A Round-Up of The Best NPR Music Tiny Desk Concerts So Far

Source: YouTube / NPR

NPR Music’s Tiny Desk concert series has stolen the hearts of music lovers around the world. Fans are sharing and ranking their favorite artists Tiny Desk concerts online. Obviously, we had to create a list of our favorites inside. The beloved Tiny Desk concert series presented by NPR has evolved since its inception April 22, 2008. The series was created by “All Songs Considered” hosts Bob Boilen and Stephen Thompson. They conjured up the coveted series after leaving a bar show, frustrated that they couldn’t hear the music over the crowd noise.

When Boilen introduced the first ever Tiny Desk Concert in 2008 he shared, “So we’re going to video tape this for our blog and maybe it’s the start of something and maybe it’s not.”

Boilen later shared that he “never really thought that it would go much beyond a little novelty thing that we did now and again.”

The name “Tiny Desk Concert” is a double entendre that references Boilen’s old psychedelic band the Tiny Desk Unit, and that artists literally play at his desk. Now 15 years later, the series has been a complete success from that very first video.

The platform has created so many viral social media moments like Usher’s popular “watch this” instance, which stemmed from his very own Tiny Desk concert.

Fans share how NPR’s wondrous music series has allowed them to discover new artists, be exposed to different music across cultures and given them the music experience they have been craving.

Famed social media personality and comedian Kevin Fredericks (@kevonstage) shared that most of his favorite Tiny Desk concerts are in a different language all together.

Another fan shared that the popular concert series has helped them discover new artists like Anderson .Paak when he appeared on the platform back in 2016. https://twitter.com/__iRey_/status/1681075206276669441?s=20 Other supporters feel like they are experiencing a live music performance from their TV or computer screens.

Those that get it, get it. We love NPR Music’s Tiny Desk concert series and often cover our favorites. It was only right to share a list of the best concert series so far.