The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music's Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It's the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.

Miley Cyrus has always understood that music is theater. So it's no surprise that, visiting the imaginative space that is the Tiny Desk, she transforms it into something both fantastical and true to her topsy-turvy Mileyness.

Cyrus ruled preteen hearts on the small screen before mastering pop stardom's big stages, and throughout her career she's played with sound and image in unexpected and even controversial ways. And she's never balanced pop's glorious artifice with her own soulful authenticity more self-assuredly than she does on her latest album, the rock and roll manifesto Plastic Hearts.

Here, the scene opens with Cyrus, dressed head to toe in rock-star faux fur, in what looks like a teenage girl's bedroom. But the perspective in this pink-and-purple space feels a little ... odd. As Cyrus sings, it becomes clear that this is her Wonderland – like Alice full of magical cake, she's grown to exceed her surroundings. By the end of this three-song set, Cyrus reveals that it's the adolescent enclave that grew too small for her, not the other way around.

The songs Cyrus offers are as direct and affecting as the set is whimsical. Cyrus has lately proven herself one of pop's great interpretive vocalists, and she scores another triumph with her version of Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You," a hazy psychedelic anthem that she infuses with just the edge of the next day's hangover. The two songs from Plastic Hearts that follow are her own bids at classic-rock timelessness. In "Golden G-String" Cyrus assesses her own life in the spotlight with Leonard Cohen-esque charm. And "Prisoner" is the power ballad that lets Cyrus really break out – as she leaves the tiny room — just a box, it turns out, on a soundstage – and joins her band, she's as free and self-confident as she's ever been.

SET LIST
"Fade Into You"
"Golden G-String"
"Prisoner"

MUSICIANS
Miley Cyrus: vocals
Stacy Jones: drums
Mike Schmid: keys
Max Bernstein: guitar
Jamie Arentzen: guitar
Joe Ayoub: bass

CREDITS
Producer: Johnny Pascucci
Director: Alana O'Herlihy
Assistant Director: Steve Bagnara
Director of Photography: Jordan Ritz
Set Design: Eamonn McGlynn
Sound Tech: Johnny Karlsson
FOH/Broadcast Engineer: Paul Hager

TINY DESK TEAM
Producers: Bob Boilen, Bobby Carter
Video Producer: Morgan Noelle Smith
Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
Tiny Production Team: Kara Frame, Maia Stern
Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

Timestamps are pinned in the comments.

No revenue is made off of this video by me personally, but may be monetized by the company / creator of the song.

The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music's Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It's the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.

Oct. 1, 2020 | Bobby Carter -- In this Tiny Desk (home) concert, R&B star Jhené Aiko coasts through an eight-song medley that plays like the ultimate nod to her legions of fans — fans who've been begging for a Tiny Desk for a long time.

The Los Angeles native's star status is a result of her music's versatility and vulnerability. Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo has carved out a space of her own over the past decade, despite a rapidly changing R&B landscape. As a songwriter, she leaves no stone unturned, explicitly expressing her struggle, joy and sexuality while always administering the vibe.

Her latest album, Chilombo, released just before the pandemic hit the U.S., doubled down and leaned into the therapeutic nature of her songs — and that same aesthetic fuels her Tiny Desk. Backed by an ensemble of masked players, Aiko bookends her set with a sound bath of singing bowls that's peace personified through sound.

SET LIST
"Lotus (Intro)"
"Stranger"
"Do Better Blues"
"To Love & Die"
"Born Tired"
"W.A.Y.S."
"Summer 2020"
"Eternal Sunshine"

MUSICIANS
Jhené Aiko: vocals
Julian Le: keys
Bubby: bass
Gracie Sprout: harp
Brain Warfield: percussion

CREDITS
Video By: Brandon Parker
Audio By: Gregg Rominiecki
Producer: Bobby Carter
Audio Mastering Engineer: Josh Rogosin
Video Producer: Morgan Noelle Smith
Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music's Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It's the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.

Dec. 9, 2020 | Lars Gotrich -- "I've never done this without Paramore," Hayley Williams announces during her Tiny Desk (home) concert. For the first time in months, she's joined by a band, including friends and Tiny Desk alumnae Julien Baker and Becca Mancari. And from the moment the camera pans out of a literal tiny desk diorama, a jolt of energy leaps from Williams.

Petals for Armor is a soul-cleansing exhale from years of holding her breath. Originally released in a series of EPs, her solo debut sings through heartache in a tangle of triumph and hard-earned wisdom. It's a pop album that knows sadness can simmer, but also shout over an ever-shifting sonic palette. During the pandemic and protests, Williams has played these songs from her couch with muted restraint, and self-serenaded with acoustic covers — sad songs really can be sympathetic companions during dark days.

