Ryan Leslie was in go mode as he arrived at NPR headquarters after an early morning road trip from New York. He bounced all over the space even when the cameras weren鈥檛 rolling. I was curious to hear how he would take his big, synth-heavy sound and adapt it to the Tiny Desk, but then was quickly reminded that at his core, he鈥檚 a creator. Leslie made songs like 鈥淒iamond Girl,鈥� 鈥淗ow It Was Supposed To Be鈥� and Cassie鈥檚 鈥淟ong Way 2 Go,鈥� so to watch him recreate them here with ease shouldn鈥檛 have been a surprise.
After writing and producing Cassie鈥檚 debut album and hits for others, the singer-songwriter and entrepreneur decided to focus on being a solo artist. It鈥檚 not easy to go into a studio by yourself and walk out with a complete album, but R. Les is that artist. The is remarkable proof. In 2013, he walked away from the traditional music industry, removing his music from streaming services and utilizing his social media following to promote and sell his work. Unlike many in Leslie鈥檚 class of producers from the early 2000s, he crafted a distinctive style, branching out and creating high demand as a writer and producer. It鈥檚 a style, proven here at his Tiny Desk, to be timeless.
SET LIST
- 鈥淛ust Right鈥�
- 鈥淪omething That I Like鈥�
- 鈥淒iamond Girl鈥�
- 鈥淟ong Way 2 Go鈥�
- 鈥淔ly Together鈥�
- 鈥淗ow It Was Supposed To Be鈥�
- 鈥淎诲诲颈肠迟颈辞苍鈥�
MUSICIANS
- Ryan Leslie: vocals, keys
- Gabriel Lambirth: guitar
- Jason Taylor: keys
- John Young: bass
- Jermaine Parrish: drums, percussion
- Charity Davis: vocals
- Samara Brown: vocals
- Latif Williams: vocals
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Bobby Carter
- Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
- Audio Technical Director: Josephine Nyounai
- Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Alant茅 Serene, Christina Shaman
- Audio Engineer: Josh Newell
- Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
- Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez
- Tiny Desk Team: Kara Frame, Hazel Cills
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
- VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Copyright 2024 NPR
