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Tierra Whack, 'Heaven'

As we near the year's end, #NowPlaying recommends songs that slipped through the cracks, but remain in our headphones.

Snippets of this new song from Tierra Whack premiered on NPR Music's The Formula series. Host Rodney Carmichael asked, "Is this the first Tierra Whack gospel song?" Answer: Yes, it is, and it's so good. The atmospheric gospel chords create a canvas for Whack's vocals as she repeats "Heaven has all my favorite people," as if it's a mantra. The song, from her third EP of December, R&B?, also received a music video, shot in a single take as Whack, illuminated by a light within her umbrella, weathers the storm while shrouded in darkness. It's as evocative as the song itself, offering the audience space to find peace in the lyrics, the harmonic chords, or perhaps the visual metaphor of walking in faith.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Kara Frame is a video producer for NPR and pursues personal projects in her free time. She most often produces for NPR's explainer series, "Let's Talk: Big Stories, Told Simply." She's crafted stories about housing segregation in Baltimore, MD; motherhood in a refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece; and food deserts in Washington, DC. Frame enjoys a break from the news when filming the Tiny Desk Concerts.
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