But in her home, surrounded by blank canvases, Williams and friends splash a bottled-up energy. The joy is infectious, as "Pure Love" bursts from first bloom, "Taken" shows off Baker's jazzy-funk licks and Williams leans into the "Dead Horse" kiss-off with gleeful abandon.

SET LIST
"Pure Love"
"Taken"
"Dead Horse"

MUSICIANS
Hayley Williams: vocals, keys, guitar
Aaron Steele: drums
Joey Howard: bass
Becca Mancari: synth, vocals
Julien Baker: guitar

CREDITS
Video: Mike Kluge, Jonny Kingsbury, Derec Dunn, Violeta Boix
Audio: Travis Bing
Miniature Art Director: Natalie Hosselton

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Lars Gotrich
Video Producer: Morgan Noelle Smith
Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
Associate Producer: Bobby Carter
Tiny Production Team: Bob Boilen, Kara Frame, Maia Stern
Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

Khruangbin plays a set accompanied by Drippy Eye Projections for Pitchfork Live.

00:00 Intro
00:38 Cómo Me Quieres
04:14 Dern Kala
07:45 August 10
12:41 Friday Morning
19:27 August Twelve
24:45 Mr. White
29:26 Two Fish and an Elephant
34:14 White Gloves
37:19 Lady and Man
42:37 Evan Finds the Third Room
48:19 Maria También

Felix Contreras | December 12, 2022
When The Mavericks brought their long-running tour to the Tiny Desk, we could hear a well-oiled musical machine that has charmed audiences long enough to earn the band a lifetime achievement award from the Americana Music Association.

From the opening strains of "Back In Your Arms Again," we are treated to one of the best voices in the U.S. — that of Raul Malo. Backed by a smooth shuffle, Malo's voice is propelled by the subtle horn blasts that suggest a Tex-Mex border feel, driven home by the accordion.

"Mujer" is a track from the band's 2020 album, its first album of all-Spanish material, which features the band's personality shifting from Americana shuffles to Mexican wedding boleros.

"Come Unto Me" is a Mavericks chestnut and gives a glimpse into why the band is such a crowd favorite. The song filters that bolero feel of the previous song into a slow burner with a shouted chorus at the end that usually has the crowd on its feet and singing along.

The Mavericks are one of the best live shows out on the road these days and masters at bringing new fans into their fold. This performance gives us all a good idea of how the band weaves that magic.

SET LIST
"Back In Your Arms Again"
"Mujer"
"Come Unto Me"

MUSICIANS
Raul Malo: vocals, acoustic guitar
Eddie Perez: acoustic guitar, vocals
Jerry Dale McFadden: piano, vocals
Paul Deakin: drums
Ed Friedland: bass
Percy Cardona: accordion, vocals
Max Abrams: saxophone
Julio Díaz: trumpet, hand percussion
Lorenzo Molina: trumpet, hand percussion, vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Felix Contreras
Director/Editor: Kara Frame
Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin
Creative Director: Bob Boilen
Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Sofia Seidel
Production Assistant: Jill Britton
Tiny Desk Team: Suraya Mohamed, Marissa Lorusso, Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#nprmusic #tinydesk #themavericks

NPR Music's Tiny Desk series will celebrate Black History Month by featuring four weeks of Tiny Desk (home) concerts and playlists by Black artists spanning different genres and generations each week. The lineup includes both emerging and established artists who will be performing a Tiny Desk concert for the first time. This celebration highlights the beautiful cornucopia of Black music and our special way of presenting it. We hope you enjoy.

Suraya Mohamed | February 3, 2021
Candles and books rest on a trunk at the bottom right corner of the wide shot. There, too, are special photographs of alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins with family in his childhood home in Philadelphia. "One of the brightest things about this pandemic was going home to spend time with my mother, father and grandmother after being on the road for a while," Wilkins told NPR recently.

He also had time to meet up with his long time bandmates — Micah Thomas on piano, Daryl Johns on bass, Kweku Sumbry on drums —in Manhattan's Sear Sound studio to record this set. The quartet has been playing together for years, which is remarkable considering Wilkins is only 23 years old. In 2019, they recorded Wilkins' debut album, Omega, and released it last year to high acclaim. The project is all about Blackness, Black theory, the Black experience and the struggle and triumph that go with it all.

With a carefully crafted form and melody, "Grace and Mercy" is a lyrical story about peace, forgiveness and humility. "Warriors" is a driving, dynamic tune that conveys the shield of protection provided by our inner circles. "The Dreamer" is a tender piece that honors the Black writer and activist James Weldon Johnson and is based on his poem "A Midday Dreamer." The opening lines are played effortlessly on bass by Johns and when Wilkins joins in, his melodic saxophone exudes the rhythm of the poem's first stanza: "I love to sit alone, and dream, and dream, and dream..."

