Amaia: Tiny Desk Concert

Description

Anamaria Sayre | April 23, 2026 Spanish singer Amaia is walking contradiction. She's a multi-instrumentalist, easily traipsing between piano, chair flute and — not featured in this Tiny Desk performance — her signature harp. But all of this hardly compares to a voice that dances between ferocity and softness. The opener here, "C'est La Vie," jumps from charged piano to luxuriant strings — a perfect embodiment of her musical duality. "Zorongo," a mashup of canon classics "Zorongo Gitano" and "Rumores de la Caleta," lets loose the tremor of flamenco. Her set leaves Spain for a moment with the bachata-fueled "Auxiliar." Last year's Si Abro los Ojos No Es Real aimed to incorporate more global Latin elements and experimental production; this Tiny Desk version of "Giratutto" presents that edgier side of her sweetness. Back at the piano, Amaia closes with a tribute to a park in her hometown. It's a tender reminder that, even as she plays with her sound, that she will always return to Pamplona. SET LIST "C'est La Vie" "Nanai" "Zorongo" "Auxiliar" "Giratutto" "Yamaguchi" MUSICIANS Amaia: vocals, piano, chair flute Victor Martinez: guitar, percussion, music director Luis Martinez: guitar, electronics, percussion Anika: violin, charango, percussion, background vocals Zazo: keys, viola Pedro Campos: bass, keys Abril Saurí: drums, background vocals TINY DESK TEAM Producer: Anamaria Sayre Director/Editor: Maia Stern Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter Videographers: Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Ben de la Cruz Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna Production Assistants: Dhanika Pineda, Alina Edwards Photographer: Michael Zamora Tiny Desk Team: Ashley Pointer, Felix Contreras Series Editor: Lars Gotrich Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed Executive Director: Sonali Mehta Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton #nprmusic #tinydesk #amaia Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Presenting sponsor of the Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at Capital