It's a big day for NPR Music and All Songs Considered as we announce the winner of the 2022 Tiny Desk Contest. It's not easy to choose from thousands of entries and so much talent, but we're proud to announce that the winner is Alisa Amador. You can hear the winning entry from this Boston singer on today's show. It's called "Milonga accidental."
It's also my first time recording the show at the NPR studios in 800 days! And I have great new songs for you including a new tune from Swedish singer Jens Lekman. It's a followup to a song he put out in 2007 called "Postcard To Nina," which tells a story about a very complicated friendship. Nina and Jens were penpals and corresponded with each other until a few years ago when an email to her bounced and he lost touch. On his new song, "The Linden Trees Are Still in Blossom," he recounts the story and reaches out for contact.
We also hear the duo of identical twin sisters who record as Companion. They tell the story of their father taking his own life and the effect it had on their mother and family in a song called "If I Were a Ghost." Jasmyn Burke is a singer I've presented on All Songs Considered with her band Weaves. Now Jasmyn is using just her first name for her first solo album. Her song "Cruel Moon" is music she hopes will get us all moving, something that was crucial for lifting her spirits during the lockdown. And Bridie Monds-Watson, the Northern Ireland artist known as SOAK, writes about the fear of time and the fleeting nature of everything in their song "purgatory."
Featured Artists And Songs:
1. Alisa Amador: "Milonga accidental" (Single)
2. Jens Lekman: "The Linden Trees Are Still in Blossom," from The Linden Trees Are Still in Blossom
3. Companion: "If I Were a Ghost," from Second Day of Spring
4. SOAK: "purgatory," from If I never know you like this again
5. Jasmyn: "Cruel Moon," from In The Wild
