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Alex Isley: Tiny Desk Concert

By Bobby Carter
Published June 23, 2025 at 9:26 AM EDT

This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk honors the anniversaries of landmark albums that have shaped the course of music and culture.

Five years ago, Alex Isley gave us a Tiny Desk (home) concert to remember … and ever since, I've wanted to bring her into the office for a proper shoot. To preserve everything in her vocal cords, the L.A. native remained silent until it was time to perform, even pensive as she approached the Desk. Still, her eyes gleamed with enthusiasm for the moment that she and her fans had anticipated for years.

DeShaun Allen, her long-time friend, crafts new arrangements for this performance, honoring the original recordings while adding new flavors to favorites like "About Him" and "Love Again." Supporting vocalists Nelson Beato, Muhsinah and Astyn Terrentine are in lock step, complementing Isley's soft, airy tone to a T, evoking a feeling I haven't felt since witnessing Daniel Caesar's performance back in 2018. One of our favorite Tiny Desk alums, Masego, pops up for his verse on "Good & Plenty" to a roaring crowd. She opens with an outside-the-box upbeat banger, "Mic On," with a wink to her father Ernie Isley of The Isley Brothers, and closes with the powerful "Thank You for a Lovely Time," from her latest EP, WHEN.

SET LIST

  • "Mic On"
  • "Good & Plenty"
  • "La Brea"
  • "Into Orbit"
  • "Love Again"
  • "Mine"
  • "About Him"
  • "Hands"
  • "Thank You for a Lovely Time"

MUSICIANS

  • Alex Isley: vocals
  • DeShaun Allen: drums, music director
  • Jay Rojas: guitar
  • Dré Pinckney: bass
  • Darek Cobbs: keys
  • Nelson Beato: background vocals
  • Astyn Turr: background vocals
  • Muhsinah: background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM

  • Producers: Bobby Carter, Ashley Pointer
  • Director: Kara Frame
  • Audio Technical Director: Josephine Nyounai
  • Video Editor: Joshua Bryant
  • Videographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Alanté Serene
  • Audio Engineer: Josh Newell
  • Photographer: Michael Zamora
  • Tiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Lars Gotrich
  • Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
  • Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
  • VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

Copyright 2025 NPR

Corrected: June 23, 2025 at 4:13 PM EDT
An earlier version of this story identified Astyn Turr as Astyn Terrentine in one instance.
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NPR Top StoriesNPR Tiny Desk Concert
Bobby Carter
Bobby Carter is a leader on the Tiny Desk Concerts team for NPR Music. He's brought an ever growing roster of big names and emerging artists through NPR's HQ to squeeze behind the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen and record standout performances, including Usher, Mac Miller, Noname, Anderson.Paak and H.E.R.
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