Bay Area native wins 2025 ‘Tiny Desk' contest
Bay Area native Ruby Ibarra has won NPR's 2025 'Tiny Desk' Contest.
The Filipina American rapper beat out nearly 7,500 other artist submissions with a performance of her latest single, 'Bakunawa,' an intergenerational track that draws inspiration from Filipino mythology.
'I'm absolutely honored,' Ibarra, who grew up in San Lorenzo, told the Chronicle. 'The 'Tiny Desk' concert is one of the few platforms where live performance is celebrated and artists get to uncompromisingly showcase their artistry, lyrics and stories.'
As this year's winner, Ibarra will get the opportunity to perform an intimate 'Tiny Desk' concert in Washington D.C. at the same desk where superstars such as Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny and Usher have performed in the past.
Then she'll set out on a brief Tiny Desk Contest On The Road Tour, which is set to kick off June 11 at the Regent Theater in Los Angeles before stopping at Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma on June 13 and then dotting across the country.
The 10-stop trek is scheduled to wrap up on July 19 at Howard Theater in Washington, D.C.
NPR shared a video clip to Instagram on Tuesday, May 13, of 'Tiny Desk' hosts Bobby Carter and Robin Hilton telling Ibarra the good news.
'To be able to have a space to share my voice but also bring my culture along in the music, it's a dream come true,' said an emotional Ibarra.
Ibarra told the Chronicle that it is particularly meaningful to her that 'Bakunawa' was selected for the honor, as it 'features two Filipino languages and is an intergenerational collaboration with other incredibly talented women.'
The track, released last September, switches between English and the Filipino languages Tagalog and Bisaya. It features Filipina Canadian singer and raper Haniely 'Han Han' Pabelo; June Millington from the Bay Area '70s rock band Fanny; and Ouida, who is signed to Ibarra's Filipino American-focused record label Bolo, which Ibarra co-founded with her friend and producer Lasi in 2023.
All three are set to join Ibarra on the Tiny Desk Contest On The Road tour, in addition to guitarist Anna Candari, drummer Jojo Ramirez and bassist Camille Ramirez.
Their performance submission was posted in January and judged by a panel of nine music professionals including Carter and Hilton, 'Tiny Desk' alum Audrey Nuna and NPR's 'World Cafe' host Raina Douris.
''Bakunawa' covers all the bases: beautifully arranged music, passion and above all authenticity,' Carter said in a statement. 'We've never seen or heard anything like Ruby Ibarra.'
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