These pop music groups continue to dominate in their respective areas.
Global popstars BTS continues on their pop world domination with the release of their latest single titled “Butter.”
The movement-inducing new track is a gleaming pop number that features the South Korean boyband singing in English from start to finish.
As pop formulas go, “Butter” is one hook building on top of another all from start to finish. Pop producers and songwriters should take note: this is how you write a pop song: Start with a bouncy beat, introduce something new for the ear to hear every four bars, keep it up for the illusion of movement, insert a rap break, repeat chorus, outro, then end.
Oh, and keep it short, preferably under 3 minutes.
“Butter” borrows it slightly funky feel from 70’s and 80’s pop. Think Shalamar’s “A Night to Remember” but updated to 2021 standards. But whether they did so or not, the point is BTS has a frisky new song that makes you want to dance. As BTS themselves do on their equally brand spanking new music video for “Butter.” That is said to now hold the record for reaching 10 million views in under 10 minutes. Breaking the record that they themselves have set for “Dynamite.”
BTS also recently performed on A Late Show with Stephen Colbert and the views on that episode is also blowing up on YouTube with more than 9 million views since it was uploaded (2 days ago as of this writing).
BTS also made it to the cover of Rolling Stone magazine recently, and how about that short stint on the "F.R.I.E.N.D.S." reunion? It seems that every American media outlet wants to have BTS on because every show they’re on blows up (in views). Now that’s BTS power.
Locally, we have Ben&Ben exerting their own brand of pull.
The group is now being touted as the biggest band of the moment. And that’s saying something considering that even during lockdown, this group managed to stay relevant and on top.
Credit that to a steady stream of music releases in the past few months.
And the band is also mindful of the releases they put out, seemingly taking good care of the quality of their output. This is certainly one of those moments that having many heads (thus ideas) is good for the whole.
Paolo and Miguel Guico, Toni Munoz, Patricia Lasaten, Jam Villanueva, Agnes Reoma, Poch Barreto, Andrew De Pano and Kiefer Cabugao certainly have good chemistry in them.
Ben&Ben also has latched onto a sound and style that is a perfect fit for their 9-piece ensemble. Their update of “Leaves” is an example. It continues on the fine balladry that they’ve been dishing since 2017’s “Kathang Isip.” And that’s Kpop’s Day6 member Young K trading verses and choruses with the Guico’s.
Simply put, this song is just plain beautiful.