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If you have been anywhere on social media this week, you would have noticed that global superstar group, BTS, has been trending and for all the right, glorious reasons!
The Korean boy group, who have been making waves across the world, has returned with a brand-new song and music video, called Dynamite. The song has already become a sensational pop record in just days of its release and the records, streams and sales made already, support this statement.
The song, which is BTS’s first “English-only” song, was produced with the intention of bringing “positive energy” and joy into people’s lives during a difficult time period of the COVID-19 pandemic and various injustices that have been taking place. It should be made known that their decision to make an English track was not forced, but it was a naturally made decision according to BTS leader, RM.
Leading up to the release, BTS fan group, ARMY, were given hints and teasers of what to expect. There were hints of it being visually and thematically linked to Boy with Luv due to the familiar background images. However, there was also a clear indication that there were references to the late 1900s ranging from 70s to 90s themes.
When the track was released, ARMYs immediately rushed to Youtube to witness the masterpiece in its visual element! The song itself is considered to be a “retro vibe” and contains vibrant, gleeful melodic tunes and beats, with lyrics that provide listeners with a carefree, content mood.
Once you listen to the song and digest the lyrics, you are made aware of BTS’s intention for this to be a “feel good” track. We are encouraged to be determined during a time of adversity, with verse 1 by Jungkook even referencing taking on King Kong. With J-Hope’s description of himself being a diamond, we are given the impression that we can shine bright in a time of darkness and despair.
In the chorus, you are reminded of being compared to the light and magnificence of a firework. It is here where the late 1900s (70s to 90s) theme of disco fever is reignited! With reference to “funk and soul” and later V’s encouraging lyrics of bringing friends together, one gets the image of friends uniting again for a soulful party.
If one is to describe the music video, I’d call it a jolly town somewhere in the Bangtan Universe. It’s clear with all the sneaky details that Dynamite is the centrepiece of this comeback since various retro-nostalgic scenes in the video, such as the coffee and Doughnut store, are named after the track title. Let’s not forget the cool, classy outfit choices too!
You cannot talk about a BTS music video without admiring the dance moves chosen! In this energetic, joyful track, we were not let down by the dance moves. Since this video was portrayed as a “blast from the past,” there were pleasant moments where BTS made visual references to previous musical legends. Members imitated iconic Michael Jackson moves and posters of The Beatles, ACDC, Queen and David Bowie can be seen in the opening
scene.
The song and music video have already captivated the populace and history has already been achieved by the global superstars! The Dynamite music video smashed the record for most views in 24 hours. Impressively, the video reached 101.1 million views as confirmed by Youtube and BigHit Entertainment. Since BTS took a different approach to the video release
by using Youtube Premiere, they also broke the record for most viewers watching the premiere.
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However, that is not all! As reported by Raza Hussain for NewsLeaf.com, on iTunes, BTS’s Dynamite was the fastest song to reach 100 #1s ever! This also made BTS the first artist to reach 100 1s for 5 songs on iTunes. In terms of sales and streams, Dynamite is ahead of its competition and is most likely to debut at #1 in the UK. Spotify has become an important streaming platform for artists and ARMYs did not disappoint here. Dynamite made the biggest Spotify debut of 2020 with over 7.779 million streams in a single day!
In the early hours of the 24 th August, BTS has released two remixes of Dynamite. The one is an acoustic and the other is an EDM version. This brings it to four versions of Dynamite if we include the instrumental version that was released alongside the original track on official music platforms.
It is clear that BTS has established itself as a phenomenal, globally recognised band that produces quality content for its fanbase as well as for the daily listener. At the same time, their continuous growing fanbase has assisted them in breaking major records and they have truly become renowned for their talents and excellence.
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Luke Waltham is a writer, blogger and post graduate student. He is a member of #BTSARMY and a proud human rights activist.
