- 2025-12-04
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MUSIC
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Brandi Carlile Performs at NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
American singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile appeared on NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert to perform “A War With Time”, “A Woman Oversees”, “Human”, and “Returning To Myself”.
This marks her first performance in 13 years since she last appeared at Tiny Desk Concert.
This time, she performed with Chauntee Ross on violin, Monique Ross on cello and keyboards, and Solomon Dorsey on bass.
Brandi Carlile said, “I'm so excited to play for all of you guys. This is just a this is something I see and watch all the time. Some of my favorite performances of all time have been here. It's the kind of thing that really makes your blood run a little cold. And that's something I'm looking for more and more in my life, as I inch into my 40s is being just just nervous enough to like really deeply, show up. And I'm really, really excited about this, and I'm excited to sing with these amazing people back here.”- The four songs are featured on her latest album “Returning To Myself”, which was released on October 24, 2025.
The album is her first solo project in four years since the 2021 album “In These Silent Days”. Also, it follows the collaborative album “Who Believes in Angels?” with British singer-songwriter Elton John, which was released back in April. They were nominated with the album for Best Song Written For Visual Media and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards. -
Brandi Carlile explained four songs.
“A Woman Oversees”
“This is a song from from my album 'Returning To Myself', and it's called 'A Woman Oversees'. It's a bit of a mystery. It's overseas, S, E, E, S. I'll let you decide what that means.”
“A War With Time”
“'Hold their eyes make sure they know / stand your ground but see the soul / beneath the pain and broken home / with every drop of rain and bone / square your shoulders turn to stone / slowly shake your head for no / When you find yourself alone / retrace your steps and come back home.' When Aaron Dessner played me this otherworldly riff I saw the song unfold in front of my eyes like a black and white movie of my own memories... Love and gratitude to my soul brother Justin Vernon for singing with me on this one.”
“Human”
“I do feel that every generation since recorded history believes that their generation is the one living through the end of the world. I think that's really comforting. And we do. We all see our conflicts and our wars and our political upheavals and tyranny and democracy in constant balance. We are in a loop, and the loop is the loop of humanity. And don't be apathetic. Don't ignore it. Don't look away. Do fight. Do be an activist. Do get out of bed every morning and think about how you can serve humanity. But also touch grass. Also realize that you're here for a split second and that you don't want to look back and realize you missed the whole thing because you believed you were living through the end of the world.”
“Returning to Myself”
“I think people are going to hear that song in different ways. Some are going to hear it as a call to return to themselves. Some are going to hear it as a justification not to. And I love that about it because it is a deeply conflicting feeling. There is no a-ha moment in that song. It's just a contemplation of, 'Is enlightenment aloneness or is enlightenment learning togetherness and sacrificial love?'” - source : NPR
