Ryan Leslie was in go mode as he arrived at NPR headquarters after an early morning road trip from New York, bouncing all over the space even when the cameras weren’t rolling. I was curious to hear how he would take his big, synth-heavy sound and adapt it to the Tiny Desk, but then was quickly reminded that at his core, he’s a creator. Leslie made songs like “Diamond Girl,” “How It Was Supposed To Be” and Cassie’s “Long Way 2 Go,” so to watch him recreate them here with ease shouldn’t have been a surprise.
After writing and producing Cassie’s debut album and hits for others, the singer-songwriter and entrepreneur decided to focus on being a solo artist. It’s not easy to go into a studio by yourself and walk out with a complete album, but R. Les is that artist. The viral video of him creating “Addiction” is remarkable proof.
In 2013, he walked away from the traditional music industry, removing his music from streaming services and created a new platform utilizing his social media following to promote and sell his work. Unlike many in Leslie’s class of producers from the early 2000s, he crafted a distinctive style, branching out and creating high demand as a writer and producer. It’s a style, proven here at his Tiny Desk, to be timeless.
SET LIST
- “Just Right”
- “Something That I Like”
- “Diamond Girl”
- “Long Way 2 Go”
- “Fly Together”
- “How It Was Supposed To Be”
- “Addiction”
MUSICIANS
- Ryan Leslie: vocals, keys
- Gabriel Lambirth: guitar
- Jason Huffman: keys
- John Young: bass
- Jermaine Parrish: drums, percussion
- Charity Davis: vocals
- Samara Brown: vocals
- Latif Williams: vocals
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Bobby Carter
- Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
- Audio Technical Director: Josephine Nyounai
- Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Alanté Serene, Christina Shaman
- Audio Engineer: Josh Newell
- Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
- Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez
- Tiny Desk Team: Kara Frame, Hazel Cills
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
- VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
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