Watch the first entries

"We need the bands to get together and give us something great," says judge Bobby Carter [View this email online]( [NPR Tiny Desk Contest]( What a week! We received more entries to the Contest in the first 24 hours it was open than we have almost any other year (and we’ve been doing this for a while now). We’ve received entries from almost every state and from artists playing all sorts of music: string quartets with teeny, tiny desks (shoutout [Bob Davoli Band]( in Massachusetts); great performances in people’s offices (looking at you, [Mike Fuller]( in North Carolina) and bedrooms (nice setup, [Now On DVD]( in Oregon); raps about self-love (hey, [J Nolan]( in Atlanta); songs performed with stunning sunset backdrops (thanks, [Danielle Durack]( in Arizona); ensembles performing on a studio floor (sounds good, [Jaswiry Morel]( in New York) and more. [Some of the many faces of the 2023 Tiny Desk Contest]( Some of the many faces of the 2023 Tiny Desk Contest The very [first entry we received was from Karen Bridges]( a singer and pianist in Bloomington, Ill. She told us her song "was born out of the struggles of being a woman making music in a small midwestern town." Bridges has now entered the Contest three times, so she certainly knows what she's doing on the video production side — but newcomers, don't let her sharp multi-camera setup discourage you from entering. (Recording an entry on your iPhone, at your kitchen table, is perfectly fine, promise.) To congratulate Bridges on her punctuality, we featured her entry on the [Contest blog]( where we’ll be highlighting many more of your entries over the upcoming weeks and months. You can check out all these entries and more on the [Contest website](. But don’t worry if you’ve submitted and don’t see your entry there yet; it takes some time for us to go through your videos and make sure they follow the Contest rules. And to connect with other artists in this growing, eclectic, talented community, you can join the [Contest community Facebook group](. We also encourage you to share your entry on social media and follow #TinyDeskContest to discover others’ entries The 2023 Tiny Desk Contest is presented by Capital One and supported by Guayakí Yerba Mate. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Also last week, Tiny Desk series producer and veteran Contest judge Bobby Carter — who has produced Tiny Desk concerts for artists including [Usher]( and [Mac Miller]( — spoke about the Contest on NPR’s All Things Considered. He shared that as a judge he’s looking for something that’ll evoke emotion and give him chills. “If you play jazz, if you play R&B, if you play hip-hop, salsa, whatever it is — we need the bands to get together and give us something great,” he said. You can listen to the [whole conversation here](. 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]