Sampha Makes an Ethereal Return to 'Tiny Desk'
Five years after he first graced NPR Music’s headquarters.
Still basking in the bliss of Lahai, Sampha stopped by NPR Music‘s Tiny Desk to deliver another mesmerizing concert five years after he made his Tiny Desk debut. Closing out with a nostalgic full-circle moment, Sampha provided the perfect follow-up to 2017’s performance.
When the English musician first performed on Tiny Desk, he was equipped solely with his piano, but this time, Sampha comes complete with a full band of percussion, background vocals and bass. He kicked off with Lahai‘s lead single “Spirit 2.0,” followed by the album’s other tracks “Only” and “Dancing Circles” before closing out with the deep 2016 cut “Without” pulled from his Dual EP.
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While Sampha’s signature vocals may sound just like they do in the studio, watching the musician perform live adds a new immersive dimension to his discography. For “Without,” he and the band gathered in a drum circle before Sampha returned to the piano to close out the show. He wrapped the 20-minute concert with a nod to his 2017 Tiny Desk: just him and his piano.
Hypebeast sat down with Sampha last month to learn more about his inspirations behind Lahai – revisit the conversation here, and find Sampha’s full Tiny Desk performance above.
