Tiny Desk Credits › Mon Rovîa: Tiny Desk Concert

Mon Rovîa: Tiny Desk Concert

Isabella Gomez Sarmiento | September 1, 2026

Mon Rovîa’s voice is like a balm: soft, clear, soothing. He uses that voice to tackle difficult, yet poignant vignettes — of battles fought internally and others observed in the world around him.

Born in Liberia during the country’s civil war, Mon Rovîa was adopted by an American missionary family and spent his childhood moving around before eventually settling in Tennessee. His debut album, Bloodline, untangles that complicated lineage through ukulele- and guitar-driven folk melodies in music he describes as “Afro-Appalachian.”

At the Tiny Desk, backed by his full band, Mon Rovîa glides from the intimate revelations of “crooked the road.” into the thumping energy of “Somewhere down in Georgia,” a nod towards the South’s violent history. Throughout the set, his mission is clear: To reconcile pain and conflict with a sense of joy and belonging.

SET LIST

“crooked the road.”

“Bloodline”

“Somewhere down in Georgia”

“Heavy Foot”

MUSICIANS

Mon Rovîa: vocals, ukelele

Tyler Martelli: guitar, background vocals

Sam Hudgens: bass, keys, background vocals

Joshua Durant: drums

James Randy Sanchez Fall: pedal steel, banjo

Lauren Conklin: violin