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Post Malone: Tiny Desk Concert

The Tiny Desk has hosted plenty of major pop, rock and hip-hop stars in its 15-plus years, but you'd be hard-pressed to find one more agreeable or self-effacing than Austin Richard Post. Whether lamenting the state of his singing voice, joking about his nerves or sitting slack-jawed in awe of the fantastic band his people had assembled for this show, Post had the bearing of a lottery winner who wouldn't even give himself credit for buying a ticket.

Before, during and after the show, Post Malone was a joy to have around. But he also just happened to bring a few of the biggest pop hits of the 21st century: Set-opener "Sunflower," for example, has been certified eighteen-times platinum by the RIAA since its release in 2018 — that's an all-time record — while the 2017 single "I Fall Apart" and 2019's "Circles" lag behind at a mere ten-times platinum apiece. "Enough Is Enough," which closes this set, enjoys no such designation, but give it time: A track from Post Malone's new album Austin, it's only been out for a few weeks.

So enjoy this set for what it is: one of the world's biggest stars, performing a few of the world's biggest songs, each set to a luminous arrangement. Post Malone himself seems surprised by how great this Tiny Desk concert sounds, and that's not just the humility talking.

SET LIST

  • "Sunflower"
  • "I Fall Apart"
  • "Circles"
  • "Enough Is Enough"

MUSICIANS

  • Austin Post: lead vocalist, guitar 
  • Hannah Juliano: vocalist
  • Elliot Aguilar: vocalist
  • Chauncey Matthews: vocalist
  • Kola Rail: vocalist
  • Destin Johnson: drums
  • Emily Rosenfield: guitar 
  • Bobby Wooten: bass 
  • Louis Bell: piano
  • Kevin Kuh: strings 
  • Francesca Dardani: strings 
  • Kiku Enomoto: strings
  • Kirin McElwain: strings

TINY DESK TEAM

  • Producers: Bobby Carter, Suraya Mohamed
  • Director/Editor: Kara Frame
  • Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin
  • Creative Director: Bob Boilen
  • Videographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Zayrha Rodriguez, Sofia Seidel
  • Audio Assistant: Hannah Gluvna
  • Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
  • Photographer: Catie Dull
  • Tiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills
  • VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
  • Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Stephen Thompson
Stephen Thompson is a host, writer and reviewer for NPR Music, where he speaks into any microphone that will have him and appears as a frequent panelist and guest host on All Songs Considered. Thompson also co-hosts the daily NPR roundtable podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour, which he created with NPR's Linda Holmes in 2010. In 2008, he and Bob Boilen created the NPR Music video series Tiny Desk concerts, in which musicians perform at Boilen's desk. (To be more specific, Thompson had the idea, which took seconds, while Boilen created the series, which took years. Thompson will insist upon equal billing until the day he dies.)