It has been about six months since South Korean boy band BTS dropped their fourth album, and ARMY (“Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth” a.k.a BTS fans) has been restlessly awaiting their latest disco-pop track ever since. I, on the other hand, had not the slightest clue of this much-awaited single. It was about 12:20 a.m. when a colorful thumbnail caught my eye on YouTube on a Friday night. It read “BTS (방탄소년단) ‘Dynamite’ Official MV –– Premiered 20 minutes ago.” I clicked on the thumbnail before I could change my mind and my cursor automatically went to the subtitle button because I expected to hear Korean. To my surprise, I understood every word of the song –– it was in English.
BTS dropped their latest single, “Dynamite,” at midnight on Aug. 21. It is their first release that features lyrics in the English language and it has broken numerous YouTube records for the most views in the fastest amount of time. In just the first 20 minutes, the video hit 10 million views! After that, BTS broke the record for every 10-million-view milestone, up to 50 million views.
Although I am not a devout ARMY member (I’m an AROHA, fandom name for the K-pop group, ASTRO), I have my BTS favorites and “Dynamite” is on that list! This song’s energetic beat and catchy tune will be stuck in my head for days. In the chorus they sing, “Shining through the city with a little funk and soul/ So I’ma light it up like dynamite.” It encourages you to walk with confidence and bring all your energy along with you. The song overall has a positive and uplifting spirit from the lyrics to the infectious beat down to the vibrant colors and outfits.
The music video is brimming with groovy disco dance moves, throwback retro outfits and gripping beats that make you want to dance along with the band. The pastel color palette toward the end of the video was stunning. There is a rainbow explosion of color in the background as they dance to the chorus and it makes me smile every time I see it.
In an interview with USA TODAY, BTS explains that the underlying message of this song is a simple and hopeful one. “We’ve been through all the sadness and desperation but with this song and performance we just hope the world gets more positive and be happy,” RM, one of the seven members of this K-pop idol group, said.
With such a successful English-language track, BTS will hopefully decide to release an entire English album in the near future. But until then, watch “Dynamite” here and enjoy this hip-swaying tune!
