If you love the Tiny Desk, you need to watch Top Shelf

Discover some of our favorite entries in this year's Tiny Desk Contest; plus, a soul-stirring performance by Yaya Bey and more

View this email online April 11, 2024 by Stephen Thompson Discover some of our favorite entries in this year’s Tiny Desk Contest; plus, a soul-stirring performance from Yaya Bey and more. NPR For 10 years, NPR Music has run the annual Tiny Desk Contest, in which our judges sift through thousands of submissions by unsigned musicians and pick a winner. That winner then performs a Tiny Desk concert, gets sent on a national tour and reaps the whirlwind of publicity and audience growth; past winners have gone on to win Grammys (Fantastic Negrito), get nominated for best new artist (Tank and the Bangas) and in many cases sign national label deals. Judges have spent the past couple months sifting through this year’s roughly 6,600 entries, and now we’ve finally reached the absolute best, most exciting and inspiring part of the process: the part where Bobby Carter and All Songs Considered's Robin Hilton host a video series breaking down some of the top entries we’ve received. It’s called Top Shelf, and we’ll be featuring a different Tiny Desk Contest judge each week. If you want a pure, uncut distillation of what makes the Tiny Desk great, it’s all here: the thrill of discovery, deep affection and excitement about undiscovered talent, the sense that every fresh moment is about to reveal something new and great. If you watch this year’s first installment, which dropped last week, you’ll see and hear an incredible selection of performances, with entries from all over the country, across numerous genres and styles. (Keep watching for an opportunity to vote for your favorite entry.) I’ve hung out in the immediate vicinity of the Tiny Desk since before it was the Tiny Desk, and Top Shelf comes as close as I’ve seen to capturing what it’s like. The people who work at NPR Music love music — and music discovery — with boundless, soul-deep affection. Sharing new faces and new voices, getting to facilitate discovery and connection… it’s an absolute thrill, and Bobby knows it better than anyone. For the next few weeks, we’ll publish a new episode of Top Shelf every Thursday at 3 p.m. ET. Last week’s installment features Bobby and Robin — one of the few people I know who can come close to matching Bobby’s passion for new music. Today, we’ll launch Episode 2, featuring Bobby and the great Tiny Desk alum Durand Bernarr. (Seriously, do not miss Bernarr’s 2023 Tiny Desk; it is an experience.) And, while you watch Top Shelf, do yourself a favor and soak up the comments as they roll by on the right-hand side of the screen. I don’t often (read: ever) advocate for reading YouTube comments, but these are some of the most life-affirmingly supportive and enthusiastic commentaries you’ll read. You’ll hear from the showcased artists — and their friends and families — and you’ll encounter little bursts of bliss as curious listeners are converted into proselytizing fans. It’s deeply inspiring stuff, virtually guaranteed to brighten your mood, introduce you to someone great and maybe even help you feel a little better about the world. You can’t beat that. Newsletter continues after sponsor message Tiny Desk updates Congratulations to Erin M. from Tennessee, who won our first Tiny Desk giveaway! We will be flying Erin and a friend to D.C. this summer to watch a concert in person. We've got future ticket giveaways in the works, so watch this space for details on how to enter. As for the Tiny Desk Contest, that winning musician will be announced in mid-May. Introducing NPR Music+, a new way to support what you love and explore new music and conversations sponsor-free. NPR Music+ includes two podcasts with one convenient subscription: All Songs Considered and Alt.Latino, both sponsor-free. Learn more and support us at plus.npr.org/NPRmusic Get NPR Music+ Recent Tiny Desks Yaya Bey performs an emotional, soul-stirring set that reflects her Barbados roots, her life in New York and her deep resilience. Linda May Han Oh is a multi-hyphenate whose career includes work as an in-demand jazz bassist, a versatile composer and a commanding bandleader. El Laberinto del Coco is a genre-bending collective built around the folklore and rhythmic styles of bomba.  Tarta Relena, a Spanish duo, keeps its sound spare — just two voices and some ambient electronics — but lets its words sprawl across five languages in this set alone. Thandiswa Mazwai, one of the most influential musicians in post-Apartheid South Africa, kicks off this year’s Tiny Desk x globalFEST series with a hypnotic, danceable performance. Around public radio KEXP in Seattle had turntable icon DJ Shadow in for a career-spanning live mix. KCRW in Los Angeles brought the irresistible Benny Sings to the Apogee Studio for a six-song set. WFUV in New York City hosted a special event at Greenwich Village’s The Bitter End with singer-songwriter Phosphorescent. WXPN in Philadelphia shared more footage from its 2023 XPoNential Festival, including this emotional performance by Low Cut Connie. KUTX in Austin invited local legend Alejandro Escovedo to Studio 1A to celebrate the release of his new album, Echo Dancing. 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? 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