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 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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