Eladio Carrión Serenades His Mom During Tiny Desk Debut

Eladio Carrión is stripping back his music for El Tiny. On Sunday, the Puerto Rican trap star visited NPR Music for a performance that featured special guest, the singer Lia Kali, and a sweet serenade for his mom, who was in the crowd.

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Carrión opened his Tiny Desk debut by dropping the bars to his tracks “Gladiador” and “Air France,” backed by his band and trio of background vocalists including Devin Velez, Alexandria Dopson, and Tayler Green. After some claps and cheers, Carrión went straight into the head bop-inducing “TATA” from 2021’s Monarca .

In between sips of tea, he introduced himself to the audience. “It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been wanting to come here with you guys so it’s a pleasure to be here,” he said. “I got an incredible band with me.”

To present “Hey Lil Mama,” he asked the crowd, “Where my lil mamas out today?” He then went into his hit “Mbappe,” making way for MyGuyMars’ entrancing electric guitar and Faahz’s beatboxing.

Later in his set, Carrión welcomed the Spanish act Lia Kali, who he called “my favorite artist right now.” Kali joined the rapper for the opening notes of “Me Muero,” before Carrión’s fiery bars. “If you’re not sitting down, sit down,” Carrión said to introduce the Spanish vocalist. “Because you’re about to fall back.”

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Carrión ended his performance with the slowed-down, ultra-personal “Luchas Mentales,” before closing his set with “Mama’s Boy,” as he serenaded his mom who was in the audience alongside Carrión’s dad.

“I got my momma right here. I’ve sung this song in big concerts but never in a close space. I love you, momma,” Carrión said, pointing at his mom in the crowd. “I love you too, daddy!”

Carrión is the latest guest to join Tiny Desk for their annual El Tiny segment for Hispanic Heritage Month. Juanes opened the series in mid-September, and since then, NPR Music has welcomed Daniel, Me Estás Matando, Iván Cornejo, and Rita Payés.

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