Concerts

The Secret Society bandleader says his latest composition explores "the present-day folklore that we call conspiracy theories" — no tinfoil hat required.

Little Simz has been compared to Lauryn Hill for her self-reflective wordplay. And though the British lyricist is a relative new-comer, her Tiny Desk performance was poised and confident.

The clarion-voiced Afro-Venezuelan singer Betsayda Machado and her band are just beginning to tour internationally. Hear them in their New York City debut at globalFEST in January.

Agnes Obel manipulated the Tiny Desk to better suit the deeply alluring and powerful music she brought to us.

Esmé Patterson has dropped the banjos and folk from her previous project Paper Bird, and in their place are electric guitars and a backing band worth getting behind.

Killer Mike and El-P continue to out-muse each other in a supergroup that somehow seems to get better, louder, and more pertinent since their start in 2013.

The rapper/singer storms the NPR Music offices, activating his signature smile and bouncing through five highlights from his catalog — including the smash single "Broccoli."

The rising R&B star performs three falsetto-drenched highlights from his 2016 debut, Ology — including "Bourbon," which features a guest rap from Chance The Rapper collaborator Saba.

Watch the Virginia band sweep the NPR crowd off its feet with a collection of exquisite boleros by Puerto Rican composer Sylvia Rexach.

The 88-year-old singer and actress is a living legend. She's performed with artists like Count Basie and Charlie Parker, and appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson an unprecedented 76 times.