Watch Dua Lipa’s REAL Tiny Desk

The pop star returns, for the first time

View this email online October 25, 2024 by Otis Hart The pop star recorded the most-watched Tiny Desk video ever, without actually performing at the Tiny Desk. Training season ends today. Credit: Grace Widyatmadja/NPR Dua Lipa, the charming English-Albanian pop star, was a buoy during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Her disco-inspired album Future Nostalgia came out on March 27 that year and quickly became the global soundtrack to vicarious bliss for those willing to open that door. In December of that year, Lipa released another lifeline: A Tiny Desk (home) concert featuring live renditions of top 5 hits “Levitating” and “Don’t Start Now” as well as perhaps the most poignant lyric of lockdown “I need your hands on me” from “Pretty Please.” It took less than three days to surpass 1 million views and signed a two-year lease to reside at the top of our (internal) weekly Tiny Desk charts. At one point, Lipa’s video was accounting for 10 percent of all views on the NPR Music channel. It remains to this day the most-watched Tiny Desk video, with 130 million views. Almost four years later, Lipa has returned to play a REAL Tiny Desk, at NPR’s national headquarters, in front of our ataxophobia-triggering bookshelves. The setlist this time consisted of songs from her latest album, Radical Optimism, a doctrine we could all benefit from these days. We premiered it on NPR.org and YouTube mere moments ago. Check it out if you need to smile today. Newsletter continues after sponsor message Recent Tiny Desks The Baylor Project: The retro jazz duo’s playfulness and love for each other is on full display in this performance. Kamasi Washington: The Grammy-nominated saxophonist brought the house down with his reflective, danceable ballads. Audrey Nuna: The underground pop artist setlist perfectly encapsulates how much musical ground she’s able to cover. John Holiday: The countertenor’s sparkling personality shines brightly in a wide ranging set that includes jazz, classical and spirituals. Introducing NPR Music+, a new way to support what you love and explore new music and conversations sponsor-free. NPR Music+ includes two podcasts with one convenient subscription: All Songs Considered and Alt.Latino, both sponsor-free. Learn more and support us at plus.npr.org/NPRmusic Get NPR Music+ Around public radio KCRW in Los Angeles invited indie pop group Local Natives to a very cramped stage for a seven-song set.  The Current in Minnesota’s Twin Cities recorded a solo set with Black Pumas’ dynamic frontman Eric Burton. WXPN in Philadelphia filmed a concert with Canadian jangle-pop stars Ducks LTD, who released some of this writer’s favorite rock songs this year.  KUTX in Austin takes you back to the early ‘10s with blog-pop phenoms Cults. From The Top, our program that highlights the finest young classical performers in the country, shared a video of 17-year-old violist Michelle Koo performing Béla Bartók’s posthumous Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, i Moderato. Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from Central Florida Public Media (edit station). Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy