
From TikTok Fame to Tiny Desk, Tiny Habits Is a 2022 Breakout Band The student trio unpacks its approach to creating striking vocal arrangements and shares its first studio track, hemenway.
By
John Mirisola
December 1, 2022
Tiny Habits, left to right: Judah Mayowa '21, Maya Rae, and Cinya Khan
Image courtesy of the artist
Tiny Habits first made a name for itself singing in stairways and dorm rooms. The trio, composed of Judah Mayowa '21 and current Berklee students Cinya Khan and Maya Rae, gained a massive audience on TikTok and Instagram over the past year by performing bite-sized acoustic covers of nearly forgotten popular songs in their trademark shape-shifting three-part harmony. Then everybodys like, Oh my God, I forgot about that song! says Judah, adding with a smile: And then they like ours better, 'cause we, you know, add a little harmony to it.
Its been a rapid ascent for a band that started as nothing more than a few new friends singing together in Mayas dorm room and sharing their experiments online. (Itll be cute, Maya remembers them thinking about posting their first cover, Carly Rae Jepsens Call Me Maybe.) But it didnt take long for them to realize they had something special. Every single time we would post a video together, it would be like the most viewed video any of us had gotten, says Cinya. So they created official Tiny Habits accounts on Instagram and TikTok and started posting there.
Soon, these throwback covers began to rack up hundreds of thousands of views, sometimes millions. At one point, they even caught the eye of folk luminary David Crosby, who tweeted about them back in March, I think they are the best new singing group Ive heard.
It was really cool, 'cause hes obviously a part of a trio thats very well-known, says Judah. So I think its cool to get recognition from someone who has kind of done the same thing that weve been doing.
Watch: Tiny Habits performs for Berklees Two Track video series:
A Recipe for Harmony Its hard to describe exactly what makes Tiny Habits sound so compelling. While some of it comes down to the good fortune of three voices that sound nice together, mastering that blend and achieving the kinds of creative harmonic twists featured in all of their arrangements is anything but luck.
Its definitely a lot of trial and error, but I think because weve been doing it for kind of a while now, we know where each of our own voices will sit, and where the other members will kind of take over, says Cinya, describing their arranging process. We start with a pretty standard three-part harmony, and then one of us will figure out some sauce that makes it Tiny Habits.
And whats the secret to that sauce? We love dissonance and crunch, like when notes rub together, says Judah. I think we use that very often.
On top of that, Maya adds, we discovered that our unison is something thats pretty cool. I think its hard for people to achieve a really smooth blend. So the fact that we have that is kind of also part of the Tiny Habits sauce, you could call it.
A smooth three-part unison, balanced with surprising flashes of dissonance and harmonic complexity, all in the space of a verse and a chorus-for these singers, that formula is the result of both instinct and time spent in the classroom.
Those harmony classes... Judah muses. Cinya agrees. A lot of it is just so intuitive that were not really thinking about it, she says, but just knowing about tensions is something I utilize most. Because Judah [will be] like, Oh, add the nine. 13? Try the 11. And so I feel like, as a communication tool, thats pretty helpful.
The View from the Desk Lizzy McAlpine Taps Student Band for Tiny Desk Harmonies
Read more about McAlpines Tiny Desk concert and watch the full set here.
The recognition and opportunities the bands received havent been limited to social media, either. Earlier this year they began collaborating with indie-folk artist Lizzie McAlpine '20 on a few videos, which led to McAlpine asking them to serve as her backing band and create new vocal arrangements for her NPR Tiny Desk concert in November.
It was a surreal experience for the group, playing what was likely their highest-profile gig yet in a Washington, D.C., office building.
It was crazy, because when we were doing it, were facing the other way. So were looking at all these NPR workers and just singing. But then after, there was a picture taken of us behind the desk, and we looked at the picture and thats when it really sank in for us, says Maya. Were like, Oh my God. Thats the background. Thats Tiny Desk.
From the Stairwell to the Studio Of course, theres more to this band than what new forms it manages to make from other peoples songs. All three are songwriters in their own right-Maya and Cinya are both professional music majors with songwriting concentrations (Maya is also concentrating in music business; Cinya in music production). Since the beginning theyve also been working on original material, and when they play live, thats the well theyre drawing from primarily.
The original stuff has definitely been well received, which is really validating, says Cinya. People are just so kind to us.
Now, with the release of its first studio single, hemenway, Tiny Habits are proving to its online following that the bands collective voice doesnt lose its soul on the walk from the stairwell to the vocal booth, and it endures far beyond a 30-second video.
The song began as a project for one of Cinyas classes. She sent it, and she was like, I wrote this for my songwriting class. And then I think that day we just arranged harmonies and decided we loved it and added it to our set, Maya recalls, saying that it wound up being the first track they decided to record in the studio. Its a fully produced track, and we feel really strongly about it. Were really excited for people t
More from Berklee
03/07/2025
Berklee's Gospel Performance Program Welcomes Jonathan Nelson as the Herb Al...
02/07/2025
Boston Conservatory and the Sphinx Organization Join Forces to Make Classical Ed...
30/06/2025
Berklee at Umbria Jazz Clinics to Host 40th Anniversary Concert The celebration will be held on July 10 in Perugia, Italy.
By
Colette Greenstein
June 30, 202...
27/06/2025
How Two Berklee Alumni Landed Songs in the Oscar-Winning Film Anora Joseph Capalbo BM '12 and Lyusi Simon BM '16 share how their collaboration spanned...
26/06/2025
Berklee in Puerto Rico 30th Anniversary Celebration Culminates in Awarding $3.74...
25/06/2025
Study Reveals Stark Gender Gap in Jazz Education A new report from the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice and researcher Lara Pellegrinelli finds th...
25/06/2025
Jazz at the Fort Returns, Featuring Yoron Israel and High Standards The performance is part of Berklee's Summer in the City concert series.
By
Kelly Won...
19/06/2025
Chelsey Green Makes History as Recording Academy Board Chair The violinist, violist, vocalist, and Berklee professor is the first Black woman and youngest per...
18/06/2025
Bostons Dear Summer Mixtape Vol. 3 Features Berklee Artists, DJs, and Producers Created by Mayor Michelle Wu and the Office of Tourism, Sports, and Entertainm...
13/06/2025
Berklee's Music Business/Management Department Recognized by the Music Biz A...
13/06/2025
On Chick Coreas Birthday, a Newly Uncovered Archival Release The Visitors, composed by Corea and performed by vibraphonist Gary Burton and pianist Kirill Gers...
11/06/2025
Boston Conservatory Heads to Tanglewood This Summer Student dancers and musicians from Boston Conservatory at Berklee will debut a new work by choreographer K...
10/06/2025
Berklee Professor Regie Gibson Named First Poet Laureate of Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey honored Gibson as the inaugural Poet Laureate for the state in...
10/06/2025
Summer Songwriting Programs: Boston or LA? Berklee Lets You Choose Your Coast Whether you head east or west, Berklee offers aspiring songwriters the chance to...
07/06/2025
Berklee Professor's Fulbright Project Addresses Suicide Loss Through Art Ray Seol's cross-cultural production Another Season draws from personal grief...
05/06/2025
Bob Clearmountain to Receive Honorary Doctorate at Berklee NYC Graduate Commence...
04/06/2025
Betsie Becker Named Executive Director of Berklee NYC A veteran arts and education leader, Becker brings a strategic vision for academic innovation and commun...
03/06/2025
Antonio S nchez '97 to Deliver Keynote at Berklee College of Music's Gra...
03/06/2025
Alf Clausen, Composer for The Simpsons, Dies at 84 Alf Clausen '66 won two Emmys during his 26-year career on the iconic animated series.
By
Tara Bellu...
30/05/2025
How Musicians Can (and Should) Use AI-According to Berklee Experts At Berklee's first AI and Music Innovation event, artists and educators explored how ar...
30/05/2025
The Most Underrated Hip-Hop Producers, According to J. Rawls The producer whos worked with Mos Def, Talib Kweli, the Roots, and Common, joined a panel on camp...
