Isabella Gomez Sarmiento | April 7, 2026 Thirty years since the release of the Colombian band’s pivotal album, La Pipa de La Paz (The Pipe for Peace), Aterciopelados brings its psychedelic universe to the Tiny Desk. The set’s complete with ceramic decorations and a quilted flag handmade by Andrea Echeverri herself.
When they splashed onto the rock en español scene in the 1990s, they weren’t just the only major band with a woman at the helm — they made songs with unapologetically feminist and environmentalist messages a core part of their art. In a sea of leather jacket-clad dudes taking inspiration from their Anglo and European counterparts, Echeverri and Héctor Buitrago did something radically different: They turned to the folkloric traditions of their native Colombia to blaze a new path for Latin alternative music.
From the lovelorn mellowness of “Bolero Falaz” to the explosive joropo punk of “La Culpable” — cracking jokes about the lack of amplifiers at the Desk just as easily as they belt lyrics protesting the objectification of women’s bodies — Aterciopelados’ performance shows the band is still as colorful and irreverent as ever.
SET LIST “El Estuche” “Bolero Falaz” “Te Juro Que No” “Piernas” “Candela” “La Culpable”
MUSICIANS Andrea Echeverri: vocals, guitar Héctor Buitrago: bass Leo Castiblanco: guitar Lindy Sánchez: keys, background vocals Jorge Garcia: congas Jorge Corredor: percussion Jonathan Lacouture: drums Alanna Sibrián: background vocals Victoria Gómez: background vocals
TINY DESK TEAM Producer: Isabella Gomez Sarmiento Director/Editor: Kara Frame Audio Director: Josh Newell Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter Videographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Zayrha Rodriguez Audio Mix: Maggie Luthar Audio Engineer: David Greenburg Production Assistant: Alina Edwards Photographer: Vanessa Castillo Tiny Desk Team: Joshua Bryant, Ashley Pointer Series Editor: Lars Gotrich Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed Executive Director: Sonali Mehta Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton
#nprmusic #tinydesk #aterciopelados
Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Presenting sponsor of the Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at Capital One dot com.
