All posts in: NPR

30 May 2021

The Linda Lindas

We’ve been away from Yow Yow! for some time, but I promise this post was worth the wait! I got wind of The Linda Lindas recently when their performance spread across my Instagram stories. Intro’ing their song, they referenced a classmate of theirs who was both sexist and racist and if this wasn’t the theme song to all of our childhoods, I don’t know what is. In 2021, this is the energy that we aspire to have! Also, these young women have the coolness we all wish we had. Major props to them for this overly catchy track and may they continue to have a successful musical career. I heard this week they just got signed!

[Source]

11 Apr 2021

Blog Roundup

  • In A Role Reversal, Asian Americans Aim to Protect Their Parents From Hate [NY Times]
  • Michelin-Starred Ju-Ni Opens An Outdoor Omakase Counter [SF Eater]
  • 13 Sports Films You’ll Love Even If You Don’t Like Sports [Life Hacker]
  • Where to Stream the 2021 Oscar Films [W Magazine]
  • “We Already Belong”: A Conversation with R.O. Kwon [NPR]
  • America Ruined My Name For Me [The New Yorker]
  • After Working at Google, I’ll Never Let Myself Love A Job Again [NY Times]
  • These Are the 5 Deadliest National Parks [Outside]
  • How Do People Even Find Drug Dealers? [VICE]
  • Why the First Thing You Drink In the Morning Absolutely Shouldn’t Be Coffee [Well + Good]
  • The 10 Most Crowded Cities in America – and the 10 Least Crowded [Mental Floss]
  • The 26 Coolest Airbnbs in California [Green Wedding Shoes]

14 Jan 2021

Tiny Desk (Home) Concert: Jazmine Sullivan

It actually wasn’t long ago that we shared Jazmine Sullivan’s song with H.E.R. as a recent “Song of the Day.” From start to finish, this Tiny Desk (home) concert was incredible. I’ve said this before, but music has really been one of those things that has been healing for me personally throughout this pandemic. Whether I’m working through the days, it brings a kind of warmth to my home that I never utilized before. That may be because mostly we rarely home before. Now, we’re finding better ways to fully use that space and sound is what I’ve been leaning into. Despite a raging pandemic, I’m glad that Tiny Desk Concerts have continued in this format.

25 Dec 2020

Blog Roundup

  • The 40 Best K-pop Songs of 2020 [Paper Mag]
  • The Year Instagram Became Facebook [The Verge]
  • Some Cities Will Pay You $10,000 to Relocate [NPR]
  • The Missed “Magical Negro” Trope in “The Queen’s Gambit” [Bitch Media]
  • Steve Yuen on the Honesty of ‘Minari’ and His Eclectic Career [Variety]
  • Meet Pdogg, the Musical Dynamo Helping Shape BTS’s Greatest Hits [Fast Company]
  • Your State’s COVID-19 Epidemic, Explained in 4 Maps [Vox]
  • The 100 Best Songs of 2020 [Pitchfork]
  • The Best K-Pop Moments of 2020 [Teen Vogue]
  • 10 Remote Airbnbs As Stunning As They Are Secluded [Architectural Digest]
  • ‘The Bachelorette’ Stylist Shares How the Fashion Came Together for this Unprecedented Season [Fashionista]
  • The Journalist and the Pharma Bro [Elle]
  • Why Dave Chapelle Doesn’t Want You to Stream Chapelle’s Show [Vox]
  • Best House of 2020 [Arch Daily]
  • My Unusually Normal Life in Taiwan Amid the Global Pandemic [Bloomberg]
08 Dec 2020

Tiny Desk (Home): Chloe x Halle

I just adore these ladies so much! While I know NPR doesn’t get to hold Tiny Desk on their set the way that they’re used to, I’m actually enjoying the sets created by the musicians themselves. I’m also just happy that a series like this to continue while in the middle of the pandemic. Early on in this, Ben Gibbard’s daily sets were keeping my spirits high and I think we all need moments like this to keep us going.

