*Insert Usher’s “Watch this” meme*
What is a tiny desk concert?
If you’re a music lover odds are that you’ve seen or heard of NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concerts. If you haven’t, you’re welcome! now you have something new to check out. Tiny Desk Concerts are entirely straightforward with the name; it’s essentially a live concert at a tiny desk. Tiny Desk Concerts has something for everyone. The only “flaw”, or part of the magic depending on how you view it is that Tiny Desk is exclusive to just the band, an audience of staff members, and an artist shoved in a tiny corner of an office. The concerts are filmed during a regular workday at NPR’s Washington D.C. headquarters. It was co-created by Bob Boilen, whose desk the concerts are filmed at, and Stephen Thompson in 2008, After being frustrated that they couldn’t hear the music over the crowd noise at a festival.
Tiny Desk Concert has something for every music lover. With musicians from all genres, you can watch some of your favorite artists perform stripped-down versions of their songs, while also being exposed to new artists and genres you normally wouldn’t listen to. An aspect of the concept that can be appreciated is how Tiny Desk has become a platform for Black artists to reclaim their narrative and showcase that we are not a monolith, but have skills that transcend and cross genres and the overall diversity of Black culture in the world of music. See their black history month playlist here.
Peer picked top 3
Coming in at number one and definitely a fan favorite is Chloe x Halle’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert in the height of the pandemic December 2020. It’s always amazing to watch this sister duo in sync and as we know they are no stranger to performing at home(shoutout to the tennis court),but between the harmonies and melodies, it was just an overall beautiful performance and a must watch!
In second place we have Tyler The Creator’s 2017 Tiny Desk, playing hits such as “Boredom”, “See You Again” and “Glitter” at the first nighttime tiny desk!
And lastly, at number 3 we have Mac Miller’s performance at NPR in 2018, One of his last videos before his passing. It is still one of the most watched Tiny Desk Concerts 5 years later.
Writer’s Choice
There’s a few personal favorites on my list of Tiny Desk Concerts, but currently Juvenile’s concert from last summer has been on repeat for me. This concert was apart of NPR’s celebration for Black Music Month in June. When first presented the idea of performing at NPR, the rapper’s response was essentially a “what the heck is that and no”, but in more creative language. It took some reconsideration and a lot of convincing to finally get him there, but this made for one of the most iconic tiny desk concerts to date. He concluded with a performance of “Back That Azz Up,” so energetic that the audience demanded an encore and the band obliged. Another first in Tiny Desk history.