Close to 7,000 independent artists entered NPR’S Tiny Desk contest — and 51 of those entries included musicians from the St. Louis and Metro East area.
With genres ranging from funk and folk to rap, the hidden gems of the St. Louis area bring their own flair of individuality. The artists really show what they can do with a mic and a tiny desk.
St. Louis on the Air producer Miya Norfleet and STLPR’s visuals editor Brian Munoz listen to the entries and share what stands out to them the most.
Here are some of the STLPR staff’s local favorites:
Aida Ade - “Fantasy”
“Singer/songwriter Aida Ade sings about love in every way — self, platonic and romantic love. Her voice has a sound that carries the journey and experiences in her professional and personal life, which she brilliantly shares with her fans and audience through all of her music. She's just your friendly neighborhood soul-singing young woman that will take you on a wonderful musical journey.” — Eric Weathersby, STLPR on-air announcer
Beth Bombara - “Up At Night”
Monkh & Super Secret Band - "Elephants and Doves"
“[‘Elephants and Doves’] has a funky, soul, old-school, laid-back vibe. Shoutout to Monkh for bringing something a little extra with this submission. Yeah, this is nice.” — Aaron Doerr, audio engineer for St. Louis on the Air
KVtheWriter - “FaceTime”
MeLan Kameyo - "Speechless (Can’t Find the Words)"
“There’s a tempo change — and just after that tempo change you really hear the kind of range that she has. Both from the high notes to low notes, it’s just a tremendous song.” — Alex Heuer, executive producer for St. Louis on the Air
Dead Format - “Hide”
Eldraco + Freenation - “The Ballad of Ronny James (Man-Eater)”
“[Eldraco has] powerful vocals, almost raspy at times, which I love. I love the flexibility in Eldraco's vocal range. On one hand, [he] can sing a high-energy power ballad, and then [he] can go and do something a little more delicate.” — Brian Munoz, STLPR’s visuals editor
Russo & Co - "Goldmine"
Kai Hale - “Déjà Vu”
“When [Kai Hale] says, ‘Love me or I'll find somebody who can treat me better than you can,’ I'm like, ‘Yes, say that and say it again louder for the people in the back.’ ‘Déjà Vu’ is beautiful, but it's also heartbreaking and very real and probably, unfortunately relatable for a lot of people.” — Miya Norfleet, St. Louis on the Air producer
Unraveler - "Gone"
Royce Martin - "On Sight"
“Royce Martin's contribution to the Tiny Desk just blows my mind. The song, 'On Sight' showboats his affinity for Scott Joplin and ragtime. On the song he performs ragtime on piano, syncopated with his rapid-fire rap verse. To add more St. Louis flavor, he even drops in a line about St. Louis' Redd Foxx and Cedric the Entertainer. This is the original song and concept that I didn't know I needed, but I love it.” — Nick Aquisto, STLPR on-air announcer
All of STLPR's local entries can be found on YouTube.
To find out how you can discover those hidden gems, listen to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Jada Jones is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
