Yahritza y Su Esencia Perform as Part of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert

Posted on August 27, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Yahritza Martinez and her siblings are celebrating a tiny accomplishmen.

Yahritza y Su Esencia, made up of the16-year-old Mexican American singer and her two brothers Armando (Mando) Martínez and Jairo Martínez, is the latest act to perform for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert.

The Regional Mexican band serenaded fans with their ultra-emotional songs on love and heartbreak. Singing with such pathos, as ever, Yahritza first belts out the melancholic “Soy El Único,” the group’s debut single released last year.

“Thank you,” Yahritza says with a chuckle at the end of the song and quickly introduces the next one on the setlist. “This next song, ‘Déjalo Ir,’ I also wrote when I was 13 so let’s get it.”

Backed by her older brothers, who show off their killer guitar skills, Yahritza also sang “Inseparables,” “No Se Puede Decir Adiós” and “Frágil.”

Hailing from the Yakima Valley in the state of Washington, Yahritza y Su Esencia had a breakout year in 2022.

The first song they ever released, “Soy El Único,” entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 20 and made Yahritza the youngest Latin performer to debut on the chart at just 15 years old.

The act subsequently notched its first No. 1 on Regional Mexican Albums with its Obsessed EP, scored a Latin Grammy Award nod for best new artist and, by July, signed with Columbia Records in a partnership with Lumbre Music and Sony Music Latin.

The three siblings are currently on their first-ever U.S. tour visiting West Coast cities such as Seattle, Portland, San Diego and Phoenix, among others.

Other Latin stars that have recorded Tiny Desk Concerts include Kany García, Karol G, Carla Morrison, Carin Leon, Farruko and Tokischa, among others.

Kany García Performs for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Series

Posted on July 24, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Kany García is embracing a tiny but impressive moment…

The 40-year-old Puerto Rican singer and songwriter is the latest Latin star to perform for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series.

The intimate setting is fitting for García’s personal, deep lyrics which touch on love, heartbreak and beyond.

She kicked off her nearly 17-minute set with the gorgeous “Para Siempre” from her 2018 album Soy Yo. After that, she transitioned into “Búscame,” included on Mesa Para Dos (2020), explaining the meaning behind the song: “There’s so many songs that I wrote about relationship, sadness and all those kind of things and I never write songs about the people that I always feel like home, that people that I owe them a lot of things so this is a song for them.”

Love and heartbreak weren’t the only topics she touched on. The Latin Grammy-winning artist also paid tribute to immigrants across the world with her poignant “Mundo Inventado,” which loosely translates to an invented world. “This is a very special song for me because it’s a song that I’m talking about immigrants and as you know, they are people who have never given up in many parts of the world,” García introduced the song. “And thanks to the all the immigrants I think we make cities, countries and all these places a better place.”

After singing those songs, each one from a different album, she ended with one from her latest set, El Amor Que Merecemos. The empowering and liberating flamenco-tinged pop song “DPM (De Pxta Madre)” closed her set, which she prefaced with a few words: “It’s a phrase that we always use like for many things. Like, ‘F–k I won the lottery’ or ‘F–k I have a very bad day.’ This is song is about when you realize that all the people that are mean to you, they are no longer in your life and you’re grateful for that so you are [feeling] de puta madre.”

Other Latin stars that have recorded Tiny Desk Concerts include Karol G, Carla Morrison, Carin Leon, Farruko and Tokischa, among others.

Karol G Performs “Mañana Será Bonito” Singles During Second “Tiny Desk Concert”

Posted on May 15, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Karol G is back at the (tiny) desk…

The 32-year-old Colombian superstar returned to NPR’s headquarters for her second “Tiny Desk Concert,” which premiered on Monday, May 15.

The 17-minute acoustic performance, where she was accompanied by an all-girl music ensemble, included new versions of four tracks from her Billboard history-making album Mañana Será Bonito. She kicked it off the mini-set with the ultra-personal “Carolina.”

“I have to say that I’m super proud of them because this show is special,” she said of the talented musicians. “It’s the first time after eight years that I never rehearse with my In-Ears. I forgot how cool it feels. I feel like I’m in my home, with my people, drinking wine […] but now, let’s bring some Mexican vibes to this place!” she added before performing her heartfelt Banda track “Gucci Los Paños.”

Rocking a trucker hat, a yellow jacket, and blue locks, the Colombian artist expressed “I don’t know why I’m so nervous,” she said. “The album is super new and this is the first time I’m singing some of the songs here, and they feel so good in this version.”