SET LIST
"Grace and Mercy"
"Warriors"
"The Dreamer"

MUSICIANS
Immanuel Wilkins: saxophone
Daryl Johns: bass
Micah Thomas: piano
Kweku Sumbry: drums

CREDITS
Video and Audio: Brandon Unpingco, Alessio Romano for Studio 42 Brooklyn and Chris Allen
Creative Direction: Sekai Abeni, Machel Ross
Scenic Design: Frank Oliva, Rodrigo Fernandez
Lighting Consultant: Cheyenne Sykes

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Video Producer: Morgan Noelle Smith
Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
Art Director: CJ Riculan
Associate Producer: Bobby Carter
Tiny Production Team: Bob Boilen, Kara Frame, Maia Stern
Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music's Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It's the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.

Bobby Carter | January 8, 2021
I don't recall any other artist at the Tiny Desk harmonizing their own introduction, but Philadelphia's own Jazmine Sullivan didn't waste a second, greeting us all by flexing those once-in-a-generation chops from the jump. The singer-songwriter, draped in a trench coat while her band sports all black, are nestled in the corner of a dimly lit space resembling a cabaret.

We don't see or hear much from Jazmine Sullivan until she has something to get off her chest. She drops a body of work every five years or so, shakes up the world of R&B with each offering, then quietly goes back to minding her own business. Her latest project, Heaux Tales, is a bold and timely conversation piece addressing truths regarding relationships, sex, social norms, self-worth and a myriad of other topics that women graple with. Each song is masterfully connected to another through unique yet familiar testimonies by women from all walks of life.

She starts her Tiny Desk (home) concert with three extended and reworked selections from Heaux Tales, squeezes in thee fan favorite from 2015's Reality Show, then invites Tiny Desk alum H.E.R. to the stage to close with "Girl Like Me." Ms. Sullivan, her background vocalists and H.E.R. ate this performance up and left not a crumb on the floor.

SET LIST
"Bodies (Intro)"
"The Other Side"
"Lost One"
"Let It Burn"
"Girl Like Me" (featuring H.E.R.)

MUSICIANS
Jazmine Sullivan: vocals
H.E.R.: vocals
Alisa Joe: vocals
Natalie Curtis: vocals
Ayana George: vocals
Dave Watson: drums
Simon Martinez: guitar
Jermaine Blandford: bass
Eric Wortham: keys

CREDITS
Video: Mansa Twin Johnson, Mignotae Kebede, Evan Morsell
Audio: Chauncey Burney
Creative Director: Amaya Segura
Set Design: Matthew Englebert
Executive Producer: Omari Williams

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bobby Carter
Video Producer: Maia Stern
Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
Tiny Production Team: Bob Boilen, Kara Frame, Morgan Noelle Smith
Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

Kanye West Speaks On Sacrificing His Mom For Fame

Kanye West shares some very shocking, never-before-heard details about his late mother Donda’s passing and claims that she was sacrificed for his fame!

The idea that in order to make it in Hollywood you have to literally sacrifice someone you love has been around for decades BUT we don’t often hear a major celebrity openly talk about this…

So what exactly did Kanye reveal about his mom?

#kanyewest

01 The Magnificent Dance 00.00.00 - 00.05.40
02 Justice Tonight/Kick It Over 00.05.40 - 00.14.34
03 Robber Dub 00.14.34 - 19.15
04 Living In Fame 00.19.15 - 00.24.07
05 Silicone On Sapphire 00.24.07 - 00.28.26
06 The Cool Out 00.28.26 - 00.32.18
07 One More Dub 00.32.18 - 00.35.56
08 The Escapades Of Futura Dub 00.35.56 - 00.39.54
09 Version Pardner 00.39.54 - 00.45.15
10 Outside Broadcast/Radio 5 00.45.15 - 00.56.01
11 Mustapha Dance 00.56.01 - 01.00.26
12 Mensforth Dub 01.00.26 - 01.04.12
13 Return To Brixton 01.04.12 - 01.10.43
14 Radio One (Reprise) 01.10.43 - 01.13.40

This Is The Original 2000 Release From Pirate Radio Numero Uno

This performance was recorded on Feb. 12, 2020. We will continue releasing Tiny Desk videos of shows that had already been taped. In light of current events, NPR is postponing new live tapings of Tiny Desk Concerts. In the meantime, check out Tiny Desk (home) concerts! They’re recorded by the artists in their home. It’s the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.

