Sevana: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music's Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It's the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.

Abby O'Neill | January 26, 2021
These days it's nice to have an audience cheer you on, even if it's just the lighting crew. Burgeoning Jamaican soul singer Sevana and her six-piece band shot and recorded this Tiny Desk (home) concert at the Kingston Creative Hub back in September 2020 (the interludes you'll hear about the pandemic are reflective of that time). Sevana, a member of Protoje's In.Digg.Nation collective, showcases her vocal range by jumping delicately between traditional R&B, Caribbean gospel and soul, with touches of reggae interspersed.

Sevana was nervous for this shoot, but her humility and honesty shone through. On "Blessed," an infectious ode about the miracle of life and faith, she welcomes us with open arms into her church and demonstrates the wide range of her multi-octave voice. She closes out the four-song set with her most recognizable tune, "Mango," a dancehall-influenced love song. These Tropical percussive vibes are sure to send a surge of warmth and joy out to the masses, especially for all of those immersed in below-freezing temperatures in the dead of winter.

SET LIST
"If You Only Knew"
"Blessed"
"Be Somebody"
"Mango"

MUSICIANS
Sevana: vocals
Nicolas Groskoef: electric guitar
Almando 'Mundo Don' Douglas: electric guitar
Jean- Andre Lawrence: samples, effect
Rhoan Johnson: keys
Kawain Williamson: bass
Mark Reid: percussion

CREDITS
Video: Yoram Savion Jik-Reuben Pringle Dennis Fyffe Shanice Mitchell Travis-John "Habibi" Bailey
Audio: Fumiaki "Superman" Ogata, Whitson Williams, Keinotain Johnson, STT Entertainment and Production

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Abby O'Neill
Video Producer: Morgan Noelle Smith
Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
Associate Producer: Bobby Carter
Tiny Production Team: Bob Boilen, Kara Frame, Maia Stern
Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann