Lido Pimienta: Tiny Desk Concert

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

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

Felix Contreras | September 19, 2025

Every aspect of a Lido Pimienta performance is intensely intentional. Her turn behind the Tiny Desk is, as expected, rich with symbolism and musical beauty.

This year’s La Belleza is a deliberate break from the electro-cultural pastiche of 2020’s Miss Colombia, leaning on European-influenced chamber music. Think minimal string arrangements under the resonant vocals we’ve come to love. The way she opens her Tiny Desk with “Quiero Que Me Beses” is very Pimienta: after three minutes of violin, bassoon and clarinet, we are then introduced to the Afro-Colombian percussion and marimba familiar to Colombian folk music.

Pimenta is often clothed in costumes that act as visual representation of her singular musical vision. To my eyes, the elaborately designed, multi-layered, all-black dress she wears can be seen as a blank canvas on which we can all project our own appreciation of her music and its messages. With Lido Pimienta, what you see is as important as what you hear.

SET LIST

“Quiero Que Me Beses”

“Mango”

“¿Quién Tiene La Luz? (El Perdón)”

“Eso Que Tu Haces”

MUSICIANS

Lido Pimienta: vocals

Brandon Miguel Valdivia: percussion

Owen Pallett: violin

Jeff Stern: marimba

Todd Marcus: clarinet, bass clarinet

Lauren Yu: bassoon

TINY DESK TEAM

Producer: Felix Contreras

Director/Editor: Kara Frame

Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell

Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter

Videographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant

Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna

Production Assistant: Dhanika Pineda

Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez

Series Editor: Lars Gotrich

Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed

Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#tinydesk #nprmusic #lidopimienta

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