I simply occurred to be searching of the workplace window when British-Nigerian singer-songwriter Shae Universe first pulled up exterior of NPR HQ, simply in time to see her take all of it in. It was evidently a surreal second for her as an up-and-coming artist, however as soon as she started to fill the room up together with her distinctive and beautiful voice, it was clear that she had arrived — not simply on the Tiny Desk, however effervescently onto America’s R&B and soul scene.
“This second proper right here is not only one for British tradition and R&B, that is for the impartial artists, that is for the self-managed artists, that is for the darker-skinned Black girls, that is for the shy ones with plain presents, that is for the slow-burners,” Universe says in her set. Performing alternatives from her most up-to-date album, Love’s Letter, Universe takes us on a journey of affection on this live performance in all varieties: lust, romance and self-love. On “You Lose” she additionally takes a second to pay homage to her early days because the pioneer of the U.Okay. subgenre R&Drill, the place we hear her flex not solely her clean vocals however her bars with admirable precision. Universe closes out the present with “Extra Than Sufficient,” a gospel-infused ballad. It was lovely witnessing her sing these affirmations for herself, and made me so excited for individuals who will uncover her for the primary time by this live performance. Put together your self.
SET LIST
- “OOTW”
- “Summertime”
- “LOML”
- “Warzone”
- “Passenger Princess”
- “What’s Luv?”
- “You Lose”
- “Extra Than Sufficient”
MUSICIANS
- Shae Universe: lead vocals
- Isaac Oshuntola: bass
- John Monk: guitar
- Brandon Stennett: drums
- Ronnie Heard: sax
- Veritus Miller: keys
- Kaylla Samuel: vocals
- Auriana Chisholm: vocals
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Ashley Pointer
- Director: Joshua Bryant
- Audio Technical Director: Neil Tevault
- Host/Sequence Producer: Bobby Carter
- Editor: Maia Stern
- Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Kara Body, Mitra I. Arthur
- Audio Engineer: Tiffany Vera Castro
- Audio Combine: Josephine Nyounai
- Photographer: Michael Zamora
- Tiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel Cills
- Govt Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Sequence Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
- VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