06 Dec 2020

Blog Roundup

  • 5 Ways to Elevate Your Lunchtime Sandwich [Men’s Health]
  • For My Asian Mom, Feeding Me “Everything” Was An Act of Love [Refinery29]
  • TikTok’s Top 10 Songs of the Year [Hypebeast]
  • How Tinned Fish Took Over the Internet [Refinery29]
  • 11 Minutes of Exercise A Day May Help Counter the Effects of Sitting [The New York Times]
  • The Bay Area Will Fully Lock Down on December 6 [Eater]
  • Around the World in 130 Chicken Soup Recipes [Atlas Obscura]
  • How to Make Hot Cocktails That Actually Taste Good [Thrillist]
  • Photographer Explores Asian American Identity in ‘Where We’re Really From’ [NPR]
  • Whether on the Street or in Museums, KAWS is Having an Effect on Popular Culture [The Study]
  • Warner Bros. to Release All 17 Movies in 2021 Lineup on HBO Max [Hypebae]
  • Radio Disney to go off the air in 2021 [FADER]
04 Dec 2020

Tiny Desk (Home): Dua Lipa

In what may have been considered the most challenging year, Dua Lipa’s “Future Nostalgia” was one of the releases in 2020 that helped me power through. Track after track, nearly every song was a bop. Actually I think I can mostly confirm that this whole album was on repeat during the summer months. That’s why I was so thrilled when I discovered today that Dua Lipa was the latest Tiny Desk! The segment itself goes by pretty quickly with her only doing four songs, but each song is in a perfect arrangement stripped down. In fact, I might even love this so much that this may be one of the Tiny Desks that I watch over and over again.

02 Oct 2020

Jhené Aiko: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

Since I had recently watched the BTS Tiny Desk Concert more than a few times, I was able to be notified about their latest one with Jhene Aiko upon logging in to YouTube. I can’t remember exactly when I first listened to Aiko, but I was a fan from the start. What was particularly enjoyable about her set was that it was 18 minutes long and jam packed with snippets of her hits. Since she wasn’t doing any full length songs, it was easier to squeeze more in and I was thrilled every time I caught one that I knew. Tiny Desk Concerts have always been fun to catch pre-pandemic, but it’s what we need even more now as we can’t enjoy live music the way we are used to. These intimate performances still have a huge impact on fans and audiences.

24 Sep 2020

BTS: NPR’s Tiny Desk

I’ve been itching to share this since it came out, but just haven’t had the time. My comments still stand: BTS is amazing when it comes to promoting their new music. Everything that has transpired since the release of “Dynamite” is above and beyond anything I could have ever imagined. The range and diversity in the type of content they release as well as how every single performance is different from each other is what makes this promotion so exciting.

I must have watched this Tiny Desk performance over 10 times now. While I haven’t missed a “Dynamite” performance yet, this one hits a bit different. Look at how much fun they’re having as a group together! See how much their vocals are able to shine when they have a live band behind them in this intimate environment? While their performances are incredible, this one brings their vocals to the forefront.

29 Aug 2020

Blog Roundup

  • Meghan Markle Was Set Up To Fail [The Cut]
  • Instagram Reels Can’t Beat TikTok. Here Are 8 Reasons Why [Medium]
  • What Will Being An Influencer Mean in 2021 And Beyond? [Nylon]
  • Wirecutter’s Worst Things For Most People [NY Times]
  • Un-Adopted – YouTubers Myka and James Stauffer Share Every Step of Their Parenting Journey. Except the Last. [The Cut]
  • 23 TV Moments That Were So Bad, People Had To Stop Watching [BuzzFeed]
  • Who Gets To Be ‘Hapa?’ [NPR]
  • Tracking Coronavirus Cases At U.S. Colleges and Universities [NY Times]
  • Now Is a Great Time to Go Back to an Old iPod [GQ]
  • How to Vote By Mail During the 2020 Election [Vogue]