Tiny Desk Concerts is a program atNPR Music of live performances, generally stripped-down, by musicians of different genres, located in Washington, D.C.^[1]

The firstTiny Desk Concert came about in 2008 afterBob Boilen and NPR Music editorStephen Thompson leftSouth by Southwest frustrated that they couldn't hear the music over the crowd noise.^[2][3] Thompson joked that the musician, folk singerLaura Gibson, should just perform at Boilen's desk. A month later Boilen arranged for her to do just that, making an impromptu recording and posting it online.^[4] The name is taken from Boilen's 1970s psychedelic dance band called Tiny Desk Unit.^[5]

The series has previously drawn criticism for narrowness in the musical genres it includes—described as focused on "hipster-infusedindie rock" by Zachary Crockett atVox^[4]—to the exclusion of genres likecountry andhip-hop.^[6] However, the series' musical focus has broadened in scope over time.^[4][7]

During theCOVID-19 pandemic, NPR Music enlisted artists to instead record their own virtual performances under the re-branded titleTiny Desk (Home) Concerts.^[8] The 2022 Tiny Desk Concert winner, Alisa Amador, was the first performance back at the desk with an audience since the pandemic started.^[9]

As of November 2016^[update], the series included more than 550 concerts viewed a collective 80 million times onYouTube.^[4]

South Korea–based TV agency Something Special worked alongside both NPR andLG U+ to launchTiny Desk Korea, which served as the first timeTiny Desk Concerts was adapted as a TV show outside North America, with up to 52 episodes aired weekly. The TV show was premiered on LG U+ platforms in August 2023.^[10] In March 2024, a similar licensing agreement was struck withNHK to launchTiny Desk Concerts Japan withFujii Kaze as the first performer in the series.^[11] The show premiered onNHK General TV in Japan on March 16, 2024, subsequently premiering on its global sister channelNHK World-Japan on March 29.^[12][13] The series became a regularly scheduled program on September 30, starting withB'z vocalistKoshi Inaba.^[14][15] In September 2025, Anonymous Content Brazil announced the creation ofTiny Desk Brasil.^[16] The series premiered on YouTube in October 7, withJoão Gomes as its first performer.^[17]

In December 2014, NPR announced it would host its first contest, inviting musicians to submit a video of one of their songs.^[18] A jury of musicians and NPR staff choose a winner to play aTiny Desk Concert. The contest has continued annually, each year drawing more than 6000 submissions.^[18][19][20] Jurors have includedTrey Anastasio ofPhish,^[20]Dan Auerbach of theBlack Keys, andJess Wolfe ofLucius.^[21]

SingerYasmin Williams, a two-timeContest "loser", was invited back to perform on the flagshipTiny Desk Concerts series in February 2025. Williams credited herContest and subsequent NPR appearances with helping to launch her career.^[22][23]

Tiny Desk Contest winners have included:

• Fantastic Negrito (2015)^[18]
• Gaelynn Lea (2016)^[19]
• Tank and the Bangas (2017)^[20]
• Naia Izumi (2018)^[24]
• Quinn Christopherson (2019)^[25]
• Linda Diaz (2020)^[26]
• Neffy (2021)^[27]
• Alisa Amador (2022)^[28]
• Little Moon (2023)^[29]
• The Philharmonik (2024)^[30]
• Ruby Ibarra (2025)^[31]

On April 17, 2025, NPR launchedTiny Desk Radio, a weekly hour-long show on member stations hosted by Bobby Carter and Anamaria Sayre. The show itself features greatest Tiny Desk performances and stories of artists asked to reimagine their music.^[32]