Taimane makes her mark on NPR’s ‘Tiny Desk’

Taimane, Hawaii’s lithe, expressive and often-barefoot artist of the ukulele, has made her mark locally and internationally, distinguished by her island roots and passionate performances.

She was named Hawaii’s 2019 Na Hoku Hanohano Favorite Entertainer of the Year, by popular vote, and toured last year throughout the U.S. and Europe.

On Friday, Taimane’s profile takes another leap when National Public Radio features her performance on its Tiny Desk Concert series.

The concert, filmed at NPR’s Washington, D.C. headquarters, premieres on YouTube at midnight Hawaii time. It debuted last week at NPR.org.

Taimane was invited to participate after NPR’s music journalists saw her perform at last year’s South by Southwest Music Festival in February 2019. They came away wowed by Taimane’s enticing stage presence, dynamic performance style and unusual blend of rock, pop, Latin and classical influences.

TAIMANE IS the first Hawaii artist to headline Tiny Desk, which has featured more than 900 performances since 2008.

With its 7.5 million monthly viewers and 3.62 million subscribers at YouTube.com/nprmusic, Taimane’s manager, Mark Tarone, calls the Tiny Desk series “a music juggernaut.”

“Tiny Desk has amassed a massive following of passionate music fans, so much so that an appearance on Tiny Desk provides a bigger boost to artist careers than performing on late-night TV shows,” Tarone said, citing a data-driven Forbes piece on the phenomenon.

In the concert series, rising stars such as Taimane share top billing with superstars including Taylor Swift, Lizzo, the Jonas Brothers and Damian Marley — these in 2019 alone.

The focus of Tiny Desk, presented by NPR’s Bob Boilen, is music discovery. Boilen is host and creator of NPR’s online music show “All Songs Considered,” as well as the Tiny Desk Concert series.

“My thrill is to watch an unknown, and then (see) a reaction happen,” Boilen has said. Tiny Desk successes include New Orleans outfit Tank and the Bangas, a 2020 Grammy Best New Artist nominee who were an unsigned act when they won the 2017 Tiny Desk Contest (musicians who want to enter can go to tinydeskcontest.npr.org).

>> MORE PHOTOS: Hawaii artist Taimane through the years

THE TINY Desk Concert is really performed behind a desk. While it’s intimate, it’s not truly a “tiny” space: Taimane and and percussionist Jonathan Heraux of Honolulu, classical guitarist Ramiro Marziani, an Argentine now based in New York, and violinist Melissa Baethoven of New York all fit onto the set, as did Polynesian dancer Li‘o, an Ewa Beach-raised, Brooklyn- based artist who joined for the filming.

The concert was shot in one take — a Tiny Desk hallmark. Taimane played her own, original songs along with one of her most popular classical covers.

She wraps the concert singing a newly-written, Hawaiian original, which will appear on Taimane’s next album.

Having seen Taimane perform, Boilen described her stage show as something “completely new and mysterious.

“It was definitely Hawaiian, but there was something else going on — it felt a little Latin and it was very dreamy and beautiful, and the musicians were astonishing! You’re going to witness some of that today,” Boilen said, introducing her.

Taimane, who is of Samoan, German, Irish, French and Swedish descent, said she has been drawn to incorporate more Polynesian sounds in her songwriting and performance.

She grew up listening to Hawaiian and Polynesian music, she said, but her first musical influence as a performer was classic rock.

“I’m coming full circle, and incorporating Polynesian sounds,” she said. “Polynesian music is inspiring me now.”

She turned 31 on Feb. 13, and said she believes she is entering a new phase in her life and career.

“My 30s are different,” she said. “More calm, not as emotionally volatile. I read somewhere that your 30s are where your life’s work is. I’m excited to do the best work I can now.”

NPR HAD also planned to feature Taimane in a “Tiny Desk SXSW” showcase concert next week during the South by Southwest Music Festival; however, in the wake of an emergency declaration by the city of Austin because of coronavirus concerns, organizers were forced to cancel the festival.

Tarone calls the cancellation “a huge loss to artists.” It leaves a weeklong gap in Taimane’s schedule, but the NPR video release is also expected to bring her worldwide attention.

Taimane has a full calendar of concerts planned in the weeks ahead, including a gig at the massive Glastonbury music festival in England.

She’ll appear on stage each day of the sold-out Glastonbury festival — with 135,000 tickets sold for its 50th anniversary event, June 24 through June 28.

Later this spring, PBS broadcasts its taping of a 2019 sold-out Berkeley concert with Taimane in select television markets. And in the fall, Taimane has a 20-date tour of Europe planned, with backing by live entertainment company DEAG.

“It was truly an honor to play Tiny Desk,” she said. “I’ve been watching for years and have been introduced to so many great artists through it. Standing and playing at Bob’s desk was an absolute rush and inspiration. Crazy how far my ukulele has taken me.”

Taimane’s Tiny Desk Concert is available starting at midnight Friday at youtube.com/nprmusic. Visit taimane.com for more info.