In early November, one cluttered corner of the NPR office in Washington, D.C., received a new type of memento. As global superstars SEVENTEEN became the first K-pop group to make their official Tiny Desk debut in the U.S., their light stick took its rightful place on the set’s iconic bookshelf alongside a hoard of trinkets left by previous musical guests, including Sabrina Carpenter’s bedazzled martini glass — and Billboard was once again on hand to witness it all, from rehearsal to goodbyes.
While a few offshoots of NPR’s concert series have welcomed K-pop acts in the past, SEVENTEEN members Joshua, Mingyu, Seungkwan, Vernon and Dino were the first to perform behind the actual desk. And filming in the office base meant the most rigorous of standards were set in place: no floor monitors, no in-ears, no post-production magic or vocal touch-ups. Taken together, these are no small asks, even for veteran performers now a decade into their careers.
Then there’s the matter of size. “Any group with a large number of lead singers is hard to bring to the desk,” says Suraya Mohamed, executive producer for NPR Music, who adds that vocalist DK was originally supposed to attend the shoot before losing his voice. While a sprawling ensemble in its entirety may technically be able to squeeze into the space, she explains, that’s without accompanying band members and several instruments. Plus, only around five or six people comfortably fit in the front of the desk.
All these challenges combined, beyond creating the raw, authentic atmosphere that Tiny Desk has come to be known for, stretch artists to reach new highs, say its producers. And trust SEVENTEEN to rise to the occasion. All the world’s a stage for K-pop’s main theater kids, who recently wrapped the U.S. leg of their NEW_ world tour. Whether they’re playing to 18,000 cheering fans or an office of public media employees, it’s hard not to walk away from one of their shows inexplicably and irrevocably charmed.
In the video posted to NPR’s YouTube channel on Monday (Nov. 24), the group confesses to having experienced some nervousness before the shoot. But while working through a medley of nine songs spanning years of their catalog — from blistering hits “Hot” and “Clap” to beloved b-side “To You,” with a fair share of stellar high notes sprinkled in — those nerves were more than melted away by the warm reception in the room. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a response on Tiny Desk,” Vernon says, visibly blown away by the energy the crowd gives them throughout. “This is awesome. Thank you so much.”
Given all that went on behind the camera, here’s a roundup of 3 things you didn’t see in SEVENTEEN’s Tiny Desk debut.
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The Rehearsal
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}About forty-five minutes before the taping begins, the members emerge already in glam and almost fully outfitted (except Vernon, sans jacket in the warm afternoon office space) for the last round of rehearsal. As soon as they assemble behind the desk, Seungkwan corrals everyone together for a selfie; their staff rush around with vlogging cameras, always having content to make. Still, this is the group as the public seldom gets to see it, focused and discerning as they run through the setlist with their five-piece band — comprised of close, longtime collaborators like Park Kitae — one final time.
Even in serious work mode, though, this is clearly a team that loves its job. Dino breaks Seungkwan’s composure by staring directly into his eyes while the vocalist belts ad-libs; Joshua gets a kick out of sharing a name with the shoot’s audio engineer: “Easy to remember!” quips sound guy Josh, as the L.A.-born singer smiles and laughs beatifically. Mingyu, meanwhile, gussied up in a cowboy hat and shades even before cameras are rolling, playfully pokes fun at how squished their keyboardist appears with his instrument and back flush against two different surfaces of the small stage.
Since the Tiny Desk space is, after all, quite tiny, it takes some maneuvering to make sure every performer fits into the wide shot. Vernon has a habit of stepping back and vibing when it’s not his turn to sing, inadvertently making him disappear from view. (“I move a lot,” he nods in confirmation.) Since the rapper also has one of the softer voices, it also takes him a few tries to calculate exactly how close to get to the super sensitive mic. Then, once he finds that balance — “Don’t breathe!” someone jokes — the group is dismissed until it’s time to shoot the real thing.
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Taking the Stage
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}After a hyped-up audience of NPR staff and guests clad in tour jerseys and bearing concert signs pile into the space, Mohamed gives a few brief opening remarks from her makeshift podium — that is, behind a light stick propped onto a mic stand. While Tiny Desk intros can often get quite emotional, the producer later tells Billboard, she forgoes her planned speech, instead simply imploring the room to give the guys their all.
Explicit permission to bark is also granted, if the spirit so moves them. And while there is a distinct lack of barking during the taping — it is 1 p.m. on a Monday, after all — those present inside the office space deliver in just about every other way imaginable over the next thirty minutes: even before SEVENTEEN emerge from their green room, the small but mighty crowd is already chanting their name.
It seems to go above and beyond their expectations, since they look bowled over by the sheer volume of cheers during high-energy opener “Super.” “We expected a more calm and quiet environment,” an extraordinarily smiley Vernon translates for Seungkwan, while Joshua finishes with an astonished, “Because…it’s an actual office.”
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The Encore
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}Would it be a SEVENTEEN concert without a little bit of audience participation? Like on their tour, the floor is opened to requests, yielding pleas for impromptu performances of overlooked b-sides, such as “My I” and “Q&A.” (During rehearsal, their staff suggests “Fronting,” to which the guys gasp, “It’s been ten years!”) On tape, “HBD” is the winner, and it doubles as a particularly heartwarming birthday message for one lucky fan in the crowd.
But their encores are another level entirely. In fact, it pays to practice: before the group comes out, everyone is asked to hop in place three times to get their blood pumping. By the time “Aju Nice,” their eternal encore song, rolls around, the crowd is warmed up and ready to jump — despite the concerned singers inquiring if it’s safe to do so. The building does indeed hold, though the bouncing is a hilariously muted version of what tends to go down at their live shows, since the carpeted flooring muffles all the footsteps.
In addition to grabbing the “Aju Nice” poster shown in the video, the guys take a moment to point out another banner with the faces of enlisted bandmates Jeonghan, Wonwoo, Hoshi and Woozi. (“They’re watching with us!” Joshua’s exclaims.) Then, once everything is a wrap, their crew finally whisks them away, but not before the members oblige a few photos and sign photocards, practically grinning ear to ear.
