Jessie Ware and other Internet concerts you need in your life
Last week, Jessie Ware stopped by NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts and gave an incredible, pared-down performance of some of her most popular songs. Her music takes on a whole new dimension when stripped to the bare bones, and Jesse Boykins III (one of Ware’s opening acts from her tour) even dropped by to harmonize with her on a song, without rehearsing beforehand. (Spoiler alert: they’re still amazing.) Ware was charming and gracious on the program, and her voice was next-level gorgeous. Watch her get soulful to acoustic versions of “Say You Love Me,” “Wildest Moments,” and “Champagne Kisses” below.
And because we loved Ware’s performance so very much, we decided to do a round-up of some of our other favorite “e-concerts.” Yes, there’s going to be a lot of BBC Live Lounge and NPR Tiny Desk Concerts — but if you don’t already know, they’re the birthplace of some magical things. Here are just a few of the best.
Hozier
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nox3Oswbbk
Who knew Hozier could go so very well with Ariana Grande? It’s basically a brand new song thanks to this cover, and as catchy as the original is, this one is its own kind of wonderful.
Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Our dear co-founder Zooey Deschanel always kills it at video chat karaoke, but perhaps one of our favorites was when she teamed up with JGL for this New Years Eve classic. (Yes, it’s stuck in our head year-round.)
Miley Cyrus, Jimmy Fallon, and The Roots
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mjvfnUAfyo
Technically, this premiered on television — but we’re counting it as an “e-concert” since we’ve had it on repeat thanks to YouTube. No matter your feelings on Miley Cyrus, you have to admit the girl can sing; and this video takes our adoration for Questlove to the next level.
Lykke Li
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvhCRoDgl1w?list=PLD5E30F0E961540EE
This acoustic cover of Lykke Li’s hit “I Follow Rivers” is haunting and beautiful and we can’t get enough of her gorgeous voice. The original is amazing, but this version is perfect mood music for when you need to relax.
Taylor Swift
There’s such an unbelievable sweetness to Taylor Swift’s cover of Vance Joy’s “Riptide,” and we really can’t get enough of it. The majority of the tune is just T-Swift and her piano, and it’s absolutely lovely.
T-Pain
King of autotune T-Pain proves he can lay it down just as well on his own, and the results are as surprising as they are amazing. “Buy U A Drank” is almost unrecognizable — in the best way.
Lissie
Of all of the videos, this one is probably the most “concert-esque,” because (obviously) it’s recorded from a live show at the music festival, Brighton Great Escape. But again, without the interwebz, not nearly enough people would get to enjoy such a kickass concert from the comfort of their beds. (Also, girl power — because this is an amazing cover.)
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran stops by BBC’s Live Lounge quite a bit, and while his cover of Christina Aguilera’s “Dirrty” from last February was pretty freakin’ incredible (and worthy of a watch right here), his vocals on Hozier’s “Take Me To Church” are too amazing not to get a shout-out.
Kimbra
You might best know Kimbra as the girl featured in Gotye’s earworm, “Somebody That I Used to Know” (sorry if it’s now stuck in your head again) — but she is a mega-talented artist in her own right and you need to listen to this amazing live performance of her song “Settle Down.”
Adele
As we patiently wait for Adele’s long-awaited new album, her incredible session at NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts will just had to hold us over. That voice! Ugh.
Chvrches
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8QIxNAdw6U
We love Chvrches so much (“Mother We Share” is one of our #1 jams), and this cover of “Cry Me A River” made us love them even more.
(Featured image .)