She then performed a sultry reggae version of her Quevedo-assisted “Pero Tú” and a heartfelt bossanova version of “Mercurio.”

“Tiny Desk, thanks for the opportunity, this is super great and it kind of takes us out of the routine of what we normally do,” she noted. “It was a pleasure for all those who are at home, to share this moment with you and to share it in this way that is so personal for many reasons.”

Karol made her NPR debut in 2021 for a “Tiny Desk Home Concert,” where she performed “Creeme,” “A Ella,” “200 Copas” with special guest Danny Felix, and “Contigo Voy a Muerte” with special guest Camilo.

Mon Laferte Delivers Impassioned Tiny Desk (Home) Concert for NPR

Posted on January 12, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a nice day for a white wedding-like performance for Mon Laferte…

In a church-like setting surrounded by white candles for a divine ambiance, the 38-year-old Chilean singer, songwriter and musician delivered a spiritual Tiny Desk (Home) Concert for NPR this week.

An impassioned Laferte sang some of her most well-known songs, including “Tu Falta de Querer,” “Por Qué Me Fui A Enamorar de Ti,” “Se Me Va a Quemar el Corazón” and “Placer Hollywood.”

Accompanied by a 10-piece orchestra, with instruments ranging from a jarana, an oboe, a tuba and violins, Laferte recorded her Tiny Desk Concert from Tepoztlán, Mexico, where she currently lives.

Dressed in all white from head to toe with red roses adorning her hair, Laferte’s baby bump was also in full display.

This isn’t the first time Laferte has appeared in a Tiny Desk Concert.

Back in 2018, she made her debut in the Juanes and Mon Laferte Tiny Desk Concert, where together they performed “Amárrame” and “Fotografía.”

“It’s a pregnancy I looked for,” Laferte told Billboard during a red carpet interview at the Latin Grammys in November.

“While I was in the process of getting pregnant, I began writing songs and it’s completely different. I was very hopeful but at the same time anxious and fearful and all of that was captured in my new album (SEIS). It’s so different to create from this new place.”

Laferte’s SEIS, her first regional Mexican album that’s home to “Se Me Va a Quemar el Corazón,” is up for best regional Mexican album at the Grammys.

At the Latin Grammys, the 14-track set won best singer-songwriter album.

“The entire writing process [for the album] was very solitary, bleak and melancholic, because I was like everyone else, just filled with uncertainty about what was going to happen,” she previously told Billboard. “So I clung onto my music and my guitar because I thought, if the world ends, I at least want people to know how I was feeling. I wanted to sing about personal experiences, past and future loves, the love I have for my mom and other women.”

Nicki Nicole Presents NPR “Tiny Desk (Home) Concert”

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a tiny moment for Nicki Nicole…

Joined by an 11-member band, the 21-year-old Argentine rapper and singer presented her NPR “Tiny Desk (Home) Concert” this week, in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

The rising Argentine star gave a select performance of her hits a different twist, kicking off with a tango-infused version of “Colocao.”

She continues to flaunt her effortless swagger and soulful, powerhouse vocals in tracks such as “Mala Vida,” “Wapo Traketero” and “Freestyle.”

Nicki also performed her stripped-down, ultra-personal ballad “Parte de Mi” and wrapped up with the groovy, chachacha “Baby.”

Lau Noah Enchants During NPR “Tiny Desk Concert”

Posted on February 12, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Lau Noah is having a Tiny moment…

The Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist, among a new wave of Spanish artists making their mark globally, is the latest act to give a Tiny Desk Concert at the National Public Radio offices.

Noah, who is enchanting music lovers one song at a time, flaunted her poetic lyrics and magical flamencoguitar riffs in a nearly 16-minute set that included five songs, wrapping with “La Realidad.”

According to NPR, she speaks and sings in Catalan, Spanish, English and sometimes Hebrew. She played the piano growing up and left Spain for New York City five years ago while still a teen.

“There’s a language we speak in the Northeast of Spain called Catalan in a region called Catalonia, this is where I come from,” she said during her performance before delivering her song “L’Adéu.” “And for many years I only sang in English because I was too scared of what they would say if I sang in my mother language. I’m not anymore. I’m really happy to share a song in Catalan with you.”

https://www.npr.org/2019/02/08/692656041/lau-noah-tiny-desk-concert?jwsource=cl

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