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Jhené Aiko Delivers Stunningly Beautiful Performance For NPR Tiny Desk
Throughout the pandemic, artists have gotten creative for their at-home performances, showing off the length of their innovation by how they can create an experience that will stand out compared to the rest of the pack. While the NPR Tiny Desk Concert series has done that by itself, offering a more stripped-down version of a regular performance with a smaller crowd, a live band, and more intimate versions of their songs, the series has had to transition to a remote series because of the virus. Last week, we saw Conway The Machine perform like at a Sweet Chick restaurant, which was pretty dope, and now, Jhené Aiko is bringing her brand of soulful vocals to the stage for Tiny Desk.

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The spirit of the series was kept alive for Jhené’s episode, which included songs from her latest album, following the singer as she performed alongside her live instrumental backing, of which everybody was wearing a facemask.
This is one of the most stunningly beautiful performances we’ve seen during the quarantine, reminding us all of Jhené’s incredibly gorgeous voice and finally giving us some live renditions of the new music.
Last month, the singer released the official video for “Speak” from her Chilombo release. In the summer, she was named one of Spotify’s most-streamed R&B artists.
What did you think of her performance?
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Kyle Ashen’s sun-drenched recollection with new release “That Local Girl”
Kyle Ashen’s latest release, “That Local Girl,” is a gorgeous trip down memory lane, a country single that explores that golden glow of memory, like flipping through old photographs touched by salt air and summer sunlight. It’s warm, cinematic, and deeply relatable, a song about the kind of love story that never quite goes away, even as time moves on.
“That Local Girl” is filled with imagery that quickly takes the listener into a world they can walk right into. You got a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl on a boardwalk street by the ocean, a souped-up truck driving through town, neon lights reflecting off the ocean breeze, and the electric innocence of young love burning in the background.
But under all that cutesy trapping is something more than that, longing. Some people, some places that leave permanent marks on Kyle Ashen and us know that. What’s so brilliant about this song is that it marries those two ideas, making love and hometown memory feel beautifully inseparable. Sometimes you miss a person. And with that person, you miss an entire version of life. “That Local Girl” is more than a country love song from Kyle Ashen. He is a living postcard from the past, sun-faded, bittersweet, and glowing with feeling. A reminder that summers pass by, but some memories stay with us forever.
Connect with Kyle Ashen on Spotify || Instagram || Facebook || Youtube
Artist Spotlight
ECHOFLIP inspires faith and fire with triumphant anthem on “Kingdom Rise”
ECHOFLIP marches forward with commanding purpose on “Kingdom Rise,” a single that not only demands attention but also commands it. Driven by pounding drums, soaring melodic textures, and full-conviction lyricism, the song arrives like a battle cry with the heart of worship. Bold and energized and spiritually charged from beginning to end.
“Kingdom Rise” is street realism meets kingdom vision at its heart. It’s got grit in its pulse but grace in its message as well. Each bar rings with resilience with ECHOFLIP, a record that embodies struggle, perseverance, and steadfast faith in the face of adversity. The result is music that is rooted in reality while reaching for something much larger.
What makes the single particularly compelling is how seamlessly it combines high-energy Christian trap with uplifting spiritual themes. The hard-hitting production has edge and urgency, and its faith-centered focus gives it soul. It’s motivational without being pushy. Worshipful without momentum loss, without losing authenticity. Ideal for trap gospel, inspirational rap, and urban playlists that aim to uplift as much as energize, “Kingdom Rise” delivers on all fronts. It moves the body, it sharpens the mind, it stirs the soul.
Connect with ECHOFLIP on Spotify
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