V of BTS: Tiny Desk Korea

Suraya Mohamed | September 14, 2023
On an August evening in Seoul, South Korea, a newly formed production crew was setting up cameras and microphones as the eight-member session band warmed up and rehearsed. Most of the musicians had flown in from the U.S. just for this performance; a few were already based in Seoul. The special occasion was one of the first concerts for Tiny Desk Korea, a brand new series based halfway around the world from NPR's offices in Washington, D.C. It was an exciting moment for everyone in the room as we awaited the arrival of Kim Tae-hyung, 김태형, who most know as V from BTS.

He was about to release a new album, Layover, and he'd never performed the songs live before. The three sultry cuts in this set are sure to make ARMY go crazy. "Love Me Again" starts the set with a catchy hook and steamy verses sung in Korean; you don't have to understand the language to feel the regret and loss. He keeps the romantic mood going with an uptempo R&B vibe on "Slow Dancing." Before the last tune, "For Us," V says in Korean, "These songs evoke a sense of fleeting tranquility, as if they effortlessly pass by and offer a soothing pause."

This video is part of the newly launched international version of Tiny Desk, a joint venture between NPR and LG U+, a Korean telecommunications and media company. All concerts – including the first few episodes with the Kim Chang Wan Band, Sunwoo Jung-A and the Yun Seok Cheol – are available on the Tiny Desk Korea YouTube channel, which will unveil a new video every Thursday.

SET LIST
"Love Me Again"
"Slow Dancing"
"For Us"

MUSICIANS
V: vocals
Blake Straus: guitar
Brett White: keys
Pete Jonas: bass
Destin Johnson: drums
Jacob Scesney: saxophone
Iyanu Anderson: vocals
Trudi Henderson: vocals
Jewaun Word: vocals

TINY DESK KOREA TEAM
Executive Producer: DJ Lee
Vp, Visuals And Music: Sangjin Lee
Tiny Desk Korea Team Leader: Kilhyo Lee
Creative Producers: Soyeon Kang, Heewon Kim
Tiny Desk Korea Team: Euddeum Park, Seongyeon Lee, Jisook Son
Format Licensing Producers: InSoon Kim, Jinwoo Hwang
Director of Production: Jinsoo Chung, Hyewon Kim
Production Assistants: Jieun Park, Jeong Eun Gwon
Camera Assistants: Lim Young Chae, Yeom Seowoo, Wang Sunho, Kim Yonghyuk, Jeon Gihun, Suh Kangjun
Lighting Crew: Hyunsuk Song, Yuseok Lee, Junghyun Choi, Jisu Kim

TINY DESK U.S. TEAM
Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin
Creative Director: Bob Boilen
Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame
Tiny Desk Team: Suraya Mohamed, Ashley Pointer, Hazel Cills
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior Director of Partnership Development: Gordon Synn
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

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