Tune into the marvelous Doechii Tiny Desk Concert live performance
NPR recently hosted the Doechii Tiny Desk Concert, featuring Grammy nominated artist Jaylah Ji’mya Hickmon, also known as Doechii, who released her new mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal earlier this year in August. The Top Dawg Entertainment artist skillfully linked together eight of her most cherished songs into a 23 minute concert with almost no interruptions.
The Doechii Tiny Desk Concert began with a jazzy version of “BOOM BAP,” adding the line “NPR said they wanted me to rap” in the middle of the song. While “DENIAL IS A RIVER” was strikingly different from her Colbert set this past Wednesday, “BOILED PEANUTS” flowed naturally into it. Additional highlights included the hit single “NISSAN ALTIMA” and the closing, sentimental “Black Girl Memoir.”
Growing up in Tampa, Florida, Doechii made short films and performed plays for her mother in the living room. Writing songs became her top goal, and after her track “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” became viral in 2020, she got big on TikTok. Her R&B hits “Persuasive” and “What It Is,” the latter of which became her first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 last year, were published by TDE after she signed with them in March 2022 after releasing an EP.
In addition to becoming a professional milestone, Alligator Bites Never Heal signaled a shift in Doechii’s creative process. “I woke up one day and told my label, ‘I’m just going to make a mixtape,” recalls Doechii, pointing out the difficulties that arise during the production of a debut album. “I was able to birth this out of pure presence and creativity, and I think I want to carry that with all of my projects and have that mentality moving forward.”
Doechii’s official debut studio album, which she says will be released in 2025 and feature more live instrumentation, is one of those projects. “All I can think about is this album, so I’m just looking forward to making more hits, making more music and achieving more of my goals. That’s it.”
Check out the full performance of the Doechii Tiny Desk Concert below.