BTS continues its push for global domination with another towering debut that may well have shattered a YouTube record, taking only 20 minutes to do so.
On Thursday, the K-Pop boy band dropped their first video and single to be recorded entirely in English, “Dynamite,” and fans quickly tuned in to soak in its bright colors and upbeat tempo. And they tuned in by the millions.
Within the first 20 minutes, the video had been viewed 10 million times, which should set new record for YouTube. The platform has yet to release official numbers for the release — but it did kind of just happen.
Nevertheless, no matter how it falls out, the response to the single is nothing short of astonishing. In less than an hour it had amassed over 20 million views and as of this writing — approximately four hours later — it is closing in on 40 million.
Ironically, the band admitted that they’d never actually intended to release this single, or necessarily record it. And the fact that it’s in English was happenstance as well. In a strange way, fans can thank COVID-19 for its existence at all as part of their catalog.
As the pandemic disrupted the world, it forced the group to cancel their tour plans. They while working on their upcoming album and quickly decided that its energy was needed right now.
“As soon as we heard it, we thought it was really fun and exciting, a fun and cheery song that wasn’t that serious. It just made us feel good when we heard it,,” RM said, per Variety. “We really wanted to share this energy with the fans as soon as possible.”
The band’s unofficial spokesman, RM is the only one among the seven-member group who is fluent in English, creating a new challenge in recording the track. So why record in English at all? Certainly singing in their native language has not slowed their success in other markets.
“When we were recording the guide version, we felt the English version fit the melody a little bit better,” said V. It really was as simple as that.
The upbeat track served as “a breakthrough to help us overcome the emptiness,” according to Jimin, so they decided to share it as quickly as possible.
There’s certainly nothing down about the track or its accompanying music video. Everyone is all smiles among bright colors, lively settings and the boys signature dance moves (with a little Michael Jackson inspiration along the way).
“It’s dedicated to all the people who feel like they’ve fallen down while running a marathon,” explained Suga. “Even if you’re going through tough times, let’s do what we can in our places, and find freedom and happiness through dance and music.”
While there is no set date for the band’s upcoming album, the BTSArmy can nevertheless look forward to them performing live at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, August 30, followed by the release of their documentary “Break the Silence” on September 10.
