El Tiny takes over the Tiny Desk

'Alt.Latino' is back — plus, our 1,000th Tiny Desk.

View this email online Sept. 17, 2022 by Marissa Lorusso This week, we’re sharing news about the relaunch of Alt.Latino — plus, the Tiny Desk hits a big milestone.  Mike Morgan for NPR This week saw the return of Alt.Latino, NPR Music’s podcast about Latinx arts and culture, after an extended hiatus. Longtime host Felix Contreras will now be joined by a new co-host, Anamaria Sayre. Plus, Sept. 15 marked the beginning of Latinx Heritage Month, and to celebrate, the Alt.Latino team is taking over the Tiny Desk. I asked Anamaria to tell me a little bit about all this exciting news, and here’s what she said: It’s been a couple days since the re-launch of our beloved Alt.Latino and the release of our first episode with indie cariño Omar Apollo — plus, he performed a Tiny Desk concert as part of our Latinx Heritage Month series. To say it’s been a whirlwind wouldn’t even begin to encapsulate the tornado level of chaos that comes from launching a year-in-the-making reimagined show and a month-long El Tiny takeover, all in the same week. The new Alt.Latino is all about being in true community with artists as people — understanding their journey to where they are and the creative spirit that got them there. In the show, we’ll be focusing on one-on-one interviews with artists — independent of press cycles or album releases. Each episode, me and my co-host (and Alt.Latino creator) Felix Contreras will sit down with a different living legend or rising star to discuss Latinx culture, familia and the shared borders of our experiences. Plus, for Latinx Heritage Month, we’re bringing a ton of amazing Latinx artists to the Tiny Desk for our second annual Tiny Desk takeover, including Tokischa, Jessie Reyez and many more. Music is an undeniable, inescapable backbone in our community. It’s how we love, how we lose and how we share who we are. I got to know my family through their love of Chente — as, I recently learned, did Omar Apollo. On the podcast, we talked about his relationship with his family, his time growing up in Indiana and his experience jamming with Pharrell. Over the past 12 years, Felix built such a steady foundation for the show, but we still didn’t quite know what to expect sending this new version of Alt.Latino into the world. Since our launch, we've felt an incredible level of joy and stunned gratitude over the outpouring of love for the show. This is exactly what we wanted Alt.Latino be: a show that entertains and excites and has fun, to be sure, but above all else, that feels like it’s part of every aspect of your life. Like it’s the story you hear at the backyard fiesta or at the dinner table. It’s just a little cafecito and conversation with someone who you feel connected with, who gets you, but who also happens to make music you really love. Con mi corazón entero, Anamaria Newsletter continues after sponsor message More to read, watch and hear Julia Wolfe is a Pulitzer winner, a MacArthur "genius" and the co-founder of Bang on a Can. This week, we shared an interview with the composer about her own battles for representation, her progressive approach to her career, her love of Led Zeppelin and the folk and rock traditions that are woven into her very American sound. Quinn Christopherson won the 2019 Tiny Desk Contest with a moving song about gender and privilege called “Erase Me.” That song is now the final track on the Alaskan singer-songwriter’s new debut album, Write Your Name In Pink — a fitting closer for a collection of intimate, detailed-oriented songs that try to make peace with the hand life has dealt. Rina Sawayama’s 2020 debut album was filled with clever, surprising hybrids that pilfered from Y2K pop and nu-metal. But her new record, Hold The Girl, doesn’t quite keep pace, writes critic Laura Snapes. While her sophomore release sometimes matches intensity with innovation, it more often “grinds her nuanced story to a paste.” This week, our friends at WNXP shared a video of Silvana Estrada performing live from the station’s Sonic Cathedral, and Jazz Night in America shared a video of a live performance by pianist and vocalist Damien Sneed. Tiny Desk NPR This week, we hit a huge (Tiny) milestone: the 1,000th Tiny Desk concert. For the occasion, Angélique Kidjo gave an inspiring, celebratory performance behind the Desk, with a special appearance from Sampa The Great. Plus, to celebrate, we made a supercut of some of our favorite Tiny Desk moments. We also shared a Tiny Desk concert from Allison Russell, who performed songs from her astounding, unclassifiable album Outside Child. One More Thing Inside the hidden world of an opera prompter Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WBEZ (edit station). Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy