Big Dreams, Tiny Desk: The Tiny Desk Contest Is Back!

Plus, meet the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees.

View this email online by Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna NPR If you have big dreams of playing a Tiny Desk concert (or if you know someone who does) now’s your time: This week, we started accepting entries for the 2021 Tiny Desk Contest. This is our seventh year holding a nationwide search for the next great undiscovered artist to come play behind Bob Boilen’s desk, and we’re so excited about all the great music we’re going to hear. As is tradition, we gave a special shout out to the very first Contest entry of the year; this time, it came from Minneapolis-based artist Kahlen., who submitted their entry just three minutes after the Contest opened. We also hosted a virtual event called Tiny Desk Contest Family Hour, which brought together all of the previous winners — that's Fantastic Negrito, Gaelynn Lea, Tank and the Bangas, Naia Izumi, Quinn Christopherson and Linda Diaz — for the first time. Each of the winners shared a performance of the song that won them the Contest, plus another great song — and then two of our winners joined Bob live to talk about what winning the Contest has meant for them. You can hear it all on All Songs Considered. You can learn more about the Contest at npr.org/tinydeskcontest. When you're ready to enter, create a new video of you playing one original song (at a desk!) and upload it to YouTube; then, fill out our entry form. If you've still got any questions, you can check out the Contest's official rules and FAQs, or read this helpful checklist to make sure your entry is eligible to win. We can’t wait to hear from you. Big dreams, Tiny Desk, Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Newsletter continues after sponsor message New Music This week’s new mix from All Songs Considered kicks off with a new song from Torres, which songwriter Mackenize Scott says is “the most fun song” she’s ever written. Plus, the first new music in several years from both Brazilian songwriter Rodrigo Amarante and New York City band Caveman. On Annie Clark’s first five albums as St. Vincent, “her music had largely tendriled toward the future,” writes critic Sasha Geffen. But on Daddy’s Home, her latest, she retreats into a vision of the 1970s, muffling some of her most inspiring impulses under a curtain of nostalgia. The best albums out on May 14 include a new release from English singer-songwriter Jorja Smith, a staggering new project from saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, the debut mixtape from the rap duo Paris Texas and more. Hear our conversation about them on All Songs Considered’s New Music Friday. Featuring Tina Turner, Todd Rundgren, Carole King, Jay-Z, The Go-Go's and Foo Fighters have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The inclusion of Turner, King and The Go-Go's makes it the first time three female artists have been inducted in the Performers category in a single class. Pervis Staples, a founding member of the Staple Singers, died suddenly in his home in Dolton, Ill., on May 6. He was 85 years old. In a family statement, his sister Mavis Staples said, “He was one of the good guys and will live on as a true Chicago legend.” When Helen Sung performed at Dizzy’s Club on March 1, 2020, the pianist never expected it would be more than one full year before she returned to the stage. In a Jazz Night In America concert filmed at Dizzy’s on March 11, 2021, Sung and her quartet play several pieces born out of the sorrow, loss and anxiety caused by the pandemic. From NPR Live Sessions: Watch Neal Francis perform an exclusive session from Shirk Studios in Chicago, Ill., for NON-COMM 2021. Tiny Desk NPR Surrounded by personal artifacts, from her great-grandfather’s desk to a painting by a cousin, Ani DiFranco was a one-woman crew for her Tiny Desk (home) concert, filming and recording herself from her New Orleans home and studio, Big Blue. At the time of recording, DiFranco was planning to move after more than a decade, making her (home) concert likely one of the last performances to take place at Big Blue. Also this week: Set against a bucolic background scrim, Sara Watkins and her band performed reimagined children’s music – and music from her childhood – as reinterpreted on her recent release, Under The Pepper Tree. And for AAPI Heritage Month, we asked Margaret Cho – comedian, podcaster and actress – to share a new Tiny Desk Playlist of the concerts that she can’t stop replaying. Her picks include BTS, Mitski and Megan Thee Stallion. Incoming Next week marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Marvin Gaye’s What's Going On. We’ll be sharing a reflection from Mark Anthony Neal on the larger context the record was born into, from the major musical releases and key historical events of 1971. One More Thing As Future once said, “Mask off.” (Sort of.) Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WUFT 89.1 (edit station). 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