RM of BTS: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

RM of BTS: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

Stephen Thompson | December 2, 2022

Now that we’re back to recording Tiny Desk concerts in the office, home concerts mostly happen under special circumstances: when the artist is overseas, for example, or otherwise unable to get to Washington, D.C., when we’re recording. Given that BTS’s RM (aka Kim Nam-joon) is based in South Korea, we let it slide — not least because his team put together one of the most impressive Tiny Desk facsimiles we’ve seen yet. What really sets it apart is the huge array of shelf-bound ephemera, which is bound to have the BTS Army sleuthing in the YouTube comments. What’s a random tchotchke and what’s an Easter egg? Study the set closely!

RM timed his solo Tiny Desk debut — which follows BTS’s home concert from back in 2020 — to coincide with the release of his first official studio album, Indigo. But he kicks off the set with an older track, “seoul,” which first appeared on his 2018 mixtape mono. From there, he showcases the first two tracks from Indigo: the rap-driven “Yun” and the funky “Still Life,” both of which are inspired by RM’s love of and fascination with painting. The studio tracks feature Erykah Badu and Anderson .Paak, respectively, both of whom get shoutouts in this set. But here, the focus never drifts away from the star at center stage — no matter how closely you might squint at the stuffed animals, housewares, clocks and toys (not to mention Big Mouth Billy Bass!) behind him.

Now, if we can just get him to visit the real Tiny Desk…

SET LIST
“seoul”
“Yun”
“Still Life”

MUSICIANS
RM: vocals
DOCSKIM: keyboard
john eun: guitar
Jaeshin Park: bass
JK Kim: drums

CREDITS
Director: Oui Kim (OUI)
Producer: Yeonjin Kim (OUI)
AUDIO:
JEONG WOO YEONG
Son Yu Jeong

CREW:
Huiwon Song
Sunyoung Kim
Hyeri Shin
EumKo
Youngwoo Lee
Eunil Lee
Sungju Min
Kihun Kim
Seungjong Lee
Yuntae Ko
Kidung Kim
Kiyong Eom
Donghyun Lee
Doosoo Choi
Yujin Jung
Sangjoon Lee
Kieun Lee
Kihyun Lee
Seonghyeon Heo
Insol Yun
Hyeongeun Kim
Yujin Ko
Daeun Han
Jae Yoo
GANi
Leehyun Kim
Yeonhwa Cha
Daye Shin
Daniella Kim
Saeyong Oh
Lee Jung Min
Lee Hyeon Ki
Jeong Dae Seong
Jinho Jeong
Rachel Um
Jennie Lee
Rosa Kim

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bob Boilen
Video Producer: Kara Frame
Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
Tiny Production Team: Suraya Mohamed, Bobby Carter, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Hazel Cills, Marissa Lorusso, Ashley Pointer, Jill Britton, Sofia Seidel
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#tinydesk #rm #bts #nprmusic

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30 Responses

  1. NPR Music says:

    Grateful for Tiny Desk today? We count on viewers like you to support our work. Your donation funds our work to showcase musicians and storytellers from across the world. Donate today. https://www.npr.org/donations/510306

  2. Salo says:

    ¿Donde estan los ARMY orgulloso de su lider? Estoy tan feliz con todo lo nuevo de Nam, va a acompañarme mucho estos dias y por siempre

  3. Potasio says:

    En el mundo existen personas poéticas, inteligentes y cautivadoras, son pocas pero Namjoon es una de ellas. Siempre he admirado que tenga un vocabulario extenso porque suele poner palabras que ni siquiera había escuchado, por otro lado disfruto mucho de sus metáforas, mientras que otros escritores escriben cosas complicadas Namjoon usa lo simple (que no es sencillo) y con solo decir “sábanas frías” o “dos tazas abandonadas en la alacena” puede expresar la soledad y melancolía de una forma muy íntima, personal y sencilla pero potente. Todo esto acompañado por una voz dulce y muy varonil, ligeramente rasposa. Me he enamorado del líder de BTS, pero si pudiera decir algo de Namjoon solo sería «poeta», él es una inspiración.

  4. James K.R. Blake says:

    He has grown so much as a person and leader and it shows. I know everyone is sad that BTS is going to serve soon, but they’ll all be back before we know it. They’ve given us their best and they’ll do it when they return. RM believes in himself, his army and his boys.

  5. hitrelease says:

    It’s actually insane when you realize his influence on the music industry as a driving force of BTS for the past 9 years. RM, I’m so insanely proud of you, go on and break the world, my man.

  6. Dalia Galvan says:

    Aplausos aplausos de pie a este gran artista, venga ARMY que Nam se sienta orgulloso de nosotros

  7. Rahaf says:

    this was so, so good. what a gift these ten beautiful shades of blue namjoon has bravely chosen to share with us are. i will hold all these timeless tracks close to my heart and cherish them deeply. my wonderful joon, i trust that our love will reach you in its entirety, as sincerity always finds its way, doesn’t it? and of course, thank you to the incredible john eun, docskim, jaeshin park, and jk kim for bringing your magic to this lovely tiny concert!

    • louise wirzen says:

    • Rosemary -y says:

      beautiful 💕

    • Gizem öztürk says:

      great comment thanks for that 🙏🏽

    • dora says:

      i hope that our love reaches him. how frustrating that he can heal me with his words and music yet i can’t personally thank him – probably ever in my life. im torn between being incredibly grateful to the internet that i know him, as well as being equally frustrated that there will always be distance that i can’t cover. ;-; i really do hope he knows how much we love and appreciate every little word and ounce of love, pain and honesty that he has diligently painted in his work. 💙

    • minitwink 16 says:

      Blue can be so beautiful and some shades can be sad. His expression is so cool. I can’t with him, his inspirations and in turn getting us inspired as well.

  8. María Clara says:

    Namu es arte puro y puro amor. ¡Me encanta! Armyyyy ¿Dónde estás?

  9. Elia Charis says:

    Que hermoso recital Nam invitandome a su graduación personal esta fabuloso tu álbum muchas felicidades y que vengan los trofeos para el mejor Líder del mundo mundial 💜💜😎😎

  10. Madison Puch says:

    I personally love seeing when artists appreciate other artists and other types of art outside of their niche. It is really enjoyable to hear and see how much Namjoon enjoys painters and other musicians work. I also so enjoy hearing about the creative process each artist has, and their thoughts behind their creations, which is not always revealed by the artist themselves. This peek inside their brains and process is such a gift! Thoroughly enjoyed the album INDIGO in all of its varying styles and different moods, colors, and feelings. A wonderful first solo album. I also just turned 30, so I can definitely relate to the feelings of leaving my 20s behind and looking forward towards a future that is what I determine for myself.

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