Yola Brings The Soul To NPR's 'Tiny Desk' [Watch]

The Grammy-nominated Yola made an appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk to perform three songs off her debut solo album, Walk Through Fire, on Friday.

The English singer-songwriter, whose previous work includes providing backing vocals for Massive Attack, The Chemical Brothers, and Iggy Azalea, has quickly made a name for herself in the areas of Americana, country, soul, and roots rock. Her stage presence is dominating and her powerfully soulful voice is intoxicating, to say the least.

As Tiny Desk producer Ben Boilen notes in the video description:

“With her bouncy Afro and a big smile, Yola’s presence behind the Tiny Desk was commanding, her energy captivating and, oh, that voice! I first saw Yola, then known as Yola Carter, in 2016 in Nashville, during AmericanaFest. Her soulful sound needed little amplification and, with her classic R&B swagger, I assumed her background was as a southern gospel singer until she spoke…But Yola’s affection for American music, from Dolly Parton to Aretha Franklin, is at the center of her character and expression.”

Yola certainly lived up to those words as she performed “Faraway Look”, “I Don’t Wanna Lie”, and “It Ain’t Easier” from the 2019 Dan Auerbach-produced release Walk Through Fire.

The power behind her voice became evident right from the first song, “Faraway Look”, as Yola sang in front of her band comprised of Daniel Creamer (keys/vocals), Jamie Dick (drums), Andy Stack (guitar/vocals), and Taylor Zachary (bass).

Stack brought the band into the second song, “I Don’t Wanna Lie”, an upbeat number that was highlighted by Yola’s far-reaching falsetto. The third, and final song, gave Yola a chance to reveal her guitar prowess to the Tiny Desk viewers. She pulled out her Fender acoustic to aid the band with rhythm guitar while, once again, showing off her impressive vocal range on “It Ain’t Easier”.

Watch the entire performance below.

Yola – NPR Tiny Desk

[Video: NPR Tiny Desk]

Yola’s Walk Through Fire World Tour continues on February 7th in Houston, TX following an appearance at Brandi Carlile‘s Girls Just Wanna Weekend in Frontera, Mexico on January 29th. The tour will move through the central and western United States, as well as a pit stop in Canada, before Yola heads to Pelham, TN for Bluegrass Underground. Visit her official website for tickets and more tour information.