Years in the making, BTS have finally performed a Tiny Desk concert. The popular video series, hosted by NPR Music, has been around since 2008 and has welcomed more than 800 concerts with videos viewed two billion times collectively on YouTube. Stars such as Adele, Coldplay, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish have previously performed.
Since the pandemic, NRP Music has instead introduced the Tiny Desk (home) concert series which has featured acts performing stripped down versions of their hit songs from home. For the usually busy K-pop group, the time has allowed them to slow down a bit and do things they had not previously had time for.
The group performed three songs: Dynamite, Save Me and Spring Day during the 14-minute online gig. The Tiny Desk series saw the seven-piece group singing along with a live band while sitting on stools – a usual departure from seeing them show off their intricately choreographed dance moves while performing.
“Also, we loved watching Tiny Desks and we are very, very honoured and excited,” said member Jin.
“That’s right, we hope everyone can also enjoy our tiny, but not so tiny, concert,” said RM.
At the height of their performance, more than 640,000 users tuned in to watch. BTS has recently made history as the first K-pop group to reach No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with their first English-language track, Dynamite.
The band revealed in August that they decided to release the single ahead of their new album.
“We are preparing an album for the second half of this year, but decided to first release a single because we wanted to reach our fans as soon as possible,” the group said on South Korean broadcasting app V Live. “Due to Covid-19, people around the world have been going through tough times and we wanted to share some positive energy with our fans.”
