Share your story

Plus, watch thousands of entries from this year's Contest

View this email online We’ve learned over the years that the Contest community is pretty special. Not only are the many musicians who enter this Contest talented artists, they’re also interesting people from all walks of life with unique experiences to share. So each year, we like to take a moment to hear about the stories behind your music. Last year, we learned that artist Wryn wrote their entry, “Pushing,” inspired by a time in their life when they were confronted with the difficulties many trans youth face when accessing health care. And Micah Edwards wrote his entry, “Jean Leon,” about the expectations he had for himself as a husband and a father as his parents were going through a divorce. In 2021, CJ Johnson, lead singer of Oh He Dead (a band that just entered the Contest for the fourth time last week!), wrote her band’s entry song about the emotions she was feeling as an expecting first-time mother.  Sometimes, your stories are heartbreaking and monumental. Artist and refugee Ephraim Bugumba (who also just submitted to the Contest for the fourth time) survived a massacre in Congo, and in 2019 he shared with us how he processes pain through music. And sometimes, the process of creating a Contest entry is a story itself. That was the case for Lillian Frances last year, an entrant who filmed her video from a portaledge on the side of a cliff in Lake Tahoe. Do you have a story to tell? Let us know by filling out this form. SHARE YOUR STORY The 2023 Tiny Desk Contest is presented by Capital One and supported by Guayakí Yerba Mate. Newsletter continues after sponsor message We’re hard at work (and having a lot of fun) watching all your entry videos and have been loving hearing your music and getting a Tiny glimpse into your lives. Here are some of the many entries we’ve enjoyed watching recently: The band People Like Me set up its rock-pop entry, “Barfly,” in a bike store in Colorado. Vontmer in New Jersey performs his beautiful classical entry, “embrace,” on a piano adorned with a tiny Lego desk. Jovan Landry in Chicago brought the heat with her entry, “New Beginning,” rapping while sitting atop her tiny desk. Luke Waldron played “Fallen Ones” on his saxophone alongside his jazz band and a small desk covered in books in New York. Frank Nemiroff performed a funny-yet-contemplative tune called “Darn These Socks,” next to his sock-covered desk in California. Kina Zoré and his band made the most of their space, performing “Covid-19” on pots and pans in a crowded kitchen in Massachusetts. You can watch all these entries and discover even more artists to love on the Contest website. (And again, if you don’t see your entry there yet, please don’t worry! It takes us quite some time to watch thousands of these wonderful videos.) From the Desk,  NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest team Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WMFE (edit station). What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: tinydeskcontest@npr.org Interested in connecting with music-lovers and music-makers across the Contest community? Join our Tiny Desk Contest Community Facebook Group! Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music! Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Music, Books, Pop Culture and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Tiny Desk Contest emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy