all caps
In typography, all caps (short for "all capitals") refers to text or a font in which all letters are capital letters, for example: "THIS TEXT IS IN ALL CAPS". All caps may be used for emphasis (for a word or phrase). They are commonly seen in ...
) is a song recorded by South Korean boy band
BTS
BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-produ ...
, released on August 24, 2018, by
Big Hit Entertainment
Big Hit Music (; formerly Big Hit Entertainment) is a South Korean music label established in 2005 by Bang Si-hyuk. It was re-branded and re-structured into an independent label under Hybe Corporation (formerly Big Hit Entertainment Co., Ltd.) ...
as the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
from their third compilation album '' Love Yourself: Answer'' (2018). An alternative version of the song, which features
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...
, was also included as a bonus track with the digital album. The single debuted at number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and the two versions combined sold 43,000 downloads in their first week of sale in the US. It is certified platinum by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
.
On July 3, 2019, the Japanese version of the song was released as a B-side track, along with the Japanese version of "
Boy with Luv
"Boy with Luv" ( Korean: 작은 것들을 위한 시; RR: ''Jag-eun geosdeul-eul wihan si'', "A Poem for Small Things") is a song recorded by South Korean boy band BTS, featuring American singer Halsey, as the lead single for their sixth exte ...
" and an original Japanese track titled "
Lights
Light is an electromagnetic radiation, part of which stimulates the sense of vision.
Light or Lights may also refer to:
Illumination
* Light bulb
* Traffic light
Arts and entertainment Music
* Lights (musician) (born 1987), Canadian singer-son ...
".
Background and release
The day before the release of the single when its trailer was released, rumors about a collaboration track between BTS and
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...
had surfaced when Shazam identified the teaser video of the track as "Idol by BTS (feat. Nicki Minaj)". On August 24, 2018, two hours before the official release of the album, Big Hit Entertainment confirmed that an alternative version of "Idol" featuring Nicki Minaj would be included in the digital version of the album as a
bonus track
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...
.
After its release, the song inspired an Internet dance challenge known as the "Idol Challenge", in which people dance to the chorus of the song, to try out the song's choreography. The challenge has been done by different celebrities such as
B.A.P
B.A.P (; an acronym for Best Absolute Perfect) was a South Korean boy band formed in 2012 under TS Entertainment.
B.A.P made their musical debut with the single "Warrior" on January 26, 2012, followed by the release of their debut EP ''Warrio ...
member
Zelo
Choi Jun-hong (Hangul: 최준홍; born October 15, 1996), better known by his stage name Zelo, is a South Korean rapper, singer, beatboxer and dancer best known as the former member of the South Korean boy group B.A.P. He made his recording de ...
and
Stephen "tWitch" Boss
Stephen Laurel "tWitch" Boss (September 29, 1982December 13, 2022) was an American freestyle hip hop dancer, choreographer, actor, television producer, and television personality. In 2008, he finished in second place on the American version o ...
on ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was prod ...
''.
Composition
As described by ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
s Tamar Herman, "Idol" is a "traditionally inspired track" featuring different classical Korean instruments. According to media outlets, the song and the music video were inspired by Korean genre
pansori
' () is a Korean genre of musical storytelling performed by a singer and a drummer.
The term ''pansori'' is derived from the Korean words ''pan'' (Hangul: 판) and ''sori'' (Hangul: 소리), the latter of which means "sound." However, ''pan ...
and
John Woo
John Woo Yu-Sen SBS (; born September 22, 1946) is a Hong Kong filmmaker, known as a highly-influential figure in the action film genre. He was a pioneer of heroic bloodshed films (a crime action film genre involving Chinese triads) and the gun fu ...
's 1997 movie
Face/Off
''Face/Off'' is a 1997 American science fiction action thriller film directed by John Woo, written by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary, and starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage.
The first Hollywood film in which Woo was given major creativ ...
. ''
Yonhap
Yonhap News Agency is a major South Korean news agency. It is based in Seoul, South Korea. Yonhap provides news articles, pictures and other information to newspapers, TV networks and other media in South Korea.
History
Yonhap (, , translit. ' ...
'' reported, "The song is electronic dance music in the style of South African dance music. The African beats are layered with traditional Korean rhythms, as well as the pounding of a Korean folk percussion instrument used in the performance of traditional Korean farmers' ensemble. ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
India'' said, "According to the group's label Big Hit Entertainment, “Idol” was inspired by
gqom
Gqom () '(Igqomu) () is a genre of electronic dance music that emerged in the early 2010s from Durban, South Africa, pioneered largely by producer DJ Nathan_Medee, DJ Lag, Rudeboyz, Griffit Vigo, Mbreshcar SA and Citizen Boy. It was developed fr ...
, a style of
house music
House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...
that originated in
Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
, South Africa. Gqom combines powerful traditional thumping drum with bass and house
synths
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...
in a balance between tradition and trend." adding, "The track's blend of Korean instruments like the
gakgung
The Korean Bow ( ko, 각궁, Gak-gung hanja: , or ''horn bow'') is a water buffalo horn-based composite reflex bow, standardized centuries ago from a variety of similar weapons in earlier use. Due to its long use by Koreans, it is also known as G ...
(the Korean horn-bow which explains the
shehnai
The ''shehnai'' is a musical instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is made of wood, with a double reed at one end and a metal or wooden flared bell at the other end.trap rap and
electronica
Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...
contribute to expanding its culturally rich, diverse, global sound".
"Idol" is in the key of C# minor and incorporates various styles such as pop,
world
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
,
contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music.
The genre features a distinctive record production style, drum machine-backed rhythm ...
, and
K-pop
K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...
. Both versions are 126 beats per minute. One of the writers, Ali Tamposi, stated the rep from Big Hit wanted the song to feel intense.
In 2020, the lyrics of "Idol" were displayed in a special exhibition titled "Korean Pop Lyrics: Melodies of Life" at the
National Hangeul Museum
The National Hangeul Museum () was established in 2014 in the Yongsan District of Seoul (South Korea) near the National Museum of Korea. Occupying over , it showcases the cultural and political context, linguistic structure and evolution of the Ko ...
in Seoul.
Music video
On August 22, 2018, the teaser video of the track was released, while the full
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
was released on August 24.
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
's official tally saw the music video garner over 56 million views within 24 hours of its release, breaking
Blackpink
Blackpink (, commonly stylized in all caps or as BLɅϽKPIИK) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment, consisting of members Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. The group debuted in August 2016 with their single album ''Square ...
's previous record for "
Ddu-Du Ddu-Du
"Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" (; RR: ''ttuduttudu'') is a song recorded in Korean and Japanese by South Korean girl group Blackpink. It was released on June 15, 2018, through YG Entertainment, in conjunction with the release of the group's first Korean-language ...
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
's music video for “
Look What You Made Me Do
"Look What You Made Me Do" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on August 24, 2017, by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from her sixth studio album, '' Reputation'' (2017). Swift wrote and produ ...
”, which recorded 43.2 million views in 2017. On August 29, 2018, the music video became the fastest to reach 100 million views on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
in 2018. The record was eventually broken in December 2018 by Ariana Grande, with the song "
Thank U, Next
''Thank U, Next'' is the fifth studio album by American singer Ariana Grande, released on February 8, 2019, by Republic Records. It was released six months after her fourth studio album '' Sweetener'' (2018), conceived in the midst of Grande ...
".
On September 6, 2018, the music video featuring Nicki Minaj was released. The music video is similar to the original music video, but with some additional scenes and Nicki Minaj rapping her part with Korean transliteration of the lyrics at her back. The video ends with several "Idol Challenge" video clips uploaded from their fans.
The music video was created by the director Choi Yong-seok of Lumpens. Assistant directors include Guzza, MinJe, Jeong, Park Hye-heong all from Lumpens. The director of photography was Man Hyun-woo from GDW. Other key personnel are Song Hyun-seok who controlled the gaffer, Kim Bona and Park Jin-sil as art directors, Ahn Ye-min and Lee Hyun-seung making up the art team. Song Sukki as the construction manager, Ma Seung-keun working the show light, and Kang Jong working the lift operator. The key scenic artists were Hong Yeong-jun, Lim Kwang-hyun, and Seo Sang-hyeok. As of August 2021, the video has surpassed over 980 million views on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
.
Critical reception
Raisa Bruner of ''Time'' described the song as "a clubby, beat-heavy track that pulses with energy and a sax melody line off the top", with the song being "hard-charging" during its runtime. Regarding the collaboration with Minaj, Bruner thought that the "collaboration mark the beginning of BTS’ impending arrival on the U.S. scene."
Commercial performance
In the United States, "Idol" debuted at number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was ranked first in sales for the week, the two versions combined selling 43,000 downloads in their first week of sales, and generated 24.4 million first-week streams combined. The song dropped 70 positions in its second week, charting at number 81. ''PopBuzz'' ranked it on their list "The best music videos of 2018 (so far)".
In January 2019 it was announced that BTS would collaborate with the manufacturer
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...
to create dolls modeled off the outfits from the music video "Idol".
Accolades
Promotion
BTS promoted the song on various music programs in South Korea including ''
M Countdown
''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet. The show features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. It is broadcast from CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul.
Bro ...
'', ''
Music Bank
Music Bank may refer to:
* ''Music Bank'' (TV program), a South Korean music program by KBS
**''Music Bank World Tour
The ''Music Bank'' World Tour is a worldwide live concert tour of South Korean music show '' Music Bank'' by the Korean Broa ...
'', ''
Show! Music Core
''Show! Music Core'' (), or simply ''Music Core'' is a South Korean music television program broadcast by MBC. It airs live every Saturday at 15:30 (KST). The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform live on stage. ...
'', and ''
Inkigayo
''Inkigayo'' ( ko, 인기가요; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who p ...
'' garnering a total of eight wins despite its short promotion. On December 1, 2018, BTS performed the single at the Melon Music Awards. In the same month they promoted it at
SBS Gayo Daejeon
''SBS Gayo Daejeon'' (, broadly ''SBS'' '' Battle of the Bands'') is an annual televised music festival that is broadcast by the Seoul Broadcasting System at the end of each year. The program first aired in 1997, and awards were given to musica ...
MBC Gayo Daejejeon
The ''MBC Gayo Daejejeon'' () is an annual, end-of-the-year South Korean music show broadcast by the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC). The event was first held in 1966 as a singing competition, but MBC stopped giving out awards in 2005.
...
as well. In 2019 it was performed at the
Seoul Music Awards
The Seoul Music Awards (; SMA) is a major South Korean music awards show presented by the newspaper ''Sports Seoul''. The award winners are selected based on a combination of criteria, including music sales, popular votes, and expert judges' op ...
.
BTS performed the single on ''America's Got Talent'' Season 13 semi-final which was aired September 12, 2018. They also performed it on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...
'' and ''
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
''.
On October 12, 2018, the group performed the single on ''
The Graham Norton Show
''The Graham Norton Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton s ...
'' in the UK.
Track listing
Credits and personnel
Korean version
The song's original credits are adapted from the CD liner notes of '' Love Yourself: Answer''.
*Pdogg – producer, keyboard, synthesizer, vocal & rap arrangement, digital editing, recording engineer @ Dogg Bounce
*Supreme Boi – producer, chorus, gang vocal, vocal & rap arrangement, digital editing, recording engineer @ The Rock Pitt
* ”Hitman” Bang – producer
*
Ali Tamposi
Alexandra Tamposi (born November 17, 1989) is an American songwriter from West Palm Beach, Florida. She is best known for co-writing Kelly Clarkson's song "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," 5 Seconds of Summer's song "Youngblood (5 Seconds of S ...
Jungkook
Jeon Jung-kook (; born September 1, 1997), known mononymously as Jungkook (stylized as Jung Kook), is a South Korean singer. He is the youngest member and vocalist of the South Korean boy band BTS.
Jungkook has released three solo tracks as p ...
– chorus, gang vocal
*
J-Hope
Jung Ho-seok (; born February 18, 1994), better known by his stage name J-Hope (stylized as j-hope), is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, dancer, and record producer. He made his debut as a member of South Korean boy band BTS in 201 ...
– gang vocal
*ADORA – digital editing
*Hiss noise – digital editing
*James F. Reynolds – mix engineer
List of number-one songs of 2018 (Malaysia)
Below is a list of songs that topped the RIM Charts in 2018 according to the Recording Industry Association of Malaysia.
Chart history
References
External linksRecording Industry Association of Malaysia
{{MalaysianNumberOnes
2018 in Malay ...