Alanté Serene | January 12, 2026 Confident. Creative. Cool. Those are three words that describe Destin Conrad as he makes his Tiny Desk debut, transforming our office into his own version of a jazz club. Fresh off his first Grammy nomination, the singer-songwriter arrived ready to prove exactly why it was earned. Conrad weaves songs from his alt-R&B album, LOVE ON DIGITAL, with tracks from his alt-jazz project, wHIMSY, to build an alternative universe rooted entirely in intention.
The set takes off with the controlled tension of "wHIP," giving space for a trumpet solo from Keyon Harrold before effortlessly easing into "wASH U AWAY." Next, Conrad introduces Vanisha Gould for the playful duet, "A Lonely Detective." He then reimagines songs from LOVE ON DIGITAL in ways we've never heard before, including a moody, seductive turn as his chain-smoking alter-ego, "MR. E." That leads us seamlessly into the warm, gentle groove of "SO NICE." As Conrad concludes with his charming cut, "KISSING IN PUBLIC," it's clear that he's an artist fully in command of his universe, inviting anyone lucky enough to watch to step inside it with him.
SET LIST "wHIP" "wASH U AWAY" "A Lonely Detective" "LOVE!" "IN THE AIR" "MR. E" "SO NICE" "KISSING IN PUBLIC"
MUSICIANS Destin Conrad: vocals Slimwav: percussion, music director Mack Keane: piano, background vocals Maxwell Hunter: guitar Louie Lastic: bass Daniel Venz: drums Dan Foster: saxophone Keyon Harrold: trumpet Astyn Turr: background vocals Vanisha Gould: background vocals
TINY DESK TEAM Producer: Alanté Serene Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant Audio Technical Director: Josephine Nyounai Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Mitra I. Arthur Audio Engineer: Tiffany Vera Castro Production Assistants: Dhanika Pineda, Dora Levite Tiny Desk Team: Kara Frame, Josh Newell Series Editor: Lars Gotrich Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed Executive Director: Sonali Mehta Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton
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