Since the pandemic hit, NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series has gone remote, which could be seen as either a positive or a negative. It’s a bit of a bummer that artists aren’t able to play in the classic titular performing space, but it is neat to see what environments they choose for their sets in lieu of that. The latest participant in the series is Rina Sawayama, who took to an office building with giant windows, which offered a stunning panoramic view of a city skyline.
It wasn’t just Sawayama, though, as she was joined by a full band and string quartet. Her set consisted of three songs from her 2020 debut album Sawayama: “Dynasty,” “XS,” and “Chosen Family.” While Elton John didn’t feature on the latter track, like he does on the latest version of the song, Sawayama did decide to perform the track in the style of the new recording.
Sawayama was also happy she was finally able to perform some of her songs live for the first time: “DYNASTY LIVE FINALLY !!!! to think this was the first time I performed it ….,” she tweeted.
Meanwhile, Sawayama just celebrated a major life milestone, as she turned 30 years old over the weekend, on April 16.
Check out Sawayama’s Tiny Desk performance above.
