Colorado Singer/Songwriter Lauren Frihauf: A Finalist for the 2026 NPR Tiny Desk Contest
Colorado-Based, Singer-Songwriter Lauren Frihauf has been named one of the top 5 finalists for the 2026 Tiny Desk Contest. Lauren along with The King Will Come, Les Greene & the Swayzees, Cure for Paranoia and Noa Bar are now in the running for winning the 2026 NPR Tiny Desk Contest.
When she was finally old enough to submit in 2022 at the age of 18, her submission of her song Fragments of a Stranger caught NPR Music’s ears and she was featured on NPR Music's 2022 Tiny Desk 'Top Shelf'. She has continued to submit each year since then, this year’s submission of her then unreleased single One Thing Always Leads to Another caught NPR Music’s ear again and secured her the top five title.
“I feel like it was one of those songs where, you know, like you kind of tap into something that's outside of yourself and then it all just washes over you. It's one of those rare moments where I wasn't in the way of the song and this message sort of came through, and I think it's something that I need to work on and learn. I don't think it's something that's coming from me necessarily, but...it's something that came through me and I'm really grateful because I think it's opened some doors for me.”
Since our last conversation on Influenced at the end of 2024, Lauren has been busy writing in 2026 and just released One Thing Always Leads to Another in April along with The Thread in March. She stopped by KUVO to catch up with Abi Clark about these new songs, what it was like getting the news that he was in the running for winning the contest, her upcoming single Gotta Give It To You, and her bass-playing aspirations.
Stay tuned to NPR Music for the winner announcement. You can keep up with Lauren Frihauf at her website, laurenfrihauf.com.
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