Taylor Swift Performs on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert: ‘How Songs Sounded When I First Wrote Them’

By Jem Aswad

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – “Wow! This is a lot of people in a tiny office!” Taylor Swift said as she walked into her NPR “Tiny Desk Concert,” which was released today. One of several intimate sets she’s performed around the release of her latest album, “Lover,” she called the series “one of my favorite corners of the Internet” and took advantage of the situation: “I just decided to take this as an opportunity to show you guys how the songs sounded when I first wrote them.”

“It’s just me,” she joked. “There’s no dancers, unfortunately,” She performed a four-song set of songs from the album from behind NPR Music chief Bob Boilen’s desk, accompanying herself on acoustic guitar and piano: “The Man,” “Lover,” “Death by a Thousand Cuts,” and, from “Red,” “All Too Well.” Watch it below.

In recent months, Swift gave an acoustic performance on BBC’s Radio 1, played a song at Manhattan’s historic Stonewall Inn as well as a 10-song, full-band set as part of Amazon’s Prime Day in New York over the summer. She also appeared on “Saturday Night Live” earlier this month.

Swift will play a full stadium tour next summer, although just four of the dates will be in the U.S.