'Let this just be the beginning': Alisa Amador's journey

Plus, incredible stories from 2022 Contest artists [View this email online]( [NPR Tiny Desk Contest]( If you win the Contest, your life changes pretty quickly. Just a few days after Alisa Amador got a call from Bob Boilen telling her she was this year’s winner, she flew from her Boston home to Washington, D.C., to [perform behind Bob’s Tiny Desk](. And the day after that performance, she hit the road, headlining our month-long cross-country Tiny Desk Contest On The Road tour. NPR’s video team caught up with Alisa at the final tour stop to hear how the Contest has changed her life – from her first entry six years ago to winning this year’s Contest and [performing alongside many of you]( on tour to now. This is her journey. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Also recently: Our friends at NPR’s Weekend Edition have been sharing some inspiring stories from Contest artists. In July, Weekend Edition host Ayesha Rascoe interviewed [Wryn]( whose entry reflects on the barriers trans youth face in accessing healthcare. Also last month, host Scott Simon chatted with an artist whose entry is off the wall: [Lillian Frances]( filmed her video from a portaledge on the side of a cliff in Lake Tahoe. And Rascoe also talked with [Micah Edwards]( (whose entry was [a favorite of Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner]( about faith, family and his distinct Texas soul sound. Most recently, Simon spoke with [Marcus Jade]( about resiliency and his remarkable blues song "Legs and Bones." In other news from the Contest community, 2019 winner Quinn Christopherson recently released a new heartwarming single called “[Thanks]( 2019 Contest standout [NoSo talked with NPR Music]( about their debut album, Stay Proud Of Me; and 2020 Contest standout Danielle Ponder’s new song “So Long” was [shared on All Songs Considered](. Over the next few months, we’ll be sharing more updates from the Contest community here. Are you working on new music? Did you recently collaborate with another Contest artist? Let us know by replying to this newsletter. From the Desk, NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest team --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Find a Station]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [tinydeskcontest@npr.org](mailto:tinydeskcontest@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) 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]( [NPR logo]