NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts are MTV Unplugged for the new millennium. Since launching in 2009, the space — a tight 12½-by-13½ feet — has spawned a staggering 1,230 performances, been graced by the world’s biggest pop stars, and gotten spoofed on SNL. The recurring sets see artists from across the spectrum commune at the desk of former NPR host and producer Bob Boilen, performing their music without adornment. In the cubicle, there’s nothing to hide behind; artists are surrounded by tchotchkes left there by previous guests — stuffed animals, figurines, band merch — while the songs, voices, and instruments are laid bare for all to hear.
As the popularity of the concerts has grown, so have their ambition and execution. The earliest performances were produced almost guerilla style, battling the unfavorable acoustics of an office setting designed without considering its future use as a live music venue. One need only compare early sets from Laura Gibson and Weird Al to the sprawling ensembles brought by the likes of Usher and Juvenile to see dramatic differences in production value. But through trial and error, NPR’s talented producers and engineers have managed to adapt the space into one of the most coveted bookings in the country.
Although the series has since evolved beyond the individual taste of its founders and country of origin, with Tiny Desk franchises now found in both Japan and Korea, its spirit has remained constant: It is a vehicle for discovery, free of pomp and circumstance. In celebration of that achievement, we’ve compiled a ranking of our 50 favorite sets, judged by presentation, arrangement of the songs, and overall execution of the performance. To help narrow down the overwhelmingly vast field, we only included sets recorded behind the desk in D.C. We also did our best to highlight the diverse range of sounds the series has come to showcase in the hope that you might find your new favorite song, set, or artist. So slide into your Herman Miller, freshen up that coffee, and free up some browser tabs as we run through some of the best music ever intended to be consumed in a cubicle.
50.
Laura Gibson (2009)
The one that started it all. As the legend goes, NPR producers Bob Boilen and Stephen Thompson were at SXSW in 2008 and lamented that they couldn’t hear Laura Gibson’s set over the crowd noise. Thompson half-joked that they should just have her play at Boilen’s desk in D.C.; Boilen took him seriously, and he booked Gibson for a short acoustic performance on a Monday morning for a small group of NPR staffers. The performance is soft and delicate, with the few people in attendance affording Gibson the reverent silence that was so lacking in Austin. “We’re going to videotape this for our blog,” Boilen said in his intro. “Maybe it’s the start of something and maybe it’s not.”
49.
Waxahatchee (2013)
One benefit to booking a concert series based on the individual tastes of a few editors and producers is that you occasionally get a set from a prodigious talent before they’re fully formed. Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield, seen here in an early performance after the release of her second LP, Cerulean Salt, is clearly nervous behind the desk, and her voice occasionally cracks. But the climax on “Bathtub” lands like a gut punch. “This is one of the coolest things I’ve ever gotten to do,” she sheepishly admits. That would not be true for much longer.
48.
Blue Man Group (2016)
You’d think a bunch of discerning music nerds might be averse to the mute goofiness of three dudes covered in blue latex. Thankfully, they are not, as Blue Man Group’s pared-down performance manages to capture some of the childlike wonder that made them a worldwide phenomenon.
47.
Los Hacheros (2016)
There hasn’t been too much salsa on Tiny Desk, but Puerto Rican six-piece Los Hacheros (Spanish for “the Axemen”) brought the flavor to D.C., switching styles between old-school charanga and the trombone-heavy ’70s New York sound. It’s impossible to stand idle within the radius of a properly rocking salsa band, evidenced by Tío NPR Alt.Latino host Felix Contreras, who jumps in on congas for set closer “Bambulaye.”
46.
Moon Hooch (2014)
Armed with nothing more than a drum kit and two saxophones — one of which has been upgraded with a four-foot traffic cone — Moon Hooch blows away the Tiny Desk crowd with their propulsive and infectious “cave music.”
45.
Gaelynn Lea (2016)
The winner of the second Tiny Desk Contest, Lea makes original music rooted in Irish fiddle tradition that sounds anything but traditional. On “Someday We’ll Linger in the Sun,” the strings and her voice ache in haunting harmony. Halfway through, Boilen casually mentions that her good friend Alan Sparhawk (of the band Low), with whom Lea has a band called the Murder of Crows, will be joining her for two of their songs; their duet is almost funereal, both somber and gorgeous, buoyed by an indomitable optimism.
44.
Adele (2011)
Just a keyboard, acoustic guitar, and The Voice. But it’s enough.
43.
Masego (2019)
Masego’s Tiny Desk Concert feels like smooth-jazz vaudeville, replete with goofy props, borderline dad jokes, and some sexy saxophone.
42.
Tash Sultana (2017)
Artists that use loop pedals are well suited for the confines of Tiny Desk, allowing them to pack an entire band’s worth of gear into a suitcase or two. Tash Sultana exudes enough intensity for a five-piece all on her own.
41.
Ezra Collective (2022)
Some of the brightest stars of London’s surging jazz scene take advantage of the low noise floor of the venue to navigate from high-energy uptempo swings into quiet, gentle melodies without missing a beat.
40.
Natalia Lafourcade (2017)
The songs Natalia Lafourcade brought to her 2017 Tiny Desk concert were drawn from Musas, her love letter to the Mexican folk music of her youth. While that record features standards done in the style of her hometown of Veracruz, the three she plays here are originals, performed with reverence — and an assist from OGs Juan Carlos Allende and Miguel Peña.
39.
Sting & Shaggy (2019)
A Sting and Shaggy collab seems surprising only until you see the pair posted up behind the desk, bouncing to the basslines from Sting’s weathered instrument. Because of course a hip English rocker (who Shaggy affectionately calls “Sting-y”) during the late ’70s and ’80s would rock with reggae backbeats. The performance is undoubtedly stronger than the duo’s 2018 studio LP 44/876.
38.
Yaya Bey (2024)
Yaya Bey’s music is like a familial kickback. Here she sounds smooth, honest, and vulnerable, playing cuts from across her last three releases in between riffs on the state of the world, the recent passing of her father, and the struggles of performing with long COVID.
37.
Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires (2017)
Few manage the one-way small talk during tuning changes as effortlessly as Jason Isbell. For this performance with the 400 Unit–promoted The Nashville Sound, Isbell plucks a young man from the crowd to play guitar on “Last of My Kind,” fulfilling a dream of a younger Isbell, who used to find himself on the other side of the stage.
36.
Tyler Childers (2018)
Some artists make a relatively elaborate production of their Tiny Desk, with large backing bands and multiple vocalists. But sets like this one from Tyler Childers are a reminder that the only requirement is one person with a great song.
35.
Natalie Merchant (2016)
The perfect venue for a performance of Natalie Merchant’s intimately reimagined debut solo album, this Tiny Desk features the Italian American singer-songwriter with minimal accompaniment. The fewer distractions the better — not even a potentially disastrous bit of crowdwork recruiting the NPR crowd to join her in an ancient religious hymn is enough to derail this showcase.
34.
Noname (2023)
Artists don’t typically get repeat invites to the Tiny Desk. But Noname’s evolution from precocious poet to community activist is drastic enough to warrant a revisit. The artist who pulled up to perform cuts from her 2023 stunner Sundials was decidedly wiser and more mature, resulting in a set that was as much revelation as it was reintroduction.
33.
Snarky Puppy (2019)
Snarky Puppy’s Tiny Desk is what happens when you take the jazz nerds to the office and make them jam with the gospel band.
32.
Saba (2018)
Some of the best Tiny Desk sets can feel like a loosely scripted jam session. Take the group assembled by Saba. Each musician here was responsible for contributions to the rapper’s 2018 LP Care for Me, allowing the audience a glimpse at the energy present at the time of its creation.
31.
Juanes & Mon Laferte (2018)
For much of the last two decades, the Chilean-born Mon Laferte has carved out space as one of the defining voices of Mexican indie-pop, offering an alternative take on boleros. In 2018, she hit the road with Colombian superstar Juanes, making a stop at the Tiny Desk along the way. Seeing Juanes perform outside the context of the massive stadiums he sells out is a little jarring, but Laferte’s surplus of personality (and sensuality) complements his relative demureness.
30.
‘Weird Al’ Yankovic (2010)
Considering the near ubiquity of his parodies, it can be easy to forget that “Weird” Al Yankovic’s albums include original music. This set from early in Tiny Desk history showcases some of his sardonic wit with a pair of James Taylor–esque folk tunes: one about a paramour with murderous impulses (“You Don’t Love Me Anymore”) and another from the POV of a psychopath fondly reminiscing about a youth spent torturing animals and murdering his teacher (“Good Old Days”).
