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36 Iowa Artists Enter NPR's 2019 Tiny Desk Contest

NPR
Judges at NPR are combing through this year's entries. Submissions closed on April 14.

Thirty-six Iowa artists entered this year's Tiny Desk Contest for a chance to play a Tiny Desk concert at NPR and go on a nationwide tour. You can sort through and listen to all of the entries submitted here.

We listened through all of the submissions from Iowa, and there were a few that really caught our ears. 

KEMBLE 

Jake Kemble and Halen Becker are Kemble, a Des Moines based folk/pop duo. They are soon to release a new single by producer Brandon Darner, who has worked with Imagine Dragons and The Envy Corp. 

ANDREW THOREEN

Andrew Thoreen is a native of Sioux City and former music student at the University of Northern Iowa. He is one half of the duo Har-Di-Har, along with his wife Julie, and has also been part of the band Lick It Ticket. Thoreen now lives in St. Paul, where he performs in J.E. Sunde's band and also works as a producer, private instructor and church band director.

DEION WYKOWSKI

Singer-songwriter Deion Wykowski lives in Keokuk and performs under the name Young Old Soul. He spent some time in the Dallas-Fort Worth area honing his style before moving back to Iowa. This is our first exposure to Wykowski's music, and we're looking forward to hearing more.

ELIZABETH MOEN

Fans of IPR Studio One and the Iowa music scene need no introduction to Elizabeth Moen. She's put out two records in the last few years and has made several live appearances on IPR. She's making her first apperance at Hinterland this August and was recognized by NPR Music as one of the entries the judges "can't stop watching."

THE RURALISTS 

The Sioux Center based band The Ruralists are led by Luke Hawley, who is a professor of english at Dordt College and author of "The Northwoods Hymnal," a collection of short stories. The Ruralists have released an EP and a full-length album. They played a live set on IPR's Studio One Tracks in February.

NALANI PROCTOR

Nalani Proctor is based in Keokuk. She has been performing all over the state in support of her album "Nothing." Her music is being featured on IPR's Studio One Tracks and Gas Money, and she will make her Studio One Live debut on May 30. 

NUBIA SANAA

In the spirit of the Tiny Desk Contest, we learned about Nubia Sanaa because of her submission video. Her song "Paradise" is the only spoken-word entry from Iowa, and we found the honesty in her lyrics compelling and inspiring. 

Lindsey Moon is IPR's Senior Digital Producer
Tony Dehner is a Studio One Host