Meet the winner of the 2023 Tiny Desk Contest

Plus, an underground rapper releases his masterpiece.

View this email online May 20, 2023 by Stephen Thompson This week, we’re celebrating the Tiny Desk Contest’s ninth winner — a terrific band from Utah called Little Moon — by looking back on the series’ history so far; plus, Sheldon Pearce hails the new album by rapper billy woods and Louder Than A Riot interviews Rico Nasty Courtesy of the artist I remember the first time I heard someone refer to the Tiny Desk as “an iconic space.” Someone was giving a tour of the NPR offices — this was back before the company moved into the building where we now work, so it was sometime before April 2013 – and waved a hand toward the spot before going on about the stars who’d already performed there. I’ll confess, I laughed at the phrase “an iconic space” and marveled at how words like “iconic” and “legendary” get tossed around like so much confetti these days. (“Gather ’round Grandpappy’s knee as he lectures those within earshot about the diminution of language!”)  And, look, I had a point. That sort of superlative often gets used for mere emphasis — Lord knows I’ve done it, I’m legendary for it — and has been cheapened in the process. There’s more to attaining immortality than simply being a place where things happen, over and over again. But at this point? The Tiny Desk has become pretty iconic! Just about anyone who follows contemporary music closely could identify the space from glancing at a still photograph of it, loads of all-timers have performed there, performers who show up in the office often tell us how long they’ve dreamed of playing there and so on. Even some of the tchotchkes on the shelves — many of which I’ve stashed there myself over the years, often to get them out of the house — have acquired a certain immortality. Even knowing all that, it’s been a unique delight to watch the annual Tiny Desk Contest — in which our panel picks through roughly 6,000 entries each year to find a single winner, who then gets to perform at the desk before heading out on a promotional tour — as it’s acquired a special status of its own. We’ve been holding the contest for nine years now, which is long enough that you could put together a pretty solid mixtape containing just the winning songs. (That’s saying nothing of the entrants who’ve gone viral through the contest and showcased at the Tiny Desk even though they didn’t win.) The first-ever Tiny Desk Contest winner, Fantastic Negrito, has since won three Grammys. Tank and the Bangas, who won in 2017, were nominated for a best new artist Grammy in 2019. Naia Izumi signed a major-label deal. Gaelynn Lea, Quinn Christopherson, Neffy, Linda Diaz… heck, I just saw last year’s winner, Alisa Amador, blissing out in the crowd at MUNA’s Tiny Desk concert a few days ago. (I like to think of past years’ winners just kinda hanging around the building all the time, so this was nice.) In fact, we set up a series page just so you can watch and discover our Tiny Desk Contest winners all in one place.  All of this is a very long windup to announce what you may have already heard: We just announced our latest Tiny Desk Contest winner! It’s a tremendous — some might say legendary — band from Utah called Little Moon, whose song “Wonder Eye” knocked us out. There’s so much going on in that single song: a bit of the indie-big-band vibe you might remember from the late ’00s, a big honking harp and a vocal, courtesy of Emma Hardyman, that fuses delicacy with muscularity. It’s such a striking, catchy tune — soaring and strange, with a certain fragility. I just love it. We’re about to record Little Moon’s performance at the actual, iconic Tiny Desk itself — if you’re slow to read your emails, it may have even happened by the time you read this — and then we’ll send the band on a short tour across eight major cities in June and July. Keep your (wonder) eyes peeled. Newsletter continues after sponsor message More to read, watch and hear On the rare occasion when someone outside my household engages me in conversation, I’m often asked a simple, sometimes-baffling question: “What should I be listening to right now?” Sheldon Pearce has your answer: billy woods’ new album, Maps. Sheldon isn’t afraid to pile on the grandiose comparisons here, as he hails the record in the same breath as Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. and Tyler, The Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost. “Few rappers have more to say,” he writes. “His verses overflow into the margins, setting scenes in asides. There is an underlying acuity that has marked nearly everything he's done since 2018. But this is a full-on master class, even for one of rap's greatest-ever penmen.” It’s good, is what we’re saying. Though I can’t know for sure until we start squabbling in six months, I feel confident in telling you that Maps is gonna come up in our best-of-the-year conversations an awful lot. On the latest episode of Louder Than A Riot, Sidney Madden looks at Rico Nasty, an alt-rapper whose fan army (known as the Nasty Mob) uses her music as an outlet for unleashing pent-up rage and stress. It’s a fascinating and moving story about community, aggression, outsider art and the deep connection that’s formed between a maverick musician and the fans who lift her — and themselves — up. For those of us who loved Joe Pernice’s music in the late ’90s and early ’00s, Lars Gotrich has a lovely piece on the 25th anniversary of Pernice Brothers’ 1998 debut Overcome By Happiness. “These sad, smart and darkly funny portraits swim in a champagne of sound,” Lars writes, “cascading down a pyramid of crystal glasses even as the lives portrayed seem to drown in a dive bar.” The record just received a deluxe reissue, so now’s a perfect time to revisit it. Brittney McKenna reviews the new self-titled album by country super-songwriter Brandy Clark, whose songs — produced this time by Brandi Carlile — have never sounded more personal or specific to her own experiences.  Looking for new episodes of All Songs Considered and New Music Friday? Well, we’ve got ’em for you anyway! Bob Boilen rounds up new songs by Fred again.. and Brian Eno, Youth Lagoon, dodie and more, while Robin Hilton showcases album releases from Aminé and KAYTRANADA, Paul Simon, Kesha and others. Tom Huizenga interviews Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir, whose music “is difficult to summarize because it is perpetually transforming. It feels both otherworldly and elemental, as if forces of nature, from massive galaxies to tiny granules, are regenerating themselves to create new, unknown structures, essential for life.” That sounds pretty good, right? Each May, our pals at WXPN in Philadelphia host the NON-COMMvention, which brings together public-radio music stations across the country. Earlier this month, they recorded videos of full NON-COMM concerts from Bailen, Joshua Henry, GA-20 and Low Cut Connie. Tiny Desk Catie Dull/NPR Karol G is having a moment right now. She recently became the first female artist to top the Billboard album chart with a Spanish-language album. Her performance on Saturday Night Live helped announce her presence as a multiformat superstar — and, because of the writers strike, ended up tying a bow on the SNL season altogether. She’s been a star for a while, having won a Latin Grammy for best new artist back in 2018, but she’s never been bigger. So it was an extra treat to see the Colombian singer shedding the big-time stage accouterments (in-ear monitors, that sort of thing) for an intimate set at the Tiny Desk. Also this week: Scottish singer, songwriter and hit-making balladeer Lewis Capaldi gives you a world premiere, lots of self-effacing humor, laughter and tears — the works! — not to mention his biggest hit so far. And the Tiny Desk’s Broadway division continued its winning streak by hosting the cast of Kimberly Akimbo, who performed at the desk a day before the musical received eight Tony nominations. One More Thing Doug E. Fresh wants you to watch for the warning signs of a stroke. 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