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Opinion – Tiny Desk revived our love of live music sessions

Credit: NPR
By
Benito Juarez, Mexico
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The virality of Tiny Desk sessions shows us that the public prefers a good live session.

If you’re a music fan, you’ve heard about the Tiny Desks, either because your favorite artist had a session or because once in your social media Feed, you discovered an artist you didn’t know thanks to these sessions. 

And if you do not know, I’ll tell you a little about what is Tiny Desk is.

This is a series of intimate concerts in which artists from different countries and musical styles are invited to present their songs live, allowing them to show their talent in a more authentic way and without having to follow a specific structure, giving them more creative freedom.

Now the success of the tiny desk is undeniable, as this concept has been around for more than 15 years.

Still, with the change of the concept of fame and virality, these sessions have gained a new meaning, making them even more impactful and something important to talk about.

The success of NPR’s Tiny Desk can be divided into three parts, so let’s dive in. 

The first is that it abandons the ostentatious and allows us to focus on the music and the essence of the artist and his charisma.

Because the sessions are recorded in an office with the same background, it leaves the viewer no choice but to enjoy what you hear.

This style allows us to value the presence and work of the artists who usually are lost in the background, including backing singers and musicians.

The second is that they welcome any artist, no matter if they are big stars or if they just started building their careers, giving people who enjoy music the opportunity to get to know new artists that most likely were not on their radar.

From the beginning of this was planned to be a Launchpad for new artists, thus giving a worthy stage to proposals that are rarely represented in mass media, since they are not considered commercial.

And finally, and what I truly believe is the key to all its success is that thanks to its nature it reintroduces us to the original style of music which is 100% live, allowing as mentioned before, to make small modifications that resonate more with the public.

This offers us unique versions of songs we love and, as a result on several occasions, these have become more popular than the original versions.

At the same time, it sidelines the new fashion of reducing or leaving aside the live instrumentation for live shows and larger concerts.

Rather than just talking about Tiny Desk, I would recommend a few of my favourites: Chappell Roan, Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso, and BTS. 

Remote Writer Benito Juarez, Mexico

Hello, I\’m Eunice(She/her), born and raised in Mexico. I write about Latin American pop culture, my writing focuses on showcasing emerging talents who are disrupting their respective industries, and to help you discover new things to break your routine.

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