By barnaby
Boy Golden, Bob Moses, July Talk, The Beaches, Metric, Dear Rouge, The Glorious Sons, Arkells, Billy Talent, The Darcys, Monowhales, Anyway Gang, Mother Mother, and Dear Rouge stand out in the year-end Alt category.
Daniel Caesar
The Canadian-born singer-songwriter brought a 12-piece choir for his five-song set, focused on songs from his 2025 album, Son of Spergy.
Daniel Caesar has returned to NPR’s Tiny Desk.
Back in 2018, the Canadian singer-songwriter performed a string of songs for the popular performance series, hot on the heels of his acclaimed debut album, Freudian. Despite his three-song set, Caesar left the room — and the audience at home — in awe of his natural talent and charm. His debut remains one of the 15 most-viewed sets on YouTube.
Since then, Caesar has released three more albums: 2019’s CASE STUDY 01, 2023’s Never Enough and most recently, Son of Spergy in October 2025. The album — filled with introspection, nostalgia and a reckoning with Caesar’s religious upbringing — made a splash on the charts, peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart.
Eight years later, the Toronto native is making his comeback to Tiny Desk, this time with a five-song set that carries raw vulnerability and elevates the album’s intimate and introspective songs.
Supported by a 12-person choir and a stripped-back array of instruments, Caesar effortlessly navigates the beginning of the setlist with performances of “Rain Down” and "Emily's Song," which captures the audience’s attention from the first note. He continues with “Moon,” which he first debuted in Toronto at NXNE 2025. The choir compliments Caesar’s soft yet strong vocals as they lead into the acoustic guitar-driven “Who Knows.” He then heads over to the piano to close out the set on a somber note with “Sins of a Father.”
While he ends the performance on a deeply personal track about generational trauma and family dynamics, Caesar is seemingly ready to bask in the accomplishment as he lifts his fingers off the piano and breaks into a smile, cheering alongside the choir and audience.
Only a select group of artists has appeared on Tiny Desk twice, including, among others, pop singer Billie Eilish, rapper Noname and indie-folk singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers.
Before Son of Spergy was released, Caesar graced the cover of Billboard and Billboard Canada, where he revealed that the record was in the works for two years before he put it out. He shared that he was in a purer place, older and wiser, with a desire to reflect on his past but move forward. “I feel like we’re picking up where we left off,” he explained. “I almost feel like I’m starting again — and I love it.”
Once the project was out in the world, Caesar embarked on multiple pop-up shows across North America, including stops in Toronto and Montreal — opting for spontaneous gigs at parks over an official tour. This year, he’s set to perform at his close friend and collaborator, Mustafa’s Artists for Aid benefit show for Sudan and Palestine in Los Angeles on Jan. 10.
Watch Caesar’s full Tiny Desk concert below.
