Tiny Desk

While waiting for test results at her job at the University of Miami’s cancer research lab, Katerina Lomis would ink down her thoughts that would eventually turn into fully fledged songs. Inspired by South Florida’s music community, Lomis has left the lab for a life in music.

It’s the time of year when independent musicians nationwide drag out their makeshift desks and showcase their talent — all in hopes of joining the coveted canon of NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest winners. As South Florida’s public media station, we’re sharing some of the artists we love from this year’s contest.

From her sailboat in the Keys, K Boswell records her brand of indie-pop, filled with electric guitars and electronic sounds. She is among the more than 100 South Florida artists who entered the beloved musical competition for 2025.

Using their classical music background to bend genres, brothers Malcolm and Umoja McNeish from Broward County energize audiences as the Sons of Mystro. Together, they wield their violin bows to freestyle and bring positivity through music.

For Miami singer-songwriter Inez Barlatier, world music is a healing practice. The Haitian-American multidisciplinary artist talks to WLRN about her emotional and vulnerable submission for NPR's Tiny Desk Contest and what it was like growing up in the Miami art scene.

Chasing your dream can be terrifying. That was the case for aspiring singer-songwriter Justin Koolik. The 22-year-old from Boca Raton traded in a future in Wall Street for a life behind the microphone. WLRN spoke to him about taking the big leap into music and why he’s taking part in NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest.

South Florida is home to a wide array of music genres from all types of musicians. But it can be hard to break through and it’s even easier to go unnoticed. That’s the idea behind NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest, which aims to highlight unsigned, independent artists. WLRN is showcasing some of our favorite local submissions for this year's contest.