AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Between Billie Eilish, Chaka Khan, Doechii, Chappell Roan and dozens of other musicians, 2024 was a big year for the Tiny Desk Concert series. It was also a big year for the Tiny Desk Contest. That's NPR Music's annual search for the next great undiscovered artist. The contest celebrated its 10th anniversary, and the judges picked Sacramento artist The Philharmonik as the winner.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
THE PHILHARMONIK: (Singing) I was told I could be anything that I wanted to be, work hard so you can make money and fulfill your dreams.
CHANG: The Tiny Desk Contest is back for 2025. It kicks off tomorrow. And series producer Bobby Carter talked with our cohost Ari Shapiro all about it.
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
So starting today, artists can enter the contest for the opportunity to play a Tiny Desk concert. They've got to live in the U.S., be over 18 to enter. But how do they win? What are you actually looking for?
BOBBY CARTER, BYLINE: Yes, yes, yes. So basically, artists submit a video themselves playing one original song as they would right here at the Tiny Desk, behind a desk. Listen, we want your best. This isn't a live performance, so perfect it. You know, if you didn't feel it the first time, run it back until you get that gut feeling that you've done something great. You know, our judges will sit through thousands of entries to find the best of the best. You know, we're looking for something fresh, something singular, any genre, something we haven't heard before - whether that's a new sound, a new perspective - something that's going to make us dance or make us sing along, something that's going to make us laugh or even cry. We're just looking for something very special.
SHAPIRO: Let's talk a little bit about the judges because I know the lineup changes every year. Usually, you've got some bold-faced names. Who's in the lineup this year?
CARTER: Yes, yes, yes, we got a power-packed panel of 10 judges this year. Of course, we always have artists who've played the Tiny Desk in the past. This year we have Hurray for the Riff Raff, Audrey Nuna, and we got LaRussell from the Bay area.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHAT WE DOIN!?")
LARUSSELL: Hey, hey. Hey, P-Lo, tell them bring the bass back. (Rapping) I had to execute the plan, a life you could never understand.
CARTER: But we also have some Tiny Desk producers. We have DJs from NPR member stations. And this year, we're going to have some industry experts. So trust and believe, you know, this team, we're going to honor each and every entry with some dedicated eyes and ears.
SHAPIRO: It is high pressure. So what does the winner get? An opportunity to play a Tiny Desk concert, of course...
CARTER: Yes, yes.
SHAPIRO: But what else?
CARTER: Yes, of course, you're going to play the real desk here in Washington, D.C. We're going to take you on a 10-city tour. And we're going to pair you with a mentor, right? Because once you get this big exposure, you got to know what to do, how to move. So we're going to pair you with an industry insider who's going to help you kind of navigate this weird thing we call the music industry.
SHAPIRO: And then there's often this rocket trajectory. I mean, past winners have gone on to achieve such incredible things. Can you tell us about what the Tiny Desk Contest has done for their careers?
CARTER: Yeah, so our very first winner, Fantastic Negrito, he's gone on to win a handful of Grammys.
SHAPIRO: A handful - no biggie (laughter).
CARTER: You know, Tank and the Bangas, you know, that's light work. But Tank and the Bangas, they've been on the Grammy stage as well. They were nominated before. Our winner Gaelynn Lea, she's composed for Broadway. And of course, we have last year's winner, The Philharmonik, who just flat out blew up.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
THE PHILHARMONIK: All right. Hear my words, all right? (Rapping) Come up from the valley of the shadow of death. Take this and I promise that you'll never run out of breath. Live your life 'cause sometimes I know it's hard to expect 'cause when we hurt...
CARTER: His Tiny Desk concert reached 1 million views on YouTube within just a few months. All right, so just imagine being an indie artist with 1 million eyes - with 1 million pairs of eyes on your work, right? It's life-changing, and it's a life-changing start for The Philharmonik. And I think we're ready to take another big leap this year.
SHAPIRO: Well, I hope somebody listening to our voices right now is going to be the one.
CARTER: Yeah.
SHAPIRO: Bobby Carter, host and series producer of NPR's Tiny Desk, announcing the 11th annual Tiny Desk Contest, which opens today. Artists can learn more and submit their song by February 10 at npr.org/tinydeskcontest. Bobby, have fun going through these thousands of submissions.
CARTER: Let's get it, Ari. Good to talk to you, man.
SHAPIRO: You, too.
(SOUNDBITE OF THE PHILHARMONIK SONG, "WHAT'S IT ALL MEAN?") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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