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Tiny Desk Meets AFROPUNK: Calma Carmona

Tiny Desk Meets AFROPUNK was the opening event of AFROPUNK's "Black Spring" festival. The virtual celebration, hosted by Jorge "Gitoo" Wright, highlighted outstanding talent in Afro-Latin and Afro-Caribbean music across the globe. Our showcase featured four artists who honored their homes and celebrated the art their heritage has inspired.


From her hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Calma Carmona delivers a bewitching Tiny Desk performance. Her voice rarely rises above a whisper as she sings over impassioned Afrobeats during her three-song set — but when it does, it's a gritty, intimidating growl. Carmona got her start in 2013 when the Latin soul singer-songwriter released her first EP and opened for Beyoncé's The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in Puerto Rico.

SET LIST

  • "When I Was Your Girl"
  • "Ella Se Mueve"
  • "Vibra"
  • MUSICIANS

  • Calma Carmona: vocals
  • Pedro "PJ" González: guitar
  • Adrián "AJ" Rodríguez: bass
  • J. Rochet: keys
  • Gabriel Oliver: drums, barril
  • Andres "Kino" Cruz: barril
  • José "Junny" Elicier: barril
  • Athina Alejandra: vocals
  • Almonte Duluc: vocals
  • Yarinés Salgado: vocals
  • CREDITS

  • Video: Siempre Estudio Creativo, Christian Suau, Celso González, Anthony Edwin
  • Audio: J. Rochet, Dylan Burgos
  • Recorded at: Trade Space, San Juan Puerto Rico
  • Special Thanks: Artcommunity.io
  • TINY DESK TEAM

  • Producer: Abby O'Neill
  • Video Producer: Maia Stern
  • Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
  • Associate Producer: Bobby Carter
  • Tiny Production Team: Bob Boilen, Kara Frame
  • Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey
  • Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann
  • Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

    LaTesha Harris is NPR Music's editorial assistant. A relentless jack-of-all-trades, she takes turns writing, editing and producing music coverage. Invested in the culture behind pop, hip-hop and R&B, her work highlights the intersection between identity and history. Once in a blue moon, Harris moonlights as a talking head with no filter.