It's a tiny desk that's become a huge draw for some of the world's most famous musicians.

I worked at NPR many years ago and recently returned to talk to the new host of the long-running

concert series about why this unique format continues to resonate with so many.

It's part of our arts and culture series, Canvas.

So this is the tiny desk.

This is the tiny desk and it's a tiny desk, it's a tiny space, it's a tiny everything.

Bobby Carter's new job is a big one, overseeing NPR's tiny desk concerts.

Launched in 2008, this wildly popular series has racked up

billions of views on YouTube along the way convincing some of music's biggest

names to play a stage like no other.

I just decided to kind of take this as an opportunity

to show you guys how the song sounded

when I first wrote them.

These intimate stripped down performances

offer major stars like Taylor Swift the

chance to showcase their talents and ways audiences rarely get to see.

Everyone believes yeah what's that like? She stepped behind the tiny desk in 2019.

This is weird as hell for me.

Or when rapper an autotune pioneer T-Pain

showcased his real voice five years earlier.

Slow motion, oh I'm so gonna put on the drone.

I don't know how I'm getting home later online.

...