Tiny Desk Meets AFROPUNK: ChocQuibTown, NENNY, Luedji Luna, Calma Carmona

Tiny Desk Meets AFROPUNK is the electrifying kick-off to AFROPUNK's "Black Spring" festival. The virtual celebration, hosted by Jorge "Gitoo" Wright, features performances from ChocQuibTown, Calma Carmona, Luedji Luna and Nenny. AFROPUNK, born out of a 2003 short film by the same name, is an international movement and music festival centered on Black exploration and rebellion. Starting as a way to create space for the unacknowledged presence and influence of Black culture in a predominantly white punk scene, AFROPUNK has since evolved into a distinct, multi-genre experience.

"Black Spring" was created to spotlight outstanding talent in Afro-Latine and Afro-Caribbean music across the globe. The Tiny Desk Meets AFROPUNK program aims for the same. The showcase's four artists have come to the Tiny Desk to honor their homes and celebrate the art their heritage has inspired. Learn more about them below.

ChocQuibTown

"¡Tú sabes!" Carlos "Tostao" Valencia exclaims after Colombian hip-hop trio ChocQuibTown performs its first song, the energetic "Somos Pacífico." "ChocQuibTown, straight from Colombia, from the Pacific coast," he says. "We call it Africa inside Colombia, we got the flavor, we got the flow." ChocQuibTown — named after the coastal area the trio hails from — is a family affair comprised of siblings Miguel "Slow" Martinez and Gloria "Goyo" Martinez, the latter of which is married to Valencia. In 2000, the trio formed to promote their neglected corner of Colombia's culture; today, ChocoQuibTown's music blends the traditionality of Afro-Latin jazz with the modernity of hip-hop to create a singular, yet versatile sound.

SET LIST

• "Somos Pacífico"
• "De Donde Vengo Yo"
• "Pa Olvidarte"
• "Qué Lástima"
• "Lo Que Quieras Tú"
• "Cuando Te Veo"

MUSICIANS

• Goyo: vocals
• Slow: vocals
• Tostao: vocals
• Carlos Palmet: bateria
• Alejandro García: guitar
• Daniel Rodríguez "Noize": piano
• Braulio Fernández: bajo
• José González: trumpet, piano, vocals
• Eignar Renteria: vocals
• Yaima Saurez: vocals
• Juancho Valencia: arrangements

CREDITS

• Video: Kevin Quiles, Roberto Vélez, Diego Valerio, MotionHaze, GoldenHour Music Group LLC
• Audio: Gabriel Gil, Waldy D.

NENNY

With warm maroon box braids nearly sweeping the floor and glitter adorning her eyes, NENNY's presence demands full attention before she even opens her mouth. Dressed in a flowy, all-white outfit accented with a pastel checker pattern and surrounded by a matching four-piece band, the 18-year-old Portuguese singer-songwriter and rapper appears otherworldly, almost heavenly, as she harmonizes with her backing electric guitar and jumps across the room, dancing with her entire body. NENNY first appeared on heads' radar in 2019 with her single "Sushi." She's continued to impress with several more singles and the release of her debut project, 2020's Aura.

SET LIST

• "Bússola"
• "Wave"
• "Tequila"

MUSICIANS

• NENNY: vocals
• Gui Salgueiro: keys
• Jonatas: guitar
• Peterson: bass
• Ariel: drums

CREDITS

• Video: Maus da Fita, João Afonso Vaz and André Mendes
• Audio: Bruno Lobato, Charlie Beats, Tiago Poeiras

Luedji Luna

"I feel that we are living in a crazy moment in a crazy time and music has been a safe place for me — the only safe place for me," Luedji Luna says in a low, alluring voice as she explains the purpose of her latest album, Bom Mesmo É Estar Debaixo D'Água. The album, much like the Brazillian singer-songwriters's Tiny Desk performance, is a respite from these times. Elements of jazz and blues are infused with African rhythms as Luna uses music to express her ongoing struggles for autonomy as a Black woman. She performs from her coastal hometown of Bahia in the city of Salvador, Brazil, where African culture flows in abundance. Luna is a powerhouse, entrancing and elegant, soulful and spiritual, as she uses her platform to discuss individual and systemic forms of anti-Blackness.

SET LIST

• "Lençois"
• "Erro"
• "Chororô"

MUSICIANS

• Luedji Luna: vocals
• Weslei Rodrigo: bass
• Sergio Machado: drums
• Gabriel Gaiardo: keys
• Vinicius Sampaio: guitar

CREDITS

• Video: Flow Creative Core, Aline Juliet, Kadu Borges, Dilson Laguna
• Audio: André Ramos
• Scenographer: Juliana Laguna
• Executive Producer: Gabriel Ramos
• Assistant Producer: Reginaldo Vilela

Calma Carmona

From her hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Calma Carmona delivers a bewitching Tiny Desk performance. Her voice rarely rises above a whisper as she sings over impassioned Afrobeats during her three-song set — but when it does, it's a gritty, intimidating growl. Carmona got her start in 2013 when the Latin soul singer-songwriter released her first EP and opened for Beyoncé's The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in Puerto Rico.

SET LIST

• "When I Was Your Girl"
• "Ella Se Mueve"
• "Vibra"

MUSICIANS

• Calma Carmona: vocals
• Pedro "PJ" González: guitar
• Adrián "AJ" Rodríguez: bass
• J. Rochet: keys
• Gabriel Oliver: drums, barril
• Andres "Kino" Cruz: barril
• José "Junny" Elicier: barril
• Athina Alejandra: vocals
• Almonte Duluc: vocals
• Yarinés Salgado: vocals

CREDITS

• Video: Siempre Estudio Creativo, Christian Suau, Celso González, Anthony Edwin
• Audio: J. Rochet, Dylan Burgos
• Recorded at: Trade Space, San Juan Puerto Rico
• Special Thanks: Artcommunity.io

Tiny Desk Meets AFROPUNK

• Executive Producer: Cyrus Dennis
• Executive Producer: Allen Lamb
• Executive Producer: Anthony Maddox
• Executive Producer: Tina Farris
• Executive Producer: Dominic "Suede" Pearson
• Talent Producer: Warren Bokwe
• Talent Coordinator: Saira Anderson
• Production Coordinator: Venessa Gonzalez
• Creative Director: Sango Amoda
• Host: Jorge "GITOO" Wright
• Editor: Brian Anderson
• Writer: Jordana Jason
• Associate Producer: Mokotsi Rokundo
• SPECIAL THANKS TO Pop & Pour - Washington Heights New York

TINY DESK TEAM

• Producer: Abby O'Neill
• Video Producer: Maia Stern
• Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
• Associate Producer: Bobby Carter
• Tiny Production Team: Bob Boilen, Kara Frame
• Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey
• Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.