“Attitude of gratitude”

A message from Fantastic Negrito, plus August updates from the Contest community

View this email online Our first-ever Contest winner, Fantastic Negrito, entered the Contest in 2015 with a dream and a video he shot in one take. After winning, he slowly began to realize how it would change his life — that there would “be a huge spotlight put on” what he was doing. “It was going to be like busking on the streets — on steroids," he recently told us.  Since winning the inaugural Contest, Fantastic Negrito has gone on to headline world tours, win three Grammy Awards, release a handful of albums and — true to the Tiny Desk Contest’s collaborative spirit — become a catalyst for creativity in his local Oakland community. We caught up with Fantastic Negrito at the last stop of our Tiny Desk Contest On The Road tour back in June, and we’re excited to share his journey with you today. As you’ll see in the video, one thing that has remained the same since winning the Contest all those years ago: his humility. “I have an attitude of gratitude,” says the multi-Grammy Award winner. “I don’t expect anything.” Newsletter continues after sponsor message Before we can share details on next year’s Contest (yes, it is happening!), we’re using this newsletter to share monthly updates from artists in the Contest community. Here’s what some of you have been up to in August: Celeste Tauchar, aka Talker, a Los Angeles-based artist whose entries we’ve loved over the years, released a new music video for her song “IRL.” Halley Greg, an artist who joined us at the Seattle stop of this year’s On The Road tour, released her second album, Straitjacket, along with a music video for her song “Lead To Life.” Alto Moon, an artist who performed at the Atlanta stop of this year’s tour, released a new single called “Dirty.” 2019 Contest winner Quinn Christopherson’s new single “Celine” was featured on NPR Music’s #NowPlaying blog. (Quinn also just wrapped up his shows performing on The Wild Hearts tour, opening for Tiny Desk alums Julien Baker, Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen.) Jack Rabbit, a duo who performed at the Los Angeles stop of this year’s On The Road tour, released a cover of Tiny Desk alum Harry Styles’ “Adore You.” (This felt especially appropriate to share today since “it’s Chewsday.”)  If you have something to share with the Contest community, let us know by replying to this email! We’ll continue to share your updates in the upcoming months.  From the Desk,  NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest team Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WBEZ (edit station). What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: tinydeskcontest@npr.org Interested in connecting with music-lovers and music-makers across the Contest community? Join our Tiny Desk Contest Community Facebook Group! Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music! Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Music, Books, Pop Culture and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Tiny Desk Contest emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy