PJ Sin Suela Is First Artist to Feature Sign Language Interpreter in NPR Tiny Desk

PJ Sin Suela just made history. On May 1, the Puerto Rican doctor, author, and artist was featured on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk, performing his hits alongside a sign language interpreter – making him the first artist to ever take the initiative.

“This is a dream come true for me. I remember being in college playing Tiny Desk sessions and thinking — one day I’ll be there — and it happened. To this day, if I’m cooking or having friends over, we put on a Tiny Desk,” the artist said about the experience. “I have a deep respect and love for the platform, and I treated it that way. We prepared, rehearsed, and gave it our all. I was able to bring my favorite musicians from Puerto Rico and people I admire and love dearly. I was able to represent what I do visually, musically, and socially.”

The sign language interpreter who helped PJ bring his vision to life is Alexssa Hernández. “This experience was UNREAL, I cried with emotion on the plane going, in the rehearsal, in the recording and on the plane coming back, it had been YEARS since I had cried with happiness,” she wrote in a recent social media post. “To enter that studio with the team was to enter another dimension, it was to reap the fruits of seeds planted years ago. Sharing the space with people so full of love and passion for what they do was magic.”

She added, “To the people who use ASL & LSPR as their first language, the initiative was not from NPR, it was from the artist.”

During the performance full of brass instruments and rhythmic percussion, Hernández signed as PJ sang his hits like “Tengo Una Nota,” “Duolingo,” and “Mírame.” He also sang songs like “Amor Artificial,” “Top,” and wrapped up the performance with “Mambrú.” Before singing the latter track, he said it’s important for him to sing about things that affect Puerto Ricans, such as unnecessary war: “This band and I will never support torture, genocide, or colonization.”

Moreover, he added special touches to his Tiny Desk performance like stickers of a Puerto Rican flag with the words “Not For Sale,” “F*ck Ley 22,” and “Gulf of México.” Ley 22, or Act 22, allows foreigners to move to Puerto Rico to avoid paying taxes on investments, such as real estate and stocks.

Check out PJ Sin Suela’s NPR Tiny Desk performance below. https://youtu.be/pmu2rshSEFg?si=Bxm_YwgKk8GIqvFy