Fil-Am artist Ruby Ibarra wins NPR’s 2025 Tiny Desk Contest

Filipino American rapper Ruby Ibarra has clinched one of indie music’s most coveted honors: winning NPR’s 2025 Tiny Desk Contest. 

Outshining nearly 7,500 hopefuls, her live performance of “Bakunawa” – a genre-bending collaboration featuring Ouida, Han Han and June Millington – captured hearts and stirred powerful conversations across social media. 

With this win, Ibarra is also set to headline this summer’s NPR Tiny Desk Tour, marking another monumental step in her mission to amplify Filipino voices on a global stage.

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NPR Music made the announcement on Instagram, writing, “And the winner of the 2025 Tiny Desk Contest is (drumroll, please) … Ruby Ibarra! The Bay Area rapper’s entry, ‘Bakunawa,’ rose to the top of the nearly 7,500 we received this year.” 

They praised Ibarra’s performance, noting that she “stunned the Contest judges with her passionate delivery, intergenerational band and genre-defying sound.”

Reacting to the win, Ibarra shared her gratitude online: “Thank you so much @npr @nprmusic! I’m so grateful for this opportunity — I absolutely can’t wait to perform at the Tiny Desk! We’ll be bringing the bakunawa energy.” She also gave thanks to her band, tagging longtime collaborators and fellow performers who brought the vision of “Bakunawa” to life.

Far more than just a musical entry, “Bakunawa” is a mix of heritage and identity. Named after the mythical sea serpent in Filipino folklore, the track merges cultural storytelling with a deeply personal narrative – her journey into motherhood.

Central to the song is a raw, intimate recording of her first child’s heartbeat, woven seamlessly into the soundscape.

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Recently, she celebrated her first Mother’s Day, saying, “This first year has already allowed me to discover more about myself than anything else.”

With “Bakunawa,” Ibarra not only reclaims ancestral myth but transforms it into a living, breathing anthem of modern Filipino excellence. 

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