23/05/2025
Berklee Global and Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Host Emerging Talent Intensi...
23/05/2025
Berklees 2025 Commencement, Through the Lens of a Graduate Photographer Matthew Ryu shares a look at Berklees 2025 commencement from a graduates POV.
By
Ma...
22/05/2025
Berklee Online Holds Annual Berklee Onsite Music Conference May 30-31 Kamilah Marshall, a backing vocalist for Taylor Swift, will give the keynote presentatio...
22/05/2025
Music Marketing: 5 Practical Strategies for Independent Artists Five ways help you build visibility, engage your audience, and grow your fanbase-including one...
20/05/2025
From Death Becomes Her to Dead Outlaw, Boston Conservatory Actors Are Killing It...
19/05/2025
Berklee's Summer in the City Returns with Free Concerts Throughout the Bosto...
16/05/2025
Berklee Announces Jonathan Mahoney as the New Dean for Pre-College, Online, and ...
15/05/2025
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Tania Le n and Kelli O'Hara at Commenc...
15/05/2025
John Yao Awarded Guggenheim Fellowship for Interactive Jazz Project The Berklee professor and trombonist will debut Let's Make Some Noise, an immersive bi...
13/05/2025
Berklee Artists Take Center Stage at Top Music Festivals Thanks to the Berklee Popular Music Institute, students will perform at Lollapalooza, Governors Ball,...
12/05/2025
Building a Home Recording Studio? Here's What You Need. Experts break down the home studio setup and share tips to create a pro-level recording space on a...
11/05/2025
Berklee Honors Andr 3000 and Sara Bareilles at 2025 Commencement This years honorary doctorate recipients were recognized for their profound influence as art...
10/05/2025
Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2025 Members of this years graduating class reflect on their proudest moments at Berklee and look ahead to whats next.
...
09/05/2025
Berklee Online Signs Transfer Articulation with Conservatorio Nacional de M sica The new agreement allows CNM students in the Dominican Republic to transfer i...
09/05/2025
Berklee Popular Music Institute Announces UK Festival Debut and Tour Dates For the first time, BPMI will bring Berklee-affiliated artists and students to the ...
08/05/2025
Student Spotlight: Grigori Balasanyan The Armenian composer, who was named Boston Conservatory at Berklees 2025 student commencement speaker, talks about his ...
02/05/2025
Students, Alumni, and Faculty Represent Berklee at International Computer Music ...
02/05/2025
Four Boston Conservatory Alumni Nominated for Tony Awards Fifteen alumni from Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Berklee College of Music contributed to nomin...
30/04/2025
Tania Le n and Kelli O'Hara to be Honored at Boston Conservatory at Berklee&...
30/04/2025
Andr 3000 and Sara Bareilles to Receive Honorary Doctorates at Berklee College ...
25/04/2025
Listen to Kim Perlak and Francisco Mela's New Album, Recorded in a Single Af...
24/04/2025
Berklee in Puerto Rico Program to Host 30th Anniversary Concert The event will feature Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning artist Miguel Zen n BM '98, cuatro...
24/04/2025
Detach Yourself from the Herd': Fito P ez Inspires at Berklee In a session hosted by the Mediterranean Music Institute, the influential Argentine musician...
23/04/2025
Berklee Abu Dhabi's Jazz Night Kicks off Global Celebration of Music and Cul...
19/04/2025
Berklee NYC and NYC Media Launch Season 3 of Inside Power Station @BerkleeNYC This season features faculty member Arun Pandian as the new host and interviews ...
18/04/2025
Berklee Student Yukai Yang Named 2025 Yamaha Young Performing Artist The drummer secured a spot among the elite winners in this years competition.
By
Maddie...
18/04/2025
Boston Conservatory Alums Bring Real Women Have Curves to Broadway The Latin American immigrant community takes center stage in a new musical featuring Tatian...
17/04/2025
In Return to Berklee, Lucius Looks Back and Moves Forward From mood boards to live demos, the alumni band gave students an exclusive look at the process behin...
17/04/2025
Edward J. Lewis III Named Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement Lewis has more than 20 years of industry experience, leading fundraising initiati...