The winner of the 2025 Tiny Desk Contest, from NPR Music, is East Bay-born Filipina American rapper, spoken word artist, and singer Ruby Ibarra.

"This is a dream come true," said Ruby Ibarra upon hearing Tuesday that she had won the Tiny Desk Contest. NPR Music's Robin Hilton and Bobby Carter delivered the news in a video call, which was posted to their Instagram.

Ibarra's track "Bakunawa," which you can hear below, was recorded live in Oakland and features a band and backup singers that includes Han Han, June Millington (from Bay Area 70s rock band Fanny), and Ouida. The song was one of over 7,500 entries to the contest this year.

"Ibarra stunned the contest judges with her passionate delivery, intergenerational band and genre-defying sound," says NPR Music.

The song tells the story from Filipino folklore of the Bakunawa dragon who swallows the moon, and Ibarra said she was inspired to write the tri-lingual song (English, Tagalog and Bisaya) after the birth of her first child, whom she was pregnant with when the above recording was made.

"This song interprets the story as a metaphor for resistance and a battle cry against erasure," Ibarra tells NPR. "Much of Philippine history consists of colonization, imperialism and martial law — but on the other side of that is a rich history of Filipino people who have long resisted, organized and led revolutionary uprisings. This song, for me, is a statement that my daughter is my revolution and my hope that she will be liberated from the effects of our cultural history."

Ibarra was born in the Philippines and grew up in San Lorenzo, and attended UC Davis for college. She previously entered the Tiny Desk concert and impressed the panel with her song "Someday" in 2019.

"Ruby is blazing a trail with a sound that many more people need to hear," says Tiny Desk host Felix Contreras.

Ibarra will be coming to NPR Music's offices next to perform her own Tiny Desk Concert, and then will be embarking on a ten-city tour this summer, which will include a stop at Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma on June 13.