Catch up on Top Shelf

Plus, get tickets for tour [View this email online]( [NPR Tiny Desk Contest]( Earlier this year, our judges asked you to “show us what you’ve got” as you submit to the Contest. They’re reviewing your entries now — and let’s just say, you’ve exceeded their expectations. On [Top Shelf last week]( [Albina Cabrera]( — Latin American Content producer & host of El Sonido at NPR Member station KEXP — shared her top picks with [Bobby Carter](. Albina shared eight genre-defying entries that included artists singing in multiple languages and often about various forms of liberation. She applauded them for having the courage to enter the Contest: "It's very hard for independent artists to put together a session, to apply and submit their music — it's a very complex process," Albina said. "I love Top Shelf so much because it's exposure," Bobby added. "The difference between succeeding and no one hearing it is exposure. And this gets those artists that much closer to having a career, to be doing what they love." (We agree.) In case you missed watching with us live, you can catch the episode below. Entries featured in the second episode of Top Shelf include: - [OH HE DEAD, "MORE TIME"]( - [Nakupenda, "Kuongoza"]( - [alegrías, "Mariposa (Wavy)"]( - [Varsha, "Woman"]( - [Lizbeth Roman, "agua que vuelve"]( - [La Fonda, "Living In The Amazon"]( - [Juno Lev, "I had gay sex with god (it could've gone better)"]( - [Little Moon, "Wonder Eye"]( We can’t wait to see which entries Tiny Desk alums [Baby Rose]( and [Sudan Archives]( share with Bobby next week. You can set your reminder for [their episode on YouTube now](. The 2023 Tiny Desk Contest is presented by Capital One and supported by Guayakí Yerba Mate. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- And if you’re near Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Chicago or Houston — we’d love to meet you IRL this summer! You can get your tickets to the Tiny Desk Contest On The Road tour, which will be headlined by our 2023 winner and feature local entrants, at [NPRPresents.org](. 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]