29.
Tank and the Bangas (2017)
New Orleans is the kind of city that might have ten virtually unknown bands capable of blowing you away on a random Thursday night. After winning the 2017 Tiny Desk Contest and blowing away the room with this set, “unknown” was no longer an applicable descriptor for Tank & the Bangas, a jazz-and-funk seven-piece fronted by Tarriona “Tank” Ball and Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph.
28.
Julien Baker (2016)
How can someone that tiny make music that sounds this massive?
27.
Oddisee (2015)
Rap shows on Tiny Desk are particularly challenging. Adapting music that’s often electronically produced and sample based for a live setting leads some big-budget rappers to bring huge bands and backup singers. Oddisee needs none of that.
26.
SWV (2024)
It’s hard to overstate the impact of Sisters With Voices, one of the most influential R&B girl groups of the ’90s. Their Tiny Desk set is packed with hit after hit, infused with new energy by a rich live arrangement and a 12-piece backing band that tests the physical limits of the space’s footprint. Coko, Taj, and Lelee’s voices haven’t lost even one iota of their strength and grace.
25.
Tyler, the Creator (2017)
Tyler, the Creator’s 2017 LP Flower Boy was a key step in the Odd Future chief’s development from edgelord shock Goblin to thoughtful artist. And his Tiny Desk performance — the series’ first to be held after-hours — played no small part in introducing it to the world. Taking a more hands-on approach to the setting’s visual aesthetic, he lit the space to match each song’s mood and melody. Even the set’s most aggressive moments sees a relatively reserved Tyler.
24.
Sturgill Simpson (2014)
Sturgill Simpson is the poster child for unassuming country stars, a low-key bro with an acoustic guitar, a pair of Chuck Taylors, and some philosophical musings fueled by mind-expanding drugs. His Tiny Desk set is similarly unadorned, with little else to take in other than his songs. He ruminates on cosmic concepts such as infinite regress without pretension, delivered with a honeyed voice and informed by a profound empathy for the human condition.
23.
Sampha (2017)
Another repeat performer on the Tiny Desk, Sampha returned earlier this year with a full band in tow to promote his gorgeous 2023 LP Lahai. But it’s his solo performance from 2017, shortly after the release of his debut Process, that remains etched in memory, a showcase for a voice as unique as it is expressive. Those lucky enough to experience it in an intimate space like this know it can stun a room to silence.
22.
The xx (2013)
The xx’s first performances in the U.S. after the release of their runaway self-titled debut were generally underwhelming; it would take them some time to transform the quiet bedroom act into a compelling stage show. But the stripped-down nature of the Tiny Desk was naturally conducive to their reverb-drenched melodies and hushed vocals. Leaving beatsmith Jamie xx back at the hotel, Romy and Oliver tuck themselves in the corner, offering a peek at the skeletal structure of the songs they would flesh out fully on tour.
21.
Tower of Power (2018)
Oakland’s Tower of Power is one of the few acts for which age truly is just a number. This set was recorded with 33-year-old vocalist Marcus Scott nearly 50 years after the band’s initial formation. Scott’s performance is raucous and explosive yet faithful to the original compositions.
20.
John Prine (2018)
A spry 71 years young at the time of his visit, John Prine performed a pair of tracks from 2018’s The Tree of Forgiveness (“Caravan of Fools” and “Summer’s End”) before taking a nostalgia trip through “All the Best” (1991) and “Souvenirs” (1972). A jovial set, despite a voice weathered by age and illness.
19.
The Roots (2017)
Few bands stay more booked and busy than the Roots, who perform on television five (soon to be four) nights a week in addition to their recording and touring schedules. But they made the trip from Manhattan to D.C. to cut a 12-minute version of their track “It Ain’t Fair” from the 2017 film Detroit. Bandleader Questlove leads a seven-piece horn section in a raucous intro for Bilal, whose soulful croon smooths out the tempo, and Black Thought, whose biting bars punch through the horns’ wall of sound.
18.
Kenny Beats (2023)
For his Tiny Desk Concert, Kenny Beats leads the band from behind a drum kit through a three-song set that highlights the rhythmic talents and strong sense of community that’s enabled him to evolve as an artist. His tightly scripted performance is one part musical storytelling session, one part showcase for the considerable talents of JPEGMAFIA and Remi Wolf.
17.
