The members of Cure For Paranoia only had a few weeks between learning they won this year’s Contest and filming their Tiny Desk concert — but you wouldn’t know it from watching their show. The group has been working toward their Tiny Desk dreams for years. In fact, each song performed in their concert was once a Contest submission. Decked out in matching eyeball jumpsuits (created by artist Jerod “DTOX” Davies to pay homage to the eyeball sculpture featured in their “No Brainer" video), Cure For Paranoia plays a Tiny Desk that’s a case for perseverance and believing in yourself.
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The first song in this set is “The Artshow,” which was Cure For Paranoia’s 2025 submission. Next, the band plays its 2026 winning song, “No Brainer,” where Cameron shines as an emcee, weaving together many of the 365 verses about community and political frustration that he wrote in 2025. He encourages the audience to let loose, leave all of their insecurities behind and sing along. The last song — called “That Kid Cam,” which is what McCloud went by when he was selling CDs at the mall as a kid — is a version of their very first Contest submission.
Before the last song, Cameron takes a moment to honor his mom, who passed away last year. He says she was his biggest supporter and encouraged him to continue his daily verse project even when she was sick. “When she passed, I had every reason to quit and not continue,” he shares. “But I knew it would make my mom so sad if that was the reason why.” He says that if he could commit to himself and his art during such a difficult year, “there’s no reason that everyone in this room can’t do what they set their mind to.”
This set showcases Cameron’s starpower, the group’s dynamism and just how far they’ve come since they started believing in the power of their music together.
The 2026 Tiny Desk Contest is sponsored by Capitol One and supported by Rivian.
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Since we couldn’t invite all 6,000 of you to the Tiny Desk taping (it really is tiny), we’d love to meet you on tour this summer. You can still get tickets to see Cure For Paranoia, plus 20 soon-to-be-announced other standout entrants, at our Tiny Desk Contest On The Road tour stops.
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