Route Song of the Day
NPR's Tiny Desk announcement for 2026 on The Route. Entry window is now open!
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Ca$ino, the rapper's second album for his cousin Kendrick Lamar's label, is whiplash embodied, a mirror for the extreme highs and lows of his Sin City hometown.
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The shortlist also includes a 1990s pop diva, heavy metal pioneers and a legendary R&B singer and producer.
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Juana Summers talks with NPR Music's Ann Powers about why Charli XCX's music for the Wuthering Heights film represents a bigger, musical trend in romance reading.
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In a set that spans Immanuel Wilkins' exceptional catalog, the jazz saxophonist brings the heat to the Tiny Desk.
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In a new album, the Ukranian-born, New York-based pianist and composer Vadim Neselovskyi channels the horror and hope he's felt since Russia's incursion.
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Salsa legend, Willie Colon, has died at age 75. Colon was a key part of salsa's development in the 1970's as an instrumentalist, songwriter and producer.
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The South Bronx bandleader took the Latin genre to new heights while recording for Fania Records.
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NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Laura Atkinson and Justin Hicks of Louisville Public Media about shape note singing and its influence across the American musical tradition.
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Singer and musician Willow released her seventh full-length album Petal Rock Black as complete surprise, continuing defy expectations with her music.
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It’s “El Mal” from the 2024 film “Emilia Perez" won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2025.
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On his new album, the violinist completely rethinks The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and leans into old folk songs with the help of Sam Amidon.
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Featuring sultry standouts and heartbreak bops, plus some unreleased tracks, the British girl group doubles down on sisterhood and powerful vocals at the Desk.
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NPR Music's Stephen Thompson reports on how halftime shows significantly influence listening habits.
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Two albums released the same day — Jill Scott's return from a long absence, and Brent Faiyaz's play for a mid-career pivot — offer opposing visions of artistic advancement in the genre.
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