Elle Mannion | May 26, 2026

Take a deep breath. This is what songwriter Annahstasia tenderly instructs her band to do between songs; it's also an apt description of what listening to her music can feel like.

Annahstasia's voice is soothing, strong, textured and grounded. At the Tiny Desk, it's exquisitely attuned with the band's varied instrumentation. Like deep breaths, each song rises and falls as the group starts softly, builds to a crescendo, then lands in a gentle place.

For the finale, Annahstasia offers a twist on "Villain," a standout track from her debut album Tether. What begins as a song about insecurity now ends with a new, more hopeful verse that she sings over Hailey Niswanger's bird-like whistling: "Take it, take it back / All that you left within me / All the doubt and the fear / When love was always abundant in me."

SET LIST

"Stress Test"

"Be Kind"

"Sunday"

"Villain"

MUSICIANS

Annahstasia: vocals, guitar

Mia Garcia: guitar, bass

Yunus Iyriboz: oud, guitar

Aaron Liao: bass, shruti box, piano, music director

Hailey Niswanger: flute, alto sax

Zander Howard-Scott: cello, piano

TINY DESK TEAM

Producer: Elle Mannion

Director: Maia Stern

Audio Engineer/Mix: Hannah Gluvna

Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter

Videographers: Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant

Video Editor: Nikki Birch

Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell

Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer

Series Editor: Lars Gotrich

Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed

Executive Director: Sonali Mehta

Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#nprmusic #tinydesk #Annahstasia

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