When you enter the Tiny Desk Contest, we only get to see a glimpse of you. However, we love being able to dig deeper, learn about who you are and why that one song is meaningful to you and your story. With some help from our friends over at Weekend Edition, we’ll later have a few artists share the stories behind their music and what the journey has looked like getting there.
Top Row: DOGTAGS & Enslow; bottom row: Lily Talmers & Callum T
Last year, Lila Forde talked about her entry “Brick by Brick,” a song that became a mantra for resilience and rebuilding after the 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires in Altadena. I Am In Demand, a group of Detroit educators dedicated to inspiring Black men to become teachers, discussed their song “Spark the Flame,” where they explore the question: “Why would anybody want to be a teacher?” And Eph See, the artist responsible for one of Robin Hilton’s favorite songs of 2025, talked about the meaning behind “Malachai the Uber Driver,” their heartwarming song of connection.
We want to hear the story behind your song, who it's for and what inspired you to write it. Is it a story pulled from your life? Or did you find inspiration from those around you? Either way, tell us below.
The 2026 Tiny Desk Contest is presented by Capital One and supported by Rivian.
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It’s been one week since the Contest closed, and we’re still working through those entries — giving each the time and care they deserve. Here are a few standouts that caught our ears this week:
Backed with a cello and violin, emmy woods’ “what time won’t erase” is a beautiful depiction of loss and grief.
Packed in a camper van with an upright bass, Lily Talmers sings “The Big Idea” driving across a field of grass.
Scattered around an office, DOGTAGS sing a queer anthem of moving forward in “Being Three.”
Alone in a clocktower, Callum T sings “how things go” with a heart-shaped guitar, perfect for a Valentine’s Day serenade.
Enslow clearly got the Tiny Desk vibe with her band crammed around her own desk in the pop-country jam “Cowboy Like Me.”
And Greylight talks about returning to the Contest year after year with the aptly named “Tiny Desk Contest.”
To watch these entries and more, visit our entry browser. If you don’t see yours there yet, thousands more will show up in the coming weeks so stay tuned!
From the Desk,
NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest team
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