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Hear From SXSW Artists Who Entered The 2020 Tiny Desk Contest

The Kraken Quartet entered the 2020 Tiny Desk Contest with its entry "Chance the Dog (The Song)"
YouTube/NPR
The Kraken Quartet entered the 2020 Tiny Desk Contest with its entry "Chance the Dog (The Song)"

The 2020 Tiny Desk Contest is still underway. Along with supporting unsigned independent musicians all across the country, we've been reaching out to those musicians who had high hopes of performing at the SXSW Music Festival and are now unable to do that.

I'm sad that SXSW was canceled, though it was the smart thing to do given the circumstances. It's such a remarkable place to discover new artists. So we asked artists who had been planning to perform there to enter the Contest and let us know. We're sharing their entries below.

If you were going to perform at SXSW this year, and you are an unsigned musician, there's still time to enter the Tiny Desk Contest and we will do our best to get your music out into the world. (If you want to know whether your entry is eligible before you enter, check out this checklist. Once you've entered, let us know!) This post will continue to feature entries from artists who will now not be playing the festival but have taken those energies to create an entry to the Tiny Desk Contest.

I wish you all the best — and who knows, maybe you'll win the Contest and get to play your very own Tiny Desk concert here at NPR in Washington, D.C. —Bob Boilen


The Kraken Quartet, "Chance The Dog (The Song)"

Hometown: Austin, Texas


Bandits On The Run, "We Battle Giants"

Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.


Elizabeth Moen, "Where's My Bike?"

Hometown: Iowa City, Iowa


Snailmate, "It's Coming Back!"

Hometown: Phoenix, Ariz.


Dear Samson, "In the Bughouse"

Hometown: New London, Conn.


Mary Moore, "Cold Hands"

Hometown: Nashville, Tenn.



Ted & Alice Miller, "Ohio"

Hometown: St Helena, Neb.


CAROLENA, "Seasons"

Hometown: Miami, Fla.


Swimwear Department, "The Limited, The Gap"

Hometown: Houston, Texas


Tres Leches, "Nieve"

Hometown: Seattle, Wash.


BeBe Deluxe, "Cracking Up"

Hometown: Jacksonville, Fla.


Mercy Bell, "Chocolate Milk & Whiskey"

Hometown: Nashville, Tenn.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

In 1988, a determined Bob Boilen started showing up on NPR's doorstep every day, looking for a way to contribute his skills in music and broadcasting to the network. His persistence paid off, and within a few weeks he was hired, on a temporary basis, to work for All Things Considered. Less than a year later, Boilen was directing the show and continued to do so for the next 18 years.