Tiny Desk Radio gives behind-the-scenes look at popular NPR concert series

CBS News

15-05-2025

Twenty million people tune in every month for NPR's Tiny Desk concert series, which has blossomed to more than 1,200 shows featuring artists like Alicia Keys, Taylor Swift and Doechii.
Now, Tiny Desk has a radio show hosted by Bobby Carter and Anamaria Sayre, airing on public radio stations and online.
"It was a long time coming," Carter said. "I think that we have such a storied history now. I think there's such a history of, you know Tiny Desk started as one thing, and it has turned into this cultural phenomenon."
The radio show, which launched last month, showcases the performances and behind-the-scenes stories of the Tiny Desk concerts.
"If you haven't seen the show, we're trying to paint the picture for you, and it'll lead you to the show … because there's so much of a backstory. There's a unique story with every single show," Carter said about the reason behind the radio show.
Tiny Desk concerts
The series focuses on bringing in diverse artists of different genres, revealing even some major artists are nervous to perform.
"You get to see these massive artists as human beings at the end of the day. Some of the greatest artists in the world, they're stripped down to their core, which is just being a human," Carter said.
The two hosts added that it's the ability to connect people all around the world that has helped to make Tiny Desk concerts and now the radio show successful.
"The way that a singer hit the same note might hit someone in Tennessee and Nigeria and Argentina, you don't know. So it's like you're connecting with the world whether you know it or not, and I think that people can feel that when they watch it in the way artists get intimate," said Sayre.
While people tune in worldwide, in the small space, the crowd is primarily NPR staff.
"When you hear that crowd noise, there is energy in the room because you're right there, face to face. The artists, they feel that and they feed off of that. It's special for them," Sayre said.
Recently, one of their biggest crowds was for when Bad Bunny performed.
Carter and Sayre credit their impactful shows to their intimate settings.
"Stripping all that stuff away, that's when you see what they really can do … And we challenge the artist and we present them in a new way," Carter said.
When asked what's next, Carter said it's up to his colleagues, "they're going to take what I've been doing for a long time and a lot of my other colleagues, they're going to take it to whatever is next."