Want To Play A Tiny Desk Concert? Enter The Tiny Desk Contest.

Plus, remembering Betty Davis.

View this email online Feb. 12, 2022 by Marissa Lorusso This week, we’re sharing news about the Tiny Desk Contest — plus, our favorite new albums out this week. NPR The Tiny Desk is a pretty special place. Back when we all worked from the office, my team genuinely looked forward to having our day gently interrupted by, say, a 23-person marching band, a Mellotron ensemble, a tear-jerking singer-songwriter or an iconic rapper settling in behind Bob Boilen’s desk. And since we’ve been working remotely, it’s been wonderful to watch artists share Tiny Desk (home) concerts from around the world, shot in locations that are meaningful to them.  It’s true that we’ve had some big names perform at the Tiny Desk. But the series is more than that. It’s a celebration of music discovery, and often gives us a chance to share performances by our favorite under-the-radar and up-and-coming artists. That’s why, in 2015, Bob started the Tiny Desk Contest: an annual search for the next great undiscovered artist to play a Tiny Desk concert. Since then, the Contest has introduced us to the soulful blues of Fantastic Negrito, the powerful songwriting of Quinn Christopherson and the ineffable joy of Tank and the Bangas. This week, we started accepting entries to the 2022 Contest (and as is tradition, we gave a special shout out to the very first entry). If you are – or you know – an unsigned artist who wants to play behind the Tiny Desk, you have until March 14 to enter. All it takes is a video of you performing one original song behind a desk of your choosing. You can learn more, and read the official rules, on the Tiny Desk Contest website. Newsletter continues after sponsor message New Music This week on New Music Friday from All Songs Considered: a perfectly executed banger from Mary J. Blige, a raging solo album from Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, the alien sounds of alt-j and more. After his breakout single, “On The Regular,” blew up in 2014, the singer and songwriter Shamir says the media often focused more on his identity as a nonbinary artist than his music. Seven years and a few records later, his latest release, Heterosexuality, is filled with honest, vulnerable songwriting that attempts to tackle some of the trauma that resulted from that initial spark of attention.  Chicago rapper Saba gained critical acclaim for his 2018 album, CARE FOR ME, which he wrote after the murder of his cousin. His lushly produced new album, FEW GOOD THINGS, finds Saba trying to balance that loss and uncertainty with much-needed reassurance, honing a perspective on the things that really matter in life. On her debut album, R&B singer Raveena turned hardship into softly unspooling lullabies of resilience. On her latest release, Asha’s Awakening, she gets cosmic — embracing a lusher sound and writing from the perspective of a futuristic Punjabi space princess. The result is an album that’s joyous and warm, bringing a new depth to even her most personal songs. Featuring This week, the influential funk musician Betty Davis died at the age of 77. Davis’ albums from the mid-1970s helped to shape stylish, Afrofuturist strains of funk and hip-hop, and have inspired contemporary artists like Erykah Badu and Janelle Monáe. Japanese-American pop star Hikaru Utada’s 1999 album First Love is Japan's best-selling album of all time; Utada is also beloved for writing the pop theme songs for the video game Kingdom Hearts and the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime franchises. Nearly a quarter-century into their far-reaching career, Utada is still finding new ways to express all facets of the self; they spoke to writer Michelle Hyun Kim about their latest release and the boundary-breaking impact of their career. Scott Joplin first published his enduring hit tune "The Entertainer” in 1902, at the dawn of a new century. In a recent essay, accompanied by photos featuring a variety of dances inspired by music from the 20th century, pianist Lara Downes recalls the first time she heard “The Entertainer,” and reflects on the way the piece helped shape the future of American music. Immanuel Wilkins’ latest album, The 7th Hand, “synthesizes lessons learned at the altar and on the bandstand,” writes WBGO’s Nate Chinen, “with a keen awareness of African-American cultural history.” This week, our friends at Jazz Night in America published a video of a recent performance by Wilkins and his band at PhilaMOCA. This week, our friends at WUNC shared a live performance video from blues singer and guitarist Buffalo Nichols Tiny Desk NPR This week, our Black History Month celebration at the Tiny Desk continued with a performance by celebrated jazz singer Catherine Russell. Plus, wild food educator Alexis Nikole Nelson, aka Black Forager, shares a playlist of her favorite Tiny Desk concerts. One More Thing Encanto, reconsidered. Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WUFT 89.1 (edit station). Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music 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! 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