Miguel: Tiny Desk Concert
Bobby Carter | February 3, 2026 So much has happened in Miguel's world since we last saw him at NPR headquarters. Back in 2012, he was one of the very few R&B acts — including Raphael Saadiq, Bettye LaVette and Booker T. Jones — to play a Tiny Desk concert. And, much like the trajectory of this series, Miguel's music has taken some explosive twists and turns. After performing "Sure Thing," his first song back at the Desk, Miguel says, "That one's come a long way." He reflects on that time in his life and what he's been able to do with it: "There's something about being able to wake up and do this every day, and then to come and perform it — to see the lyrics actually become a part of people's time and memories and space in this experience. I have to say I'm tremendously grateful." Miguel's clearly been on a journey of self-discovery, which we see in a medley of his hits backed by a flawless string section. And on the Spanish-sung "CAOS," he revisits his Mexican roots. Between his 2017 album War & Leisure and last year's CAOS, the Los Angeles singer-songwriter has been relatively quiet. "I was putting my value in the wrong places, and it made it really hard to do this consistently," he says before the last song. "But, motherf*****, we back!" SET LIST "Sure Thing" "New Martyrs (Ride 4 U)" "Sky Walker" "How Many Drinks?" "Do You…" "Quickie" "CAOS" MUSICIANS Miguel: vocals Ray Brady: guitar, music director Julio Tavarez: bass Lenny "The Ox" Reece: drums Paul Cartwright: violin Jess McJunkins: violin Johnny Dinklage: viola Rahel Lulseged: cello Erika Nicole: background vocals Ro James: background vocals TINY DESK TEAM Producer: Bobby Carter Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant Audio Engineer/Mix: Josephine Nyounai Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Kara Frame Audio Engineer: Tiffany Vera Castro Production Assistants: Dora Levite, Dhanika Pineda, Ashley Pointer Photographer: Virgina Lozano Tiny Desk Team: Josh Newell, Felix Contreras Series Editor: Lars Gotrich Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed Executive Director: Sonali Mehta Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton #nprmusic #tinydesk #miguel Support for NPR Music comes from Levi's. Behind the moments that matter, originals are out there, living the stories worth telling. What's yours? Live in Levi's.
About R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. R.E.M. was noted for Buck's arpeggiated "jangle" guitar playing; Stipe's distinctive vocal style, unique stage presence, and cryptic lyrics; Mills's countermelodic bass lines and backing vocals; and Berry's tight, economical drumming. In the early 1990s, other alternative rock acts suc...
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