Billboard's Jordyn Rolling sat down with GRAMMY-winner artist Usher to chat about his collaboration with Remy Martin, his Las Vegas residency and more.

the rebuttal @ bossfm atlanta

NPR Music's Tiny Desk series will celebrate Black History Month by featuring four weeks of Tiny Desk (home) concerts and playlists by Black artists spanning different genres and generations each week. The lineup includes both emerging and established artists who will be performing a Tiny Desk concert for the first time. This celebration highlights the beautiful cornucopia of Black music and our special way of presenting it. We hope you enjoy.

Sidney Madden | February 9, 2021
"Just bear with me while I just enjoy this and soak in it," GIVĒON admits with a laugh. Switching between the demeanors of a seasoned, nonchalant crooner and a giddy-grinned newbie, the fast-rising R&B star makes a point to show his humility during his long-awaited debut at Tiny Desk.

Accompanied by a minimal, masked-up band and only one background vocalist (a fellow Pisces at that), the baby-face baritone fills the set with resonance and light. He radiates gratitude with every note. Against a blue, moody backsplash of projected music video stills, GIVĒON notes the divine timing of this performance. "Any moment to do this would be special," he says between songs, "but I think Black History Month ... just celebrating Black culture for this month, I'm really excited to get to do this on this platform."

Through the throes of the pandemic, GIVĒON has remained remarkably busy. In a span of eight months, the Long Beach, Calif. newcomer has released two solid EPs, the Grammy-nominated Take Time and When It's All Said And Done. (The latter included one of our favorite songs of 2020, "Still Your Best.") For his Tiny Desk (home) concert, he borrows from each project to arrange a tantalizing 14-minute sampler — showing off just enough to get you to do your Googles and discover more.

Much like the moment he's trying to savor, GIVĒON's strength as a singer-songwriter is his ability to make his listener feel suspended in time. As fans quickly discovered on his breakthrough "Chicago Freestyle" feature last year, the peaks and valleys of GIVĒON's tone and the satisfying patterns of his runs don't just serenade; They immerse, they engulf. GIVĒON's star rising during a time of such sustained uncertainty is no accident, either. Between vulnerable storytelling and clear vocals, GIVĒON's work provides so many with what they're craving right now: intimacy and consistency.

SET LIST
"THE BEACH"
"LIKE I WANT YOU"
"Stuck On You"

MUSICIANS
GIVĒON: vocals
Deondre Ellis: keys
Ivan Chatman: bass
Andre Montgomery: drums
James Murray: guitar
RaVaughn Brown: vocals

CREDITS
Video: Jan Lim, Mitchell Schultz, Will Houlihan
Producer: Zack Warren
Director: Eric Longden
Audio: Jeremy Gray, Reggie Jones, Al Richardson

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bobby Carter
Video Producer: Maia Stern
Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
Art Director: CJ Riculan
Tiny Production Team: Bob Boilen, Kara Frame, Morgan Noelle Smith
Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

⁣As the day transitions to evening, join this restorative session beginning with "Neighbors Breaking Bread," exploring the power of shared meals in community building. Malkia Chionesu then guides the first part of a conversation on self-care as an essential foundation for neighboring well. Learn how caring for yourself enables more authentic and sustainable community engagement.

⁣Black Women Are Not Everyone's Mule

The generations love music so of course they had to get into a discussion around the biggest album of 2024 so far and thats Cowboy Carter. This also leads to talking about the over saturation of major tours this year and some solid music recommendations on the backend.

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The generations come together this week to dicuss how Brian McKnight just needs to go away which leads down a rabbit hole that somehow ends at appreciation for where the WNBA is currently as their season kicks off. They then show some love to the best show of the year XMen97 as it concluded its 1st/6th season.

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This performance was recorded on Feb. 12, 2020. We will continue releasing Tiny Desk videos of shows that had already been taped. In light of current events, NPR is postponing new live tapings of Tiny Desk Concerts. In the meantime, check out Tiny Desk (home) concerts! They’re recorded by the artists in their home. It’s the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.

June 17, 2020 | Abby O'Neill -- On a brisk February morning, Alicia Keys, full of effervescence, entered NPR through the loading dock wearing a canary yellow faux fur coat. During our ride to the fourth floor, she joked about how she hadn't been invited to play at the Tiny Desk. That, of course, wasn't exactly true. We worked on and off for years to make this moment happen, and I can say wholeheartedly that it was worth the wait.

Alicia Keys has an aura that you can sense the second she enters a room, or in my case, an elevator. She radiates compassion and kindness. This spirit is the key to Keys's songwriting, which is rooted in introspection and mindfulness.

As she approached her piano, a bit surprised at the amount of people in the room, she smiled and remarked over her shoulder, "Gee, the Tiny Desk is tiny!" She kicked off the set with an uncanny ode to combat the darkness of this moment in American history: "Show Me Love," a single she released in 2019. No one could have predicted then how much her lyrics and musical healing would be crucial during this emotionally fraught time of unprecedented political and racial unrest, heightened by three months of quarantine due to a global pandemic.

The stand-out moment during her Tiny Desk was the premiere of "Gramercy Park", a song from her upcoming self-titled album, ALICIA, which is set to be released this fall. It's one of those timeless songs that will transcend radio formats and genres, with lyrics that address how utter selflessness and worrying about making everyone happy but yourself can throw your own center askew. The song's spiritual refrain is sure to be a sing-along moment for the rest of Keys's career.

She told the crowd after "Gramercy Park" that she's struggled with appeasing people her whole life, but she's trying harder now to set boundaries. Luckily for the Tiny Desk audience, that resolution didn't pertain to this concert. After wrapping up what was to be a three-song set with her latest single "Underdog," which you may have seen her perform at this year's Grammys, the crowd begged for an encore. After crowdsourcing suggestions, she and her band delivered a riveting rendition of Keys's breakout 2001 single, "Fallin'."

The world, now more than ever, needs more love, reflection and accountability – a mantra that's woven into every fiber of Alicia Keys's being and every lyric of her songs.

SET LIST
"Show Me Love"
"Gramercy Park"
"Underdog"
"Fallin'"

MUSICIANS
Alicia Keys: vocals, piano; RAII & Whitney: vocals; Ant Parrish: bass; Curt Chambers: guitar; Mike Reid: drums; Omar Edwards: keys.

CREDITS
Producers: Abby O'Neill, Morgan Noelle Smith, Kara Frame; Creative director: Bob Boilen; Audio engineers: Josh Rogosin, Natasha Branch; Videographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Melany Rochester, Shanti Hands; Editor: Maia Stern; Associate Producer: Bobby Carter; Executive producer: Lauren Onkey; VP, programming: Anya Grundmann; Photo: Kisha Ravi/NPR