June 17, 2020 | Abby O'Neill -- On a brisk February morning, Alicia Keys, full of effervescence, entered NPR through the loading dock wearing a canary yellow faux fur coat. During our ride to the fourth floor, she joked about how she hadn't been invited to play at the Tiny Desk. That, of course, wasn't exactly true. We worked on and off for years to make this moment happen, and I can say wholeheartedly that it was worth the wait.

Alicia Keys has an aura that you can sense the second she enters a room, or in my case, an elevator. She radiates compassion and kindness. This spirit is the key to Keys's songwriting, which is rooted in introspection and mindfulness.

As she approached her piano, a bit surprised at the amount of people in the room, she smiled and remarked over her shoulder, "Gee, the Tiny Desk is tiny!" She kicked off the set with an uncanny ode to combat the darkness of this moment in American history: "Show Me Love," a single she released in 2019. No one could have predicted then how much her lyrics and musical healing would be crucial during this emotionally fraught time of unprecedented political and racial unrest, heightened by three months of quarantine due to a global pandemic.

The stand-out moment during her Tiny Desk was the premiere of "Gramercy Park", a song from her upcoming self-titled album, ALICIA, which is set to be released this fall. It's one of those timeless songs that will transcend radio formats and genres, with lyrics that address how utter selflessness and worrying about making everyone happy but yourself can throw your own center askew. The song's spiritual refrain is sure to be a sing-along moment for the rest of Keys's career.

She told the crowd after "Gramercy Park" that she's struggled with appeasing people her whole life, but she's trying harder now to set boundaries. Luckily for the Tiny Desk audience, that resolution didn't pertain to this concert. After wrapping up what was to be a three-song set with her latest single "Underdog," which you may have seen her perform at this year's Grammys, the crowd begged for an encore. After crowdsourcing suggestions, she and her band delivered a riveting rendition of Keys's breakout 2001 single, "Fallin'."

The world, now more than ever, needs more love, reflection and accountability – a mantra that's woven into every fiber of Alicia Keys's being and every lyric of her songs.

SET LIST
"Show Me Love"
"Gramercy Park"
"Underdog"
"Fallin'"

MUSICIANS
Alicia Keys: vocals, piano; RAII & Whitney: vocals; Ant Parrish: bass; Curt Chambers: guitar; Mike Reid: drums; Omar Edwards: keys.

CREDITS
Producers: Abby O'Neill, Morgan Noelle Smith, Kara Frame; Creative director: Bob Boilen; Audio engineers: Josh Rogosin, Natasha Branch; Videographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Melany Rochester, Shanti Hands; Editor: Maia Stern; Associate Producer: Bobby Carter; Executive producer: Lauren Onkey; VP, programming: Anya Grundmann; Photo: Kisha Ravi/NPR

June 4, 2018 | Bobby Carter -- Daniel Caesar and his band had a clear vision for their Tiny Desk performance. While already confined to a small space, they opted to congregate at the piano, where producer and music director Matthew Burnett sat to create what feels like a fly-on-the-wall moment. We're presented a purity that's nearly impossible to capture on an album.

The success of Caesar's debut LP, Freudian, has created a groundswell of fanfare and exposure for the 23-year-old singer-songwriter. It was nominated for two Grammys and won two Junos (Canada's equivalent to the Grammys). We've seen him perform on Late Night with Seth Meyers, pop stars are serenading him with his own songs and his set at this year's Coachella festival was one of the most buzzed about (behind the queen Bey, of course). Caesar's is an organic ascent that's yet to reach its peak.

Caesar carries a coy aura about him, until he opens his mouth to sing. The years of training in church, fused with natural talent, is on full display. Supporting vocalists Camille Harrison, Danah Berry and Nevon Sinclair are in tow for the whole ride, providing some of the richest harmonies we've heard at the Tiny Desk. I found myself fixated on the playful manner in which the band members interacted with each other.

Caesar didn't hold back with the set list. He performed his three most-streamed songs (a combined 249,000,000 plays on Spotify alone), including "Best Part," which included a Tiny Desk guest appearance by NPR Music favorite H.E.R.

Set List

"Japanese Denim"
"Get You"
"Best Part (feat. H.E.R.)"

MUSICIANS
Gabriella Wilson (H.E.R.), Ashton Simmonds (Daniel Caesar), Adrien Bent (Drums), Saya Gray (Bass), Matthew Burnett (Piano), Nevon Sinclair (Vocals), Danah Berry (Vocals), Camille Harrison (Vocals)

CREDITS
Producers: Bobby Carter, Morgan Noelle Smith; Creative Director: Bob Boilen; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Niki Walker, CJ Riculan, Kara Frame; Photo: Morgan Noelle Smith/NPR.