Sheldon Pearce | May 26, 2023
NPR Music's Tiny Desk is celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. These artists represent just a sliver of the cultural diversity that exists within the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

As sunlight filters into the corner of the room, the singer and rapper Jay Park is turning his Everything You Wanted deep cut "I Got This" inside out with a groovy, lounge-ready interpretation on the trap-powered jam. "Born and raised in Seattle; we rep South Korea — Seoul city," he outlines, before transitioning into the feel-good R&B of his 2022 single "Need to Know," and that cross-cultural exchange has defined his keen shapeshifting — and the subtle breadth of the music he brings to his Tiny Desk (home) concert.

Since his days as a short-lived member of the K-pop group 2PM, Park has stayed at the forefront of the South Korean hip-hop and R&B scenes. As a performer, he has steadily evolved into a polymath, with a smooth, singsong style that straddles his rap and neo soul identities. He has since crossed over, signing with Roc Nation stateside, recording an EP with Hit-Boy and collaborating with artists ranging from Jay Electronica to Charli XCX.

His Tiny Desk (home) set plays into his natural instincts to mess around with many influences. Backed by a band and a small chorus that fill out his songs and let them breathe, Park brings a new warmth to his recent catalog here. He performs "Yesterday" and "Ganadara," some of his more acoustic ballads, with even greater delicacy, the latter unwrapping gently into the more upbeat "Candy." This rendition of "All I Wanna Do" turns the hit into something funkier, amped by bass and harmonized vocal runs. And an "only-for-NPR" performance of "Sex Trip" strips the song down with raw, falsetto vocals. But everything Park's done, everything he is, is on display in the reimagined "Mommae," in which a ratchet-era twerk anthem becomes soul balladry.

SET LIST
"I Got This"
"Need To Know"
"Yesterday"
"All I Wanna Do"
"Ganadara"
"Candy"
"Sex Trip"
"Mommae"

MUSICIANS
Jay Park: vocals
Slom: music director
Shyun: arranger, guitar
Junhyun Yoon: keys
Jongwoo Park: bass
Wonyoung Jang: drums
paulkyte: chorus
Otis Lim: chorus
Eunjin Kwon: chorus

CREDITS

AUDIO
Recording: Presound Systems
Mixing: STUDIO 505
Instruments: SUN Music

VIDEO
Director: Daniel Jon
Producer: Youngpyo Hong
D.O.P: Deokjung Kim
Gaffer: Hyunsuk Song (Real Lighting)
Producer: MORE VISION
Coordinator: Julie Rene Tran (Đặc Biệt)

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bobby Carter
Video Producer: Sofia Seidel
Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
Tiny Desk Team: Bob Boilen, Suraya Mohamed, Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

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