NPR Tiny Desk Contest winner 2018 is and amazing talent and a backstory that literally blew my . mind watch listen and be challenged

Please sit down ..An amazing story is about to unfold. Meet Naia Izumi the winner of NPR's 2018 Tiny Desk Contest.  the Judges made their choice based on the merits of his video submission, He was chosen out of over 5000 submissions. The Judges had no idea of his backstory. I think that was perfect. Talent, originality, and performance were the only criteria. Judge for yourself ..... and when finished watch his self-posted video chat where he talks about .......well just listen  
SET LIST"Soft Spoken""As It Comes""Soul Gaze

What is equally amazing in his backstory, In this video chat self- posted last year before he entered the contest. I can't tell you how unexpected his story was and how in this day of political correctness on gender issues his story like others has been left out  .. I am aware of others who have taken this journey to self-discovery and made brave choices on exploring their true identity

Naia is a gifted artist and a very brave individual and with the courage to speak his own truth and to share with others his personal journey to wholeness. I want to embrace him as my child across all the differences that society places on each of us.I also think his exploration of masculinity is so needed in this "me too" period for all men regardless of their gender expression or sexual orientation or race or class. What some would call woman's feelings actually are as Jung and Reich have taught me the feminine side of a man so often suppressed regardless of sexual orientation

Here is what the Bob Boilan Host of the Tiny Desk Concerts  wrote about Nian

May 14, 2018 | Bob Boilen -- I am so proud of our 2018 Tiny Desk Contest winner, Naia Izumi. The band he brought and the songs they played for this winning Tiny Desk Concert made us all even prouder. Naia was chosen after we reviewed nearly 5,000 video entries. And the talent that came to us through all those submissions was astonishing. Naia Izumi won us over with his mind-boggling and unique style of guitar playing — a combination of tapping on the fingerboards and soul-filled whammy bar-note bending. And his multi-octave singing range blended so eloquently with his guitar stylings. "Soft Spoken," the song he submitted, felt singular and unparalleled to our panel of judges which included past Tiny Desk contest winner Tarriona "Tank" Ball, Tiny Desk alum Sylvan Esso and Gaby Moreno, along with NPR family members Talia Schlanger (WXPN), Russ Borris (WFUV), Toki Wright (The Current) and the All Songs Considered team of Robin Hilton and myself. It's a song, as I hear it, that speaks to the power inherent in the gentle and quieter voices that are often drowned out by the outspoken and boisterous ones. Its title was originally "Soft Spoken Woman" and, as we later learned, Naia had identified as a woman for nearly seven years. More recently, as he said in an interview with Washingtonian Magazine, "I'm not into that anymore because I just want to relax with biology and be comfortable with what I have." Naia is often a one-man band playing on the streets with a drum machine. But for his Tiny Desk Concert, he brought bassist Adam Matijasevic and drummer Kynwyn Sterling. He'd met Kynwyn after submitting one of his songs to a math rock Facebook group. And that's the thing: Naia's music draws from so many spheres of sound. There's that punctual, rhythmic, mathematical pulse to what he does, but there's also a fluid, almost African Kalimba sound in there as well. They're two sounds I wouldn't often think of as coexisting. We're about to go out on the road with Naia Izumi to 10 cities. We'll be joined by some of the other Contest entrants that captured our attention and they'll share the bill alongside Naia. And though there is only one Contest winner, we discovered so many other great talents that we hope to feature in the future. Remember that the spirit of the Contest is intended to bring out the best in you, to gather with friends and to create. Thank you for being a part of something so filled with magic. It was an honor to watch what you created.

Personal Note: When I was booking the live music for HURRAH, I recived a demo cassette (remember them?) from a namd called TINY DESK UNIT, The band was from Washington DC. I impressed and booked them. Bob and I have been friends ever since,