Alisa Amador

Amador playing a hometown show in 2022.

Alisa Amador is a jazz, funk, and alternative folk musician.

In 2022, she won NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest with “Milonga Accidental”, the first Spanish language song to win the contest.^[1][2]

Early life

Amador was raised in Cambridge, MA. Her parents only allowed her and her twin brother to speak Spanish at home so they could maintain connection to their culture and communicate with family. Her family has roots in Puerto Rico, Argentina, and New Mexico.^[3][2]

Music career

Origin

Amador is the daughter of Latin folk musicians, Rosi and Brian Amador of the band, Sol y Canto. At age five, she began performing as the band's backup singer on tour.^[4] She studied abroad in Argentina.^[5] In 2018, she graduated from Bates College with a Bachelor of Arts degree.^[6]

2018-2021 work

In 2018, Amador submitted to NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest for the first time. WBUR stated, "It was clear from the young singer’s deft musicianship that she was an artist to watch."^[3]

In 2019, Amador performed at the Cambridge Arts Council River Festival and at Club Passim's 60th anniversary celebration at the Shubert Theatre in Boston. She regularly played gigs at Club Passim.^[4] She was featured in WGBH's series, "Bands You Should Know".^[7]

In 2020, she won an Iguana Music Fund grant to help buy recording equipment.^[4] She released the tracks “Red Balloon” and “Milonga Accidental".^[8] She performed for the benefit livestream concert, All In For Chelsea.^[9]

In 2021, she released “Timing", ahead of her album release, Narratives.^[10] Grateful Web complimented Amador's talent on Narratives for "sparking connection across both listeners and musical styles".^[11] She was chosen by Tiny Desk as one of their favorite 2021 entries.^[12]

Tiny Desk win

In 2022, Amador submitted to Tiny Desk for the fifth time and was chosen as the national winner.^[13][14] Bob Boilen called her, "a powerful voice whose tender performance commands attention and fosters connection."^[14] In an interview with Sound of Boston, Amador recalls how she got the news while recording in Nashville: “I was going through press interviews as I was recording songs with Emily and Lizzy and the band. At first [the news] was secret, like super secret, and then it went out to the entire country that I had won, all in that one week we were recording.”^[15]

As her prize, Amador flew to Washington D.C. to perform her Tiny Desk show.^[16] It was the first show to be recorded in the original NPR Tiny Desk studio at Boilen's desk in two years.^[17]

Afterwards, Amador performed on the Tiny Desk Contest On The Road national tour at WAMU, KEXP, WABE, LAist/KPCC, and WFUV.^[18]

She considered quitting music right before she won Tiny Desk.^[19]

2022-present

Amador was nominated for New Artist of the Year and won Folk Artist of the Year at the 2022 Boston Music Awards.^[20][21][22] In fall of that year, Amador was awarded a grant for a forthcoming album from the nonprofit Salt Lick Incubator.^[23] In May 2023, Amador opened Boston Calling Music Festival, performing songs in both Spanish and English. Boston Magazine wrote that her set was one of the best moments of the weekend.^[24]

Discography

Studio albums

List of albums, with release date and label shown

Title	Details
Multitudes[25]	To be released: June 7, 2024 Label: Thirty Tigers Format: Digital download, streaming, CD, vinyl

Extended plays

List of extended plays, with release date and label shown

Title	Details
Red Balloon / Milonga Accidental[26]	Released: December 11, 2020 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download
Narratives[27]	Released: September 17, 2021 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download

Singles

List of singles, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Album
"Timing"[28]	2021	Narratives
"Slow Down"[29]
"Together"[30]
"River"[31] (Live from Salt Lick Sessions)	2022	non-album single
"Woke Up Today"[32]	2023	Multitudes
"Quedar"[33]
"I Need to Believe"[34] (featuring Quinn Christopherson)	2024

