Salamin, Salamin

"Salamin, Salamin" () is a song recorded by Filipino girl group Bini. It is a bubblegum pop and funk song with a prominent groovy bassline. The lyrics reference fairytales, with the narrator asking her magic mirror when her crush will notice her. Star Music released "Salamin, Salamin" as the third and lead single of Bini's first extended play (EP) ''Talaarawan'' on March 8, 2024.

"Salamin, Salamin" became one of Bini's most popular songs and peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Philippines Songs chart on June 8, 2024. In February 2025, ''Tatler Asia'' recognized the ubiquity of "Salamin, Salamin" in the Philippines throughout the year of 2024, along with "Pantropiko" (), the previously released single from ''Talaarawan''. The inaugural Official Philippines Chart, launched on February 19, also acknowledged "Salamin, Salamin" as 2024's top four local song, based on aggregate data collected from Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, and YouTube Music.

Background and release

After promoting "Karera" and the sleeper hit "Pantropiko" as pre-release singles for their upcoming EP, Bini released ''Talaarawan'' together with its lead single "Salamin, Salamin" on March 8, 2024, International Women's Day, to align with the group's advocacy on women empowerment. An accompanying music video was posted on YouTube on the same day; it garnered over one million views by March 27, within nearly three weeks of its release.

Composition

"Salamin, Salamin" is a bubblegum pop and funk song with a prominent groovy bassline. The lyrics of the song have fairytale motifs, with the narrator asking her magic mirror if her crush will notice her.

The track was produced by Mat Olavides and Bojam and composed by John Michael Conchada, Paula Rose Alcasid, and Paulo Miguel Rañeses.

Reception

Reviews

According to Precy Tan of ''Nylon Manila'', "Salamin, Salamin" resonated deeply within the hearts of individuals who are stuck in uncertain situationships. She added, "In a world where mixed signals have become an art form, this track literally screams 'Better say it now, it's not too late. I'm ready to be called your princess.'" Mika Geronimo of ''Rappler'' wrote that the song had a charming approach towards teenage love, similar to ''Talaarawan'''s previous single, "Pantropiko". ''SunStar Davao'' included "Salamin" in their "10 OPM songs that defined 2024" list, with the song placing at number two. In the article, ''SunStar'' writer Ralph Lawrence G. Llemit praised the song's "infectious" melody and uplifting message that resonated with Filipinos, declaring "Salamin" to be the group's "crown jewel" for the year.

Audience reception

A variety of media outlets have reported that numerous public figures were spotted dancing or singing along to "Salamin, Salamin". This includes Filipino public figures such as actresses Gabbi Garcia, Jennylyn Mercado, and Iza Calzado, as well as Philippine Basketball Association players. Foreign pop groups like J-pop's Psychic Fever from Exile Tribe and K-pop's Riize also danced to the song. In a feature for ''Tatler Asia'', Jove Moya remarked on the song's ubiquity throughout the year of 2024, writing, "The gay bars, supermarkets, and car radios were dominated by one girl group throughout 2024. If it wasn't Bini's 'Pantropiko', it was 'Salamin, Salamin' playing on loop in these places all year round."

The phrase "eyyy", which was included in the song's lyrics, also became popular in Filipino parlance and became associated with Bini member Sheena. A few months after the song was released, a Christian content creator claimed that "Salamin Salamin" was a witchcraft song. The creator's post linked the song's lyrics to a book titled ''Mirror Magic (Scrying, Spells, Curses and Other Witch Crafts)'' by Viivi James, among other things. The Bini members firmly denied the claims, calling them "funny" and "fake news".

Commercial performance

Coupled with the viral success of Bini's previous single "Pantropiko" on TikTok, "Salamin, Salamin" and ''Talaarawan'' led the girl group to become Spotify's highest-streamed OPM female artist, as well as the Filipino P-pop group with the most monthly listeners on the platform.

"Salamin, Salamin" entered the ''Billboard'' Philippines Songs chart at number 10 on the issue of April 20, 2024. This, along with "Pantropiko" reaching a new peak of number five, made Bini both the first P-pop group to have multiple entries on the chart and the first P-pop group to have entries within the top 10. Three months after its release, "Salamin, Salamin" peaked at the top of the chart on the issue of June 8, dethroning the previous week's chart-topper "Pantropiko" and scoring the girl group their second ''Billboard'' number one hit.

In December, "Salamin Salamin" was recognized as the top music video of 2024 on YouTube in the Philippines, with its lyrics video placing eighth. That same year, Google ranked it as the seventh most searched song in the country. The track was also featured in ''Billboard Philippines'' list of The 50 Best Songs of 2024 and The 50 Best Music Videos of 2024.

At the inauguration of The Official Philippines Chart on February 19, 2025, "Salamin, Salamin" was recognized as its top four Local Song of the Year.

Adaptations

A remake of the song performed by Bini was used in an advertisement for the online shopping app Shopee, coinciding with the group's official endorsement of the brand. The song was appearing from Facial product Pond's. A parody of the song, titled "Salarin, Salarin" (Culprit, Culprit), was released on the comedy show ''Bubble Gang'' on September 29, 2024.

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Accolades

Listicles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salamin, Salamin
2024 singles
2024 songs
Bini (group) songs
Star Music singles
Number-one singles in the Philippines
Philippine pop songs
Taglish songs
Bubblegum pop songs
Funk songs