Soul Glo (2024)
The first hardcore band to play the Tiny Desk, Philly punks Soul Glo faced the significant challenge of translating their high-intensity, physically brutal shows for a D.C. office setting. While they didn’t exactly open up a pit in front of Boilen’s old desk, they managed to capture some of the energy that’s made them one of the most exciting acts in hardcore.
16.
Yusuf/Cat Stevens (2014)
A special set for the dads, many of whom, like Bob Boilen, were inspired by Cat Stevens to buy a guitar (mine was too). Stevens’s performance of “Father and Son” is paradoxically both gentle and powerful, emanating wisdom that has lost none of its impact in the 50 years since it was released.
15.
Mac Miller (2018)
This Tiny Desk set was a coming-out party of sorts, the culmination of a nearly decade-long evolution that took Mac from goofy teen party rapper to respected lyricist to full-fledged musical director. The set is beloved by fans, and it was immortalized with a proper vinyl pressing, but the moment was bittersweet. It was the first time Miller would perform music from his watershed album Swimming, offering a glimpse of the talent and vision that was meant to guide his new era, as well as his friendship and creative collaboration with Thundercat, who joins him here on bass. Yet it is also one of Miller’s last-ever performances, as he died a month later of an overdose.
14.
Chaka Khan (2024)
Khan’s set offers reminders that while others have offered takes on “Tell Me Something Good,” “Ain’t Nobody,” and “I’m Every Woman,” she laid it down first and arguably best. Completely in her element behind the Tiny Desk with her longtime musical director, Melvin Davis, her charisma bubbles over between each song, wooing the audience with ease. “If ever I’m in any doubt, all I gotta do is look at him,” she says of Davis, “and remember Oh yeah, I’ve been doing this a long time!”
13.
Tarta Relena (2024)
Some artists are born of a scene, communing with and feeding off like-minded peers to discover their own voices. Tarta Relena, the Catalonian duo of Marta Torrella and Helena Ros, appear to have found communion with ancient philosopher poets. For their Tiny Desk Concert, they wield a sampler, a small synth, and a metallic jug, and sing in five languages — Spanish and Catalan, modern and classical Greek, and Latin.
12.
Usher (2022)
Usher’s Tiny Desk set is the clearest example of the platform’s commercial potential; you can draw a relatively straight line between his instantly viral moment here and his coronation at the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show. Coasting through a truncated revue of a career’s worth of hits, Usher demonstrates the dexterity that allows him to seamlessly command both the Tiny Desk as well as the most valuable promotional real estate left in music. Just “watch this …” and sing along.
11.
Comet is Coming (2019)
Shabaka Hutchings’s sax performances often serve as the nonverbal voice of his bands, a quality that Boilen calls his “reedy lyricism.” The musician showcases it in this 2019 set with his electro-cosmic jazz trio Comet is Coming, which features a relentless assault of horn, synth, and drums big enough to fill an arena. The Tiny Desk’s limited confines are barely able to contain it, with various trinkets plummeting from the bookshelf.
10.
J Noa (2023)
The 17-year-old Dominican MC’s set was, remarkably, the first time she had ever performed outside her Santo Domingo barrio. Noa runs through her rapid-fire verses with relative ease, tackling tongue-twisting bars that would undoubtedly trip up most of her peers.
9.
T-Pain (2014)
Unfairly maligned as the poster child of AutoTune, T-Pain took advantage of the Tiny Desk’s ability to cut through the bullshit. Eschewing the infamous pitch-correcting software for his unadulterated voice and an electric-piano accompaniment, he puts the question of whether or not he can actually sing to bed.
8.
Red Baraat (2017)
If you’re unfamiliar with bhangra music, you could do worse for an introduction than Red Baraat. Led by Sunny Jain and his dhol drum, the group showcases how well the folk music of the Punjab diaspora complements seemingly disparate sounds from go-go, hip-hop, jazz, and funk. For this special performance celebrating the Hindu festival of Holi, the band returns to the Tiny Desk with a handful of tracks from their 2017 LP, Bhangra Pirates. Look closely and you can see NPR producer Lars Gotrich’s head poking out from behind the shelf, seemingly desperate to be as close as possible to the positive vibes.
7.
