Ollella Steps Into Stillness At NPR’s Tiny Desk

Written By: Big C

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Photo Credit: Marissa Alves

There’s a quiet recalibration that happens when an artist enters the Tiny Desk room. For Ollella, that shift feels almost philosophical. The Seattle-based indie-folk cellist, vocalist, and songwriter delivers a deeply intimate performance for NPR Tiny Desk, letting restraint become the loudest voice in the room. Trained classically since age nine, Ollella’s command of the cello anchors the set, while her live-looping and assured vocals expand the emotional frame without ever breaking the spell. This moment arrives after years of persistence—multiple submissions to the Tiny Desk Contest, finalist nods in 2022 and 2024, and a steady honing of her singular language. This recalibration invites closeness, as Ollella notes:

Tiny Desk flips the usual power dynamic of live instrumentation. Rather than amplifying the cello to compete with the electric instruments, the electric instruments turn down to meet the acoustic cello. That intimacy changes everything.

Ollella blends the acoustic and contemporary with intention, threading folk intimacy through pop clarity. Her sound lives at the intersection of discipline and release. Praise from Bob Boilen and Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner underscores what’s felt immediately: Influences like Feist, Cat Power, and Sylvan Esso echo faintly, but the voice here is unmistakably her own. The Tiny Desk performance also reflects the arc of her sophomore album Antifragile—a project that deepened her collaboration with producer Jordan Cunningham and welcomed new textures from players connected to Heart, Perfume Genius, Fleet Foxes, and The Westerlies. Watch the performance and connect with Ollella on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

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