Written by Lorenzo dela Cruz | July 3, 2025

photos by Lorenzo dela Cruz with the 2025 NPR Tiny Desk Contest “On The Road” Tour

On a typical hot and humid Austin summer evening, the not-so-typical NPR Tiny Desk Contest “On The Road” Tour made its way to a sold-out show at The Mohawk in downtown Austin. Comprised of 10 shows in 10 different cities nationwide, the self-touted, one-of-a-kind concert featured a different surprise Tiny Desk alum headliner, an up-and-coming artist from each city, and finally, the 2025 Tiny Desk Contest winner, Ruby Ibarra.

Ruby Ibarra is a Filipino spoken word rapper whose songs blend passion and cultural pride. Funnily enough, I first encountered Ibarra through NBA 2K24 (a terrible game/franchise in itself) with her song “Switch,” which was featured on the game’s soundtrack. Born in the Philippines, Ibarra and her family immigrated to San Lorenzo, California, when she was a child. Rapping in English, Tagalog, and Bisaya, her songs are inspired by her Filipino roots and Bay Area background. Ibarra was named the winner of the 11th annual Tiny Desk Contest, beating out thousands of contestants across the nation with her song “Bakunawa.” Inspired by the birth of her first child, the song features all three languages and tells the Filipino folklore story of the Bakunawa dragon that swallows the moon.

Ibarra and her band opened with “Bakunawa,” igniting the packed crowd, which was sprinkled with proud Filipinos left and right. Transitioning to “Someday,” Ibarra recounted her journey through the Tiny Desk Competition, stating that this was the song she submitted to the contest six long years ago—the beginning of her long but now triumphant journey to the top. “It’s been a long but fruitful journey,” she recounted. “But no matter what, you have to keep doing what you’re doing!” Ibarra’s powerful lyricism and rhythm had the crowd grooving with every bar.

Before continuing with the rest of her set, Ibarra made sure to shout out the special guests performing with her: June Millington, a Filipina-American guitarist and co-founder of the Institute for the Musical Arts, who was featured in “Bakunawa,” as well as Patti Quatro, founder of The Pleasure Seekers. Ibarra acknowledged that part of her success today was due to women like June and Patti—trailblazers for women in the music industry.

I can attest—it was extremely moving, personally, to witness generations of Filipino artists holding such power and performing so boldly to a predominantly white crowd here in Austin. Ibarra’s story and powerful performance captured the attention of everyone at The Mohawk, and her dream of touring across the country while being a woman of color and child of immigrants resonated deeply with me and everyone present. Ibarra invited everyone to be an “honorary Filipino” for the night, urging the crowd on during her final song of the night, “Taking Names.” “Where the crazy Filipinos at???” she exclaimed as she entered the crowd in a quasi-mosh pit. The energy in the air was exhilarating.

At that moment, everyone was unified under Ibarra’s energy and performance—a sort of power dynamic shift in the world we live in. As someone who carries a personal guilt of not being as connected to the motherland as I would like to be, artists like Ibarra instill in me a pride for being not only just Filipino, but Filipino-American—a unique position and identity with its own set of experiences. Artists like Ibarra deserve the success and platform provided by organizations like NPR’s Tiny Desk, which champion underrepresented stories and sounds, forcing them into the limelight.

In a society haunted by the shadows of powerful but foolish men, that night in Austin was a breath of fresh air in our increasingly claustrophobic existence. We must push for more artists like Ibarra to be highlighted—as beacons of light and inspiration for young creators, no matter their race, ethnicity, or identity—so that they may be empowered to become the driving force for the change we all seek in the world we live in.