References

1. "Contest winner Alisa Amador takes her moment at the iconic Tiny Desk". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
2. "I'm a multilingual singer-songwriter who grew up among wanderers. Here's why I call Boston home. - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
3. "How her Tiny Desk Contest win returned Alisa Amador to a life in music". WBUR. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
4. Levy, Marc (2022-05-19). "Well known to audiences at local clubs, events, Amador is winner of 2022's Tiny Desk Contest". Cambridge Day. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
5. Daley, Lauren. "These are Alisa Amador's fight songs - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
6. "Video: Alisa Amador '18 creates community through her music". Bates. 2018-01-05. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
7. Cox, Kenneth (2019-04-24). "Bands You Should Know — Alisa Amador". WGBH. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
8. Mason, Amelia (2020). "Listen: In Probing Folk Songs, Alisa Amador Explores Crises Of Identity And Love". WBUR. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
9. "All In For Chelsea concert livestreams for hard-hit city". Boston Herald. 2020-06-06. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
10. Walthall, Catherine (2021-06-09). "Daily Discovery: Alisa Amador is Working on Her "Timing" in Cathartic New Single". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
11. "OUT TODAY: ALISA AMADOR'S DEBUT MINI-ALBUM NARRATIVES". Grateful Web. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
12. Boilen, Bob (2021). "Tiny Desk Contest Top Shelf: Our Favorite 2021 Entries, Episode 6". NPR. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11.
13. Gerber, Dana. "Cambridge singer-songwriter Alisa Amador wins NPR Tiny Desk Contest - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
14. Boilen, Bob (2022-05-17). "Announcing the winner of the 2022 Tiny Desk Contest". NPR. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
15. Cook, Eben (3 March 2023). "Local Spotlight: Alisa Amador". Sound of Boston. Sound of Boston. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
16. Sissler, James (2022-05-31). "2022 'Tiny Desk Contest' Winner Alisa Amador Claims Her Prize With NPR Performance [Video]". L4LM. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
17. Boilen, Bob. "On the road with Tiny Desk Contest winner Alisa Amador". NPR. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11.
18. "Alisa Amador wins NPR Music's 2022 Tiny Desk Contest and headlines TDC Tour". NPR. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11.
19. "Meet Alisa Amador, the winner of the 2022 Tiny Desk Contest". SDPB. 2022-05-17. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
20. "Meet the Boston Music Awards' new artist of the year nominees". WBUR. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
21. Mason, Amelia. "Hip-hop sweeps the major categories at the 2022 Boston Music Awards". WBUR. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
22. "Boston Music Awards 2022: Here are the winners from Big Night Live". Vanyaland. 2022-12-15. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
23. "Meet our Artists". Salt Lick Incubator. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
24. Elton, Catherine; Gera, Makena; Kayata, Erin (2023-05-27). "The Best of Boston Calling 2023". Boston Magazine. Archived from the original on 2023-05-29. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
25. "NPR Tiny Desk Contest Winner Alisa Amador Announces Debut Album 'Multitudes' Out June 7 Via Thirty Tigers". Shore Fire Media. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
26. "Listen: In Probing Folk Songs, Alisa Amador Explores Crises of Identity and Love". WBUR. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
27. Jazz, All About (2021-09-25). "Alisa Amador: Narratives album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
28. Walthall, Catherine (2021-06-09). "Daily Discovery: Alisa Amador is Working on Her "Timing" in Cathartic New Single". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
29. "Alisa Amador Stays Afloat by Taking Time to "Slow Down" – Audiofemme". Retrieved 2023-07-14.
30. "Stunning Roots Pop and Folk from Cambridge FFO Joni Mitchell. - Alisa Amador: Together". CHILLFILTR - art is truth. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
31. Alisa Amador covers "River" by Joni Mitchell, retrieved 2023-07-14
32. Kellehar, Solon. "Alisa Amador confronts her depression in new song 'Woke Up Today'". WBUR News. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
33. "Quedar - Single - Album by Alisa Amador". Apple Music. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
34. "NPR Tiny Desk Contest Winner Alisa Amador Announces Debut Album 'Multitudes' Out June 7 Via Thirty Tigers". Shore Fire Media. Retrieved 6 March 2024.