, the group — rapper Daveed Diggs and...
Rick Ross Performs Atop a Throne During NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert: Watch
Rick Ross is the latest artist to appear on NPR’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert series, which is currently celebrating Black History Month. True to his Boss nickname, he performed a lavish 20-minute set while perched atop a gold-plated throne. According to NPR, the concert marks the Miami rapper’s only second time performing with a live band. During the set, which took place in a gallery space owned by Miami artist Rich B Caliente, the Maybach Music Group label head ran through some of his biggest hits, including “B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast)” and “Aston Martin Music”, as well as fan favorites like “I’m Not a Star” and “Tears of Joy”. Ross’ most recent album was 2019’s Port of Miami 2, the sequel to his breakout 2006 debut. In 2020, he made guest appearances on projects by Freddie Gibbs, Te...
Chloe x Halle Perform NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert: Watch
The Bailey sisters Chloe x Halle took their Grammy-nominated album Ungodly Hour for a spin in a new NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert. While the performance took place in a studio setting, the ground was festooned with homey touches: plants, books, candle holders, and childhood memorabilia courtesy of the duo’s mother. After opening with “Don’t Make It Harder on Me”, elder sister Chloe paused to acknowledge the pandemic and the effect it’s had on everyone’s mental health. She said, “I know this year 2020 has been absolutely bonkers for all of us. For those moments where you kinda feel less than, and you’re not good enough, that’s why we wrote this song: for ourselves, as a mantra, to let ourselves know that whatever happens, we’ll be OK. And this is our world.” From there, the sisters...
Dua Lipa Performs First-Ever Tiny Desk (Home) Concert: Watch
Dua Lipa has had a truly breakout year, and she’s riding the wave all the way through to the end: today, the pop star officially made her NPR Tiny Desk debut. Lipa performed a “Home” edition of the long-running concert series that featured stripped-back versions of songs from her Grammy-nominated 2020 album Future Nostalgia . Although these renditions of “Levitating”, “Pretty Please”, “Love Again”, and “Don’t Start Now” are more minimal than the glossy forms they took on Future Nostalgia, the performance was by no means a solo set. Lipa was joined by the six-person backing band that she would’ve been touring the world with if 2020 didn’t turn out the way it did, and they all added a great deal of warmth and color that complements Lipa’s absolutely spot-on singing. In between songs, the 25-...
Conway the Machine Performs Tiny Desk (Home) Concert from Restaurant Booth: Watch
As Conway the Machine demonstrates on his new NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert, he’s equally comfortable posting up in the recording booth as he is in the corner booth of a friendly chicken and waffles joint. On location at Sweet Chick in Queens, New York, the Machine powered through a five-track set that drew heavily on his excellent new album From King to a God. He also received tableside service, gratefully accepting a plate of the house special and a side of mac and cheese. He kicked things off with two FKTG cuts, “Lemon” and “Front Lines”. Before this latter rendition, he explained how the killing of George Floyd impacted him, saying, “I got inspired to do this record kinda like… well, it didn’t start with the George Floyd killing, it’s been going on. But that one in particular, it k...
Billie Eilish and Finneas Recreate NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Set for At-Home Performance
With many, including the NPR Music staff, working from home, musicians have been recording themselves performing the iconic Tiny Desk sets themselves. Whether it’s been in their homes or in the Caribbean, fans have been treated to a variety of looks in the series. But Billie Eilish and Finneas brought us back to tradition — kind of. In the latest episode of Tiny Desk at-home, they are seen sitting in what looks like the NPR Music office in Washington, D.C. However, as editor Stephen Thompson explained, “the NPR Music staff can’t set foot in the building that houses Bob Boilen’s desk.” So what happened? After performing “My Future” and “Everything I Wanted,” the camera starts to pan out and show that it’s actually a set that was built to look like the original Tiny Desk set up. And what we ...
Nilüfer Yanya Debuts New Song “Day 7” During NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert: Watch
Nilüfer Yanya landed on both our Top 50 Songs and Top 50 Albums of 2019 lists thanks to her incredible debut album, Miss Universe. Today, she’s made her return to the spotlight with a new song, “Day 7”, which she premiered a performance for NPR’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert series. This is technically Yanya’s second entry in the Tiny Desk catalog. Last year, the English artist visited the NPR headquarters to play a full-band Tiny Desk set featuring three tracks from Miss Universe. For this new edition, which was recorded at a studio in Cornwall, England, she turned in a solo performances of three other songs from that record: “Heat Rises”, “Paralysed”, and “Heavyweight Champion of the Year”. In between the familiar tracks, she unveiled “Day 7”. Like her previously released material, “Day...
Local Natives Team with Sylvan Esso for New Version of “Dark Days”: Stream
Local Natives (photo by Jonathan Chu) and Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath (photo by Shervin Lainez) Way back in March — when bands were still able to perform for live audiences — Local Natives debuted a new version of their song “Dark Days” featuring Sylvan Esso’s Amealia Meath on Kimmel. Today, they’ve shared the studio version of the indie collaboration. The update of the track from 2016’s Sunlit Youth finds Meath adding a brand new verse that, as Local Natives puts it, “taps into the nostalgia and the longing we all feel for a different time.” The new take was mixed by Spike Stent, known for his work with Madonna and Björk. “It was a joy to dip into summertime with Local Natives,” Meath said of working with the band. “‘Dark Days’ is a beautiful illustration of being youn...
