The Tiny Desk Contest Is Back

Plus, Nina Simone's 'Fodder on My Wings' is coming to streaming services.

by Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna NPR This week, we announced the return of the Tiny Desk Contest: our annual search for the next great undiscovered musician. It’s true that we’ve hosted some big names at the Tiny Desk over the past year (see: Lizzo; Taylor Swift; Sheryl Crow), and as fans, it’s always impressive to see stripped-down sets from superstar artists. But the Tiny Desk is more than that: It’s also an opportunity to share performances by our favorite up-and-coming or under-the-radar artists before they make it big. We started the Contest back in 2014 as a way to do just that: discover and share more great unknown artists. Our five previous winners have gone on to tour the world, sign to record labels and even win Grammys. We’ve also brought artists to the Tiny Desk who we found through the Contest but didn’t win. (If you want to watch them all, check out this playlist of our winners and other Contest artists we love.) So this year, we’re once again asking unsigned artists to enter for the opportunity to play a Tiny Desk concert and go on tour across the country with NPR Music. Entries open on Tuesday, Feb. 11 — all it takes is sending us a video of one original song, performed at a desk. You can find all the details — including the official rules and a checklist to make sure your entry is eligible to win — on the Tiny Desk Contest site. We can’t wait to discover even more new music this year and are looking forward to meeting our winner. Could it be you? Big dreams, Tiny Desk, Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Newsletter continues after sponsor message New Music Need a new playlist refresh? Alt.Latino’s weekly roundup of the best new Latin tracks includes a reimagining of Camila Cabello’s hit “Havana,” the fantastic return of Lido Pimienta and more; Viking’s Choice celebrates the art of glorious wacky stoner-metal album covers; the NPR Classical playlist features a Brexit farewell; and our Station Breaks playlist highlights public radio stations’ favorite emerging artists.  Nina Simone’s Fodder on My Wings was recorded in 1982, but unavailable in the U.S. until 2005. Now the album is getting a reissue, and it’ll finally be available on streaming services. You can hear the first song, “I Sing Just To Know That I’m Alive,” now. This week on All Songs Considered’s New Music Friday shortlist of the best new albums dropping this week: Japanese post-hardcore from Envy, heartfelt rock from Nada Surf and Spanish Love Songs, garage country from Aubrie Sellers and more. Featuring Rapper Yasiin Bey — formerly known as Mos Def — has built a reputation for music and activism that challenges the status quo and questions systems of power. His latest album, Negus, could only be heard by visiting the Brooklyn Museum during a 10-week period beginning last November. Did the setup underscore the album’s potential as a piece of political art — or undermine it?  Last week, pianist Peter Serkin died at the age of 72. A thoughtful musician from a distinguished family, Serkin interpreted the classics and expanded the repertoire by commissioning new works. Delicate and complex, koras are harp-like West African instruments that can stand more than 4 feet tall. Ballaké Sissoko, one of Mali’s most acclaimed musicians, says that his kora was dismantled by TSA agents while he was traveling from New York to Paris. The agency denies it was involved.  The Oscars are this weekend, so we asked our colleague Stephen Thompson to rank the nominees for best original song, from “Into The Unknown” to … everything else. Tiny Desk Catie Dull/NPR Another Sky’s Catrin Vincent went from watching Tiny Desks at work to performing behind the Desk. “I used to work in an infamous thrift shop in London,” she said, “that paid me to sit and watch NPR Tiny Desks on loop, and I used to think, ‘Oh, we'll never get here,’ and we did, so thank you.” Also: it’s been a long week. (Remember the Iowa caucuses?) If you’re looking for a tiny laugh, we rounded up the five funniest Tiny Desk concerts, from emo puppets to a Dan Deacon dance party to the one and only “Weird Al” Yankovic.  One More Thing More Vikings? More Choices? We want to hear from you. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music! You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy