Emily King: Tiny Desk Concert

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

Nikki Birch | November 3, 2025

Once, at a concert, I overheard someone whisper that Emily King sounded just like her records, but better. With a nod, her friend replied, “Yeah! It’s like getting hugged by a rose petal!” As a longtime fan myself, I know this Tiny Desk will do the same for you.

King’s silky tones reach new heights when her band members, each a master of their instrument, surprises the audience with beautiful voices of their own. On gutwrenching breakup songs like “Georgia” and “Down,” they add dreamy harmonies. Despite singing of heartbreak, King’s barely-contained excitement brightens the room between each tune. She remarks on the fun she’s had playing with her band, and speaks about all the music that she and her long-time collaborator, Jeremy Most, have created together over the years.

Sometimes, as she tells us, the songs that King writes are intended to give herself a boost when she feels sad or discouraged. She leans into main character mode with her new year’s anthem, “This Year,” and reminds us that a “Special Occasion” is best when it’s celebrated together. To me, sharing this Tiny Desk concert is one of those moments.

SET LIST

“Distance”

“Georgia”

“Down”

“This Year”

“Special Occasion”

MUSICIANS

Emily King: vocals, guitar

Randy Runyon: guitar, background vocals

Tim "Smithsoneon" Smith: percussion, background vocals

Jeremy Most: tenor bass, background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM

Producer: Nikki Birch

Director/Editor: Kara Frame

Audio Technical Director: Neil Tevault

Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter

Videographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Sofia Seidel

Audio Engineer: Tiffany Vera Castro

Production Assistants: Dhanika Pineda, Dora Levite

Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez

Tiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Josh Newell

Series Editor: Lars Gotrich

Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed

Executive Director: Sonali Mehta

Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#tinydesk #nprmusic #emilyking

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