Ivy Queen: Tiny Desk Concert

This Latinx Heritage Month Tiny Desk is celebrating with an 'El Tiny' takeover, featuring a wide array of artists from all corners of Latinidad.

Stefanie Fernández | October 11, 2023
"La gente tiene la patita del conejo / y yo tengo a Benito completo," Ivy Queen quips, lighting a candle featuring Bad Bunny at an El Tiny altar to reggaeton ("People have the rabbit's foot / I have all of Benito.") Even her jokes flow. Thanks to far more than luck, "La Caballota" has carried and passed the torch since the '90s with an ironclad sense of self and unwavering commitment to the women and femmes she writes for.

And she's done it in no uncertain terms. After a propulsive performance of "La Vida es Así," she soberly says that women are judged no matter what. For a long time, she was the most visible canvas upon which projections of women in reggaeton were placed, and her talent was nurtured from within. "Yo sabía que a mi no había que darmela porque yo la tenía," she later notes. ("I knew that it didn't have to be given to me because I had it.") The road has widened, not without a struggle.

Finally, she addresses the mujeres directly for the song. "Tenemos derecho a ser feliz, tenemos derecho a cambiar, a cuidarnos, a protegernos," she exhorts. ("We have the right to be happy, we have the right to change, to take care of ourselves, to protect ourselves.") "Quiero Bailar," two decades later and literally performed behind a desk, feels as urgent and insurgent now. Or, as she puts it, simply: "Guys, this is for the girls." With Ivy Queen, it always has been.

SET LIST
"Reza por Mi"
"La Vida Es Así"
"Menor Que Yo"
"En Que Fallamos"
"Quiero Bailar"

MUSICIANS
Ivy Queen: lead vocals
Marco Jiménez Santana: violin
Lourdes Naomi Negrón: viola
Javier Tirado: cello
Adriana Lizardi: double bass
Barba Blanca: piano, musical direction
Special thanks to: Sean Christopher Fears, Juan Luis Suárez, Juan Tamez

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Anamaria Sayre
Director/Editor: Kara Frame
Audio Engineer: Neil Tevault
Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Keren Carrión
Audio Assistant: Kwesi Lee
Production Assistant: Alanté Serene
Photographer: Estefania Mitre
Tiny Desk Team: Suraya Mohamed, Hazel Cills, Maia Stern, Ashley Pointer, Josh Rogosin
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#tinydesk #ivyqueen #nprmusic

[nprmusic]

WIN A TRIP TO SEE A TINY DESK CONCERT!
(enter before 3/28/24 at 11:59pm PT!)
No purchase or donation required for entry. Void where otherwise restricted or prohibited by law. Must be 18 years or older and a resident of the 50 us states, D.C. or Canada (excluding Quebec) to enter. Entry deadline is March 28, 2024 at 11:59:59pm pt. Odds depend on the number of entries received. ARV of total prize: $2, 300. Max. 10, 000 entries per person. Official rules, including an alternative free method of entry, can be found at

[rubenrocheen]

Esto no es un Tiny Desk, es un MASTER CLASS. LA CABALLONA, LA DIVA, LA

[ddiciembre]

Alguien por aquí en oct 2024???? O estoy sola disfrutando a la diva?

[patriciamajano]

Ella es una PERFORMER. Qué habilidad para manejar una audiencia. 🤌🏼

[ofwhxfk]

Hoy día no hubiera una Karol G si no hubiera una Ivy Queen que abrió el camino para todas ellas hace muchos años.

[bastianignaciomorlsgomez]

Ivy estaba muy adelantada para su época, desde que comenzó a hacer música supo comunicar fortaleza, respeto y valor para las mujeres tal como ella dice "mis canciones siempre han sido un mensaje para nosotras"... ella es la verdadera Reina del género ... La perra, la diva, la POTRA! LA CABALLOTA

[yuliedgabrielasalamale]

La reina INDISCUTIBLE del reggaeton… ella caminó para que hoy todas pudieran correr. Nos da los looks, las letras, es femenina pero a la vez una presencia fuerte, enaltece a las mujeres sin menospreciar a los hombres. Simplemente la diva, la potra, la caballota. Respect!!!!

[CelinaMarin-hv]

People from this generation of music do not understand how inspiring and empowering this woman was and is for latinas.

[reyluzunaris]

Ivy Queen is legendary for us Hispanics from Puerto Rico, thank you for anyone from npr that brought her up here

[AR-oihg]

Whoever has been in charge of bringing talent on has been doing phenomenal. What a great way to honor the legends.

[atlasymerope]

por fin siendo reconocida con el espacio que se merece, esta mujer tiene un repertorio sólido y una carrera con más de 25 años de trayectoria, un icono

[alejandratoledo]

Un Tiny Desk que no sabíamos que necesitábamos. Qué genial ver a Ivy transmitiendo su arte. Una grande!!!

[bryanmartinez]

Como sociedad le fallamos a Ivy Queen. Se merece mucho más.

[MrItalianPR]

Sin autotune, en vivo sin filtro 😮👏👏👏👏👏👏👸

[violetrose]

This isn't just a concert. It's a message. And I'm here for it.

[sessalliehopgood]

I didn't understand a word she sung or said. But her music was 🔥🔥🔥. I was dancing and moving my head from the first song until the last. I looked her up and now understand why. She's a legend. A legend will always shine regardless of my language barrier. Well done Ms Ivy Queen!👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[TheMaishaHarris]

I don't speak Spanish and purposefully watched without the captions to fully experience her talent. BLOWN AWAY!!! And her orchestra...just sublime.

[eddyawesomes]

She was always ahead of her time. She was rapping about being an independent woman and consent before it was a mainstream thing.

[ill-nois]

She’s the mother of Reggaeton, el género urbano. Solely responsible for paving the way for other women in a male dominated genre. Ivy Queen deserves all the flowers and respect 🙌🏼

[gabrielh.]

Para las nuevas generaciones, para aquellos que se definen como expertos en el genero urbano: vean y escuchen a la reina que originó todo este movimiento junto con otros: la diva, la potra, la caballota. Este video es oro puro, historia siendo escrita. Verla así después de tantos años tan fresca, original, con carácter, bella y empoderada me erizo la piel. Soy de esa generación de adolecentes de los 90’s que la escucho a ella por primera vez en “The Noise, live” y ya allí se sentía que era un diamante en bruto comenzando a pulirse. 25 años y más han pasado y es un verdadero diamante brillante y reluciente. Nuevas generaciones sean testigo de la gran: IVY QUEEN.