Jill Britton | May 17, 2023
“I just wanted to take a moment before we start to say — lower your expectations,” Lewis Capaldi told the audience before his Tiny Desk performance. He then immediately launched into a beautifully crafted, vocally stunning four piece set.

Beginning with a special arrangement of “Before You Go,” Capaldi was flanked by a full band, including two horns — something new for the Scottish singer. His second song, “Wish You the Best,” is the latest, Capaldi-style heartbreaking single from his upcoming album Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent. Capaldi joked that he didn’t have much to say about the exclusive premiere of his next song, “Heavenly Kind of State of Mind,” describing it solely as simply being three minutes long.

If you didn’t know anything about Capaldi before watching his Tiny Desk, the self-deprecating humor mixed in between gut-wrenching vocal ballads will quickly catch you up to speed. Capaldi had NPR’s audience in tears, both from laughing at sexually suggestive jokes about the size of the Desk and lyrics about the complexities of moving on after a relationship ends. “What happens now?” Capaldi asked the Tiny Desk team as he wrapped up “Someone You Loved,” the final song of his set. Time to put the video on repeat and grab a tissue box.


SET LIST
“Before You Go”
“Wish You The Best”
“Heavenly Kind of State of Mind”
“Someone You Loved”

MUSICIANS
Lewis Capaldi: vocals, guitar
Aiden Halliday: piano
Freddy Sheed: drums
Aidan Beattie: bass, keys
Andy Black: guitar
Matt Owens: trumpet, keys
Reginald Chapman: trombone


CREDITS
Producer: Jill Britton
Director/Editor: Sofia Seidel
Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin
Creative Director: Bob Boilen
Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Sofia Seidel, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Zayrha Rodriguez
Audio Assistant: Brian Jarboe
Production Assistant: Pilar Galván
Tiny Desk Team: Suraya Mohamed, Maia Stern, Hazel Cills, Marissa Lorusso, Ashley Pointer, Pilar Galván
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#tinydesk #nprmusic #lewiscapaldi