Mon Rovîa: Tiny Desk Concert

Isabella Gomez Sarmiento | September 1, 2026 Mon Rovîa’s voice is like a balm: soft, clear, soothing. He uses that voice to tackle difficult, yet poignant vignettes — of battles fought internally and others observed in the world around him. Born in Liberia during the country’s civil war, Mon Rovîa was adopted by an American missionary family and spent his childhood moving around before eventually settling in Tennessee. His debut album, Bloodline, untangles that complicated lineage through ukulele- and guitar-driven folk melodies in music he describes as “Afro-Appalachian.” At the Tiny Desk, backed by his full band, Mon Rovîa glides from the intimate revelations of “crooked the road.” into the thumping energy of “Somewhere down in Georgia,” a nod towards the South’s violent history. Throughout the set, his mission is clear: To reconcile pain and conflict with a sense of joy and belonging. SET LIST “crooked the road.” “Bloodline” “Somewhere down in Georgia” “Heavy Foot” MUSICIANS Mon Rovîa: vocals, ukelele Tyler Martelli: guitar, background vocals Sam Hudgens: bass, keys, background vocals Joshua Durant: drums James Randy Sanchez Fall: pedal steel, banjo Lauren Conklin: violin Claudia Cunningham: background vocals Kayla Starr: background vocals TINY DESK TEAM Producer: Isabella Gomez Sarmiento Director/Editor: Kara Frame Audio Engineer/Mix: Josephine Nyounai Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter Videographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant Audio Engineer: Tiffany Vera Castro Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer Photographer: Elizabeth Gillis Tiny Desk Team: Josh Newell, Felix Contreras Series Editor: Lars Gotrich Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed Executive Director: Sonali Mehta Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton #tinydesk #nprmusic #monrovia