Amaia: Tiny Desk Concert

Amaia: Tiny Desk Concert with tags npr, npr music, national public radio, live, performance, tiny desk, tiny desk concert, tony desk, tiny concert

Anamaria Sayre | April 23, 2026

Spanish singer Amaia is walking contradiction. She's a multi-instrumentalist, easily traipsing between piano, chair flute and — not featured in this Tiny Desk performance — her signature harp. But all of this hardly compares to a voice that dances between ferocity and softness.

The opener here, "C'est La Vie," jumps from charged piano to luxuriant strings — a perfect embodiment of her musical duality. "Zorongo," a mashup of canon classics "Zorongo Gitano" and "Rumores de la Caleta," lets loose the tremor of flamenco. Her set leaves Spain for a moment with the bachata-fueled "Auxiliar." Last year's Si Abro los Ojos No Es Real aimed to incorporate more global Latin elements and experimental production; this Tiny Desk version of "Giratutto" presents that edgier side of her sweetness.

Back at the piano, Amaia closes with a tribute to a park in her hometown. It's a tender reminder that, even as she plays with her sound, that she will always return to Pamplona.

SET LIST

"C'est La Vie"

"Nanai"

"Zorongo"

"Auxiliar"

"Giratutto"

"Yamaguchi"

MUSICIANS

Amaia: vocals, piano, chair flute

Victor Martinez: guitar, percussion, music director

Luis Martinez: guitar, electronics, percussion

Anika: violin, charango, percussion, background vocals

Zazo: keys, viola

Pedro Campos: bass, keys

Abril Saurí: drums, background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM

Producer: Anamaria Sayre

Director/Editor: Maia Stern

Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell

Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter

Videographers: Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Ben de la Cruz

Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna

Production Assistants: Dhanika Pineda, Alina Edwards

Photographer: Michael Zamora

Tiny Desk Team: Ashley Pointer, Felix Contreras

Series Editor: Lars Gotrich

Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed

Executive Director: Sonali Mehta

Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#nprmusic #tinydesk #amaia

Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Presenting sponsor of the Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at Capital One dot com.