NPR Music

Adrian Quesada: Tiny Desk Concert

By Felix Contreras

Published September 30, 2025 at 4:00 AM CDT

This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an 'El Tiny' takeover.

Adrian Quesada's body of work reflects a restless creativity. The resume for the Austin, Texas-based musician, producer and composer includes Grupo Fantasma, Black Pumas, Brownout and any number of collaborations. He's constantly looking for new sounds and voices.

So what does Quesada bring to the Tiny Desk? Four singers, four boleros. Angélica Garcia, Flor de Toloache's Mireya Ramos, Trish Toledo and iLe each offer something distinct and personal to these songs originally found on two volumes of Quesada's Boleros Psicodélicos.

Bolero, a Cuban song form that has not changed much over the centuries, has always been an opportunity for vocalists to inhabit the undeniable drama of the lyrics. Heartbreak is a big deal in boleros and it's easy (and common) for vocalists to overdo the drama with overwrought vocal gymnastics. That is not the case here. Each vocalist has the discipline and artistic vision to insert just enough of themselves to leave an impression, but not overstate their case.

In the right hands, and voices, vocalists can bring back memories of pain and nostalgia — just hearing a deeply meaningful lyric belted out in just the right way can bring a grown man to tears. Not that this happened to me during these performances. I'm just saying.

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