Featuring Tiny Desk performances by Lady Wray, Ab-Soul, Fousheé, Tamela Mann, Theo Croker, Omah Lay and Lee Fields, NPR Music is celebrating Black History Month with loads of special programming and seven new Tiny Desk concerts featuring legends and emerging stars in R&B, jazz, gospel, Afrobeats, rock and hip-hop. The celebration kicks off today, February 1, with a performance from Lady Wray.
Follow the month-long celebration at NPR.org/music.
“We take tremendous pride in showcasing the many facets of Black culture through music at the Tiny Desk. This year’s Black History Month celebration features a carefully crafted lineup spanning many genres, generations and walks of life. Each artist represents the best in their class and will be performing at the Tiny Desk for the first time,” said NPR Music’s Bobby Carter.
NPR Music’s Alt. Latino team will also participate, with episodes focusing on Afro-Latin music and artists. NPR’s podcast Throughline will dedicate an episode to the origin of house music and trace its roots to the Black cultural resistance.
This month also ushers in a new season of Amplify with Lara Downes, which launches on Thursday, February 2, and features video conversations with Black artists and cultural leaders shaping our creative future. The first episode is with Grammy-nominated jazz artist Samara Joy.
Since the launch of the Tiny Desk concert series in 2008, more than 1,000 performances have been recorded at the Tiny Desk — Bob Boilen’s festive workspace at NPR headquarters — which is adorned with years of music mementos and memorabilia. Tiny Desk concerts attract 16 million viewers per month and unify a passionate community around the love of music discovery. The series has provided a unique stage for artists across the genre spectrum and at every phase of their careers, including performances by Megan Thee Stallion, Taylor Swift, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Freddie Gibbs, Toro y Moi, Weezer, the characters of Sesame Street and more.
