Tiny Desk Contest
Entries We Love
Throughout the Contest, we've been sharing some of the 2021 entries that have caught our eyes and ears. Below, you can check out a playlist of all the entries we've featured on the All Songs Considered blog this year.
And starting on Thursday, July 22, join us weekly for Tiny Desk Contest Top Shelf, our livestream series highlighting our judges' favorite entries.
See The Latest
Tiny Desk Contest
Here's the full lineup from the 2025 Tiny Desk Contest tour
July 25, 2025 • Meet the stacked list of past entrants and secret headliners who joined Contest winner Ruby Ibarra on the road.
Tiny Desk Contest
Here are some of the best folk and country entries in this year's Tiny Desk Contest
July 24, 2025 • NPR Music's 2025 Tiny Desk Contest got more than 7,000 entries, including some standouts in the folk and country genres.Tiny Desk Contest
Tiny Desk Contestant Lawd Ito talks about his tradition and what inspires him
July 19, 2025 • Singer–songwriter Lawd Ito draws inspiration from his Afro-Caribbean roots. He tells us about his Tiny Desk entry, "Aguanile," which opens with a prayer.Tiny Desk Contest
The best Latin Tiny Desk Contest entries
July 15, 2025 • NPR Music received a record number of entries to this year's Tiny Desk Contest: 7,500. The judges discovered so many amazing entries, and now we're sharing some of those standouts here.Meet The Winners
2020:
Linda Diaz
Hailing from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Linda Diaz is a singer-songwriter — and former scholastic chess champion — with a sparkling stage presence. Her euphoric and calming music swirls R&B hooks with soulful melodies, often wrapping powerful, self-affirming messages in a warm yet refreshing sound.
2019:
Quinn Christopherson
Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, Quinn Christopherson is an Athabaskan and Inupiaq songwriter who combines thoughtful songwriting with a powerful sense of perspective. His music is warm and vulnerable; in it, he reflects on his childhood, honors the relationships in his life and addresses his role as a transgender individual navigating Alaska's social landscape.
2018:
Naia Izumi
Naia Izumi's entry video for "Soft Spoken," recorded in his home studio in Los Angeles, showcases his virtuoistic talent and the gentle spirit he brings to his music.
2017:
Tank and the Bangas
New Orleans’ Tank and the Bangas conveys its freewheeling spirit through a sound that combines pop, hip-hop, funk, spoken word and musical theater. The band’s entry video won over our judges with its undeniable, joyful energy.
Since winning the Contest, Tank and the Bangas has played to sold-out crowds across the United States and Europe, including performing at Coachella and headlining NPR Music's 10th birthday party.
2016:
Gaelynn Lea
Gaelynn Lea has been playing violin for more than 20 years. She builds on a repertoire of traditional Celtic and American fiddle music, writing original songs that incorporate folk-rock influences, looping tracks and an inventive style.
Since winning the Contest, Gaelynn has toured the world and played at renowned venues including The Kennedy Center and House of Blues Chicago. She is also an advocate for people with disabilities.
2015:
Fantastic Negrito
Fantastic Negrito’s winning entry in the 2015 Tiny Desk Contest was a raw, soulful performance captured at a makeshift desk in a freight elevator.
Since winning the Tiny Desk Contest, Fantastic Negrito has played at a number of major music festivals and at Madison Square Garden, and has won three Grammy awards.