I'm writing today with an update to this yearâs Contest: Because of the coronavirus pandemic, our annual On The Road tour with our winner wonât be happening. YouTube/NPR
Justin Trawick and The Common Good entered the 2020 Tiny Desk Contest with the song "Goodbye." hide caption. Gina is a Latin pop singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas whose music showcases openness and warmth.
Tiny Desk Contest: Rita Houston Raina Douris is an award-winning radio personality from Toronto, Ontario and a host of WXPNâs World Cafe. Meet Linda Diaz, The Winner Of The 2020 Tiny Desk Contest August 4, 2020 • Host Ari Shapiro talks with Linda Diaz, the winner of this year's NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest. August 4, 2020 Host Ari Shapiro talks with Linda Diaz, the winner of this year's NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest. —Elle Mannion, Hometown: New York, N.Y. Pairs well with: Stomping around your apartment and making too much noise, It's just Abigail and Shaun Bengson in their entry "Pulls Out," but you'd be forgiven for thinking there are more musicians involved. The duo manages to create expansive electronic sound using just their voices, a looper, a drum pad and the unexpected instrument that gives the song its depth — an accordion. hide caption. The series will lead up to our 2020 Tiny Desk Contest winner announcement, and our winner will still come to NPRâs headquarters in Washington, D.C. to perform at the Tiny Desk when itâs safe to do so.Â. Quinn Christopherson is an Athabaskan and Inupiaq songwriter.
NPR NPR A magnetic singer and songwriter, Brittany makes powerful music that tells stories with vision and empathy. July 30, 2020 Live on YouTube, Bob Boilen and Kevin Cole will watch their favorites entries to the 2020 Contest and discuss what made them stand out from the thousands we saw this year.
A still from the music video for "I'm So Happy I Cry" NPR
Our judges are combing through the amazing videos you sent us to find the next great Tiny Desk performer. Weâre so disappointed about this news, but our priority is to keep everyone in the Contest community safe.
Sign up for the Tiny Desk Contest newsletter to be the first to hear about this year's winner. hide caption. hide caption. Thereâs nothing that can replace the magical feeling of being in a room full of people who were brought together by this Contest, or the thrill of discovering new great artists in that special setting.Â, Though weâll be missing you this year, we think we have an exciting alternative:Â a new virtual series, a listening party of sorts, with our judges and Member stations that we'll be announcing soon.
Weâre watching every single entry right now and will announce the winner here soon! However, songwriter Emma Hardyman says the song "came from very dark and difficult circumstances" and repeats the word "nyctophilia" throughout, which the artist says means "love of darkness and night; finding comfort in the darkness." May 18, 2020 Heat Check salutes the 2020 Tiny Desk Contest entries that could hold their own among the worlds of R&B, hip-hop, reggae, pop and more. Tiny Desk Contest Top Shelf: Quinn Christopherson Jurors have included Trey Anastasio of Phish, Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, and Jess Wolfe of Lucius. Going on tour with our winner and meeting dozens of artists in their local music scenes has been a highlight of the Contest every year. He also hosts a weekly show called The Rhythm Lab. July 21, 2020 Each year, the Tiny Desk Contest receives entries from all 50 states, thanks to help from NPR Member stations across the country. "I've always loved music," says Lauren Eylise. June 11, 2020 Live on YouTube, Bob Boilen and Bobby Carter will watch their favorites entries to the 2020 Contest and discuss what made them stand out from the thousands we saw this year. Find your band's entry, or just have a look around at what everyone's been creating.Â. The entry video is also complex sonically, as it creates a collage of socially distant instruments — a harp, a clarinet, a french horn and more — all held together by the glaze of Hardymon's clear, piping voice. A jury of musicians and NPR staff choose a winner to play a Tiny Desk Concert.
June 25, 2020 Live on YouTube, Bob Boilen and Raina Douris watched their favorites entries to the 2020 Contest and discussed what made them stand out from the thousands we saw this year. Set against that backdrop, Abigail's voice really shines as she belts out the song's syncopated earworm chorus.
hide caption. Musically, Sabella hits the somber Americana ballad sweet spot: balancing delicate, vulnerable melodies with a sing-along chorus that you are free to scream out behind the wheel of your car, in the shower or whatever your preferred location may be.
Darling Din entered the 2020 Tiny Desk Contest with the song "Velvet." It's a sweet and groovy love song; singer and synth player Sydney Harding-Sloan's voice floats above the track, gently answered by the other two members of the trio until all three meet in harmony.
The contest has continued annually, each year drawing more than 6000 submissions. June 18, 2020 Live on YouTube, Bob Boilen and Brittany Howard watched their favorites entries to the 2020 Contest and discussed what made these videos stand out from the thousands we saw this year.
We've seen entries from every state in the country; from big bands and solo artists; and from a huge range of styles and genres — and now, our judges will start to comb through our entries to find a winner. As we comb through entries to find our winner, we're sharing songs that help us feel connected in this time of isolation and uncertainty. Tiny Desk Contest Top Shelf premieres June 11 at 3 p.m. August 23, 2020 Every year, the Tiny Desk Contest attracts thousands of unsigned musicians. hide caption. Her song "On Your Side" was written during a time of healing. YouTube/NPR Kevin J. Watkins/Courtesy of the artist
hide caption. June 9, 2020 To give you a sense of what our team saw in the thousands of Contest entries this year, we're counting down the 2020 Contest by the numbers. YouTube/NPR Her entry, "Green Tea Ice Cream" is a dreamy R&B song anchored by her skilled and soulful voice.
(Please do not attach mp3s to emails). —Elle Mannion, Hometown: Berkeley, Calif. Pairs well with: Lighting a candle in remembrance, Diana Gameros has entered the Contest for several years — and has impressed us with her stunning, emotional songs each time. YouTube/NPR Courtesy of the artist Tiny Desk Contest Top Shelf: Gina Chavez Meaghan Maples, aka Mama Haze, was one of the standout artists in the 2020 Tiny Desk Contest. "It's my second language."
hide caption. Our hope is that it will create that sense of being in a room together experiencing new music in a time when we canât physically be together.
NPR This week's selection includes songs perfect …