Harry Styles — NPR Tiny Desk, 2020

45

Why this recording

Filmed on February 25, 2020, the session was only released three weeks later, just as NPR was postponing new Tiny Desk tapings and drawing on concerts already in the can. Harry Styles plays with his touring band and, between songs, talks about how two of them came about: “Watermelon Sugar”, born on a day off in Nashville, and “Adore You”, written around a feeling of lovesickness. According to NPR's write-up, fans had gathered outside the station's headquarters before soundcheck even started. Robin Hilton and Morgan Noelle Smith produced, with Bob Boilen as creative director.

— Simon Janvier, live-sound professional and editor of the catalogue

Recording technical sheet

Rights-holding channelNPR Music
Source statusOfficial — broadcaster or organiser
Uploaded
Exact runtime
ResolutionHD (720p+)
Source qualityProfessional (multi-camera)

Metadata checked on YouTube on 29 September 2026; direction, camera setup and sound documented by the editors.

Published on August 4, 2026 by

Filmed live session by Harry Styles for the NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert, published on 16 March 2020, recorded behind Bob Boilen’s desk at NPR headquarters in Washington. In this intimate, acoustic format, the former One Direction member rearranges four songs from his second solo album Fine Line (2019): “Cherry,” “Watermelon Sugar,” “To Be So Lonely” and “Adore You.” Backed by a full band — Sarah Jones on drums, Mitch Rowland on guitar, Adam Prendergast on bass, Ny Oh on guitar and Charlotte Clark on keys, all singing harmonies — Styles strips his pop songs of their studio production to reveal their melody and craft. This short but rich live concert film illustrates Harry Styles’ transformation into a credible pop-rock songwriter and his ease in the delicate art of live performance without effects. A landmark Tiny Desk capture, between chamber pop and folk-rock, ideal for appreciating the voice and arranging sense of one of the major pop artists of his generation.

Setlist

  1. Cherry
  2. Watermelon Sugar
  3. To Be So Lonely
  4. Adore You

Personnel & credits

  • Harry Styles — vocals, guitar
  • Sarah Jones — drums, vocals
  • Mitch Rowland — guitar
  • Adam Prendergast — bass, vocals
  • Ny Oh — guitar, vocals
  • Charlotte Clark — piano, Wurlitzer, guitar, vocals
Category

What to watch next

Harry Styles appears once more in the catalogue, and NPR Tiny Desk, Washington D.C. gathers 101 recordings in all.

More recordings of Harry Styles

Same ground: Pop, the 2020s

The whole Pop catalogue