Scarface (2023)
Plenty of old-school rappers are overlooked for their contributions to the art form, but few have had as outsize an influence on the rap game as Scarface. A Houston institution, the Geto Boys founder recruited another H-town icon, Mike Dean, to man the keys as he guides us through a selection of highlights from his 30-plus-year career. While part of the appeal of his original recordings was his menacing persona, Scarface is unable to contain his joy behind the desk, giving his gritty hood tales a seasoned new perspective.
6.
Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals (2016)
Anderson .Paak’s first set for the series remains a classic of the form. Catching him at his moment of ascendance promoting his breakout LP, Malibu, this 2016 performance sees .Paak holding court from behind the kit, oozing charisma and flashing the throwback showmanship that would serve him so well in Silk Sonic, his Grammy-nominated goof-off with Bruno Mars. Perhaps more than any other Tiny Desk Concert, this set proves that no amount of creative marketing can replace pure talent; upon returning to the desk years later, .Paak admits that despite all the money and energy spent on subsequent music videos, the band’s Tiny Desk appearance remains their most-watched clip on YouTube (108 million views and counting!).
5.
Mitski (2015)
In the summer of 2015, Mitski was fresh out of college, looking to take her music from student project to full-time artistic practice. Bury Me at Makeout Creek, her debut LP for Double Double Whammy, bottles a lifetime of frustration and fatigue. Behind the desk, she shakes it, cracks it open, and explodes onto the mic; at one point she screams directly onto her guitar pickups. It’s slightly unhinged and completely captivating.
4.
Moses Sumney (2017)
There’s little to be said about the talent that is Moses Sumney that ten seconds of his voice wouldn’t render irrelevant. If that were all he had, it would have been enough. Yet he’s also a brilliant songwriter and performer, drawing insight on the human experience from sources both ancient and contemporary. He arranged his Tiny Desk set with careful consideration, willfully expanding the boundaries of the space and coaxing his all-star band (Sam Gendel on sax and synth, Brandee Younger on harp, and Mike Haldeman on guitar) to soundtrack his transition into the traditional confines of the desk. It’s incredibly inspiring, unique, and worthy of infinite repeats.
3.
Fred again.. (2023)
The British songwriter and producer Fred again.. occupied the desk at night last spring, crafting a 25-minute set with a marimba, a bow-stringed vibraphone, a piano, and a sampler that looped everything from triggered beats to spoken-word poetry to the thump of his own hand on the titular desk. Soulful, inventive, and shockingly coherent, it’s among the most creative ways I’ve seen an artist engage with the format.
2.
Babyface (2023)
If you weren’t there, it’s hard to explain just how ubiquitous Babyface was in the ’90s. His Tiny Desk set is a 30-minute flex, starting with the fact he has the likes of Tank, Chanté Moore, and Avery Wilson singing for him. Moore’s range in particular is revelatory, as she crushes classic cuts from Karyn White (“Superwoman”), Madonna (“Take a Bow”), Mary J. Blige (“Not Gon’ Cry”), and Whitney Houston (“Exhale [Shoop Shoop]”). Tank and Wilson even manage to show up Boyz II Men on two of their biggest hits (“I’ll Make Love to You” and “End of the Road”). But of course, “Mr. Face” (as Madonna calls him) is the star, reminding us just how many classics his pen has conjured. Despite being one of the lengthiest Tiny Desk performances, it could easily have gone on twice as long without losing steam.
1.
Juvenile (2023)
Juvenile’s first exposure to the Tiny Desk came via tweet: In April 2023, a fan tagged the rapper and NPR asking them to book him for a set. “Wtf is a tiny desk,” Juvenile quote-tweeted, adding “and no” for good measure. Thankfully, his reply went viral, and he was behind the desk by June. The resulting set was every bit as electric as everyone had hoped. He recruited New Orleans OGs Trombone Shorty and Alvin Ford on ’bone and drums, Late Show vet turned Grammy winner Jon Batiste flew in from London to play melodica, and the Louisiana Philharmonic contributed strings. Of course, Cash Money’s sonic architect Manny Fresh held it all together from behind a Novation keyboard. Every note feels organic; the original songs may have been cut with samplers and drum machines, but the bounce, swing, and swag all carry the DNA of New Orleans. Light and loose yet technically proficient, Juvie arguably stumbled onto the Tiny Desk’s peak form. Lucky us.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly referred to Gaelynn Lea as the inaugural Tiny Desk Contest winner. She was actually the second; the first was Fantastic Negrito.
