BTS’ “Butter” Slides into the Music Scene with Ease
The “Dynamite” era has come to an end for BTS after just over nine months. Throughout these nine months, there has been an unimaginable amount of growth for BTS. “Dynamite” brought radio play, advertisement use, over thirty music show wins, a Grammy nomination… need I say more? (If you’d like to read more about “Dynamite,” you can check out our post written about it here!) “Dynamite” was a turning point for BTS, so ARMY has held their breath while waiting for what was next. Because what could top something as iconic as “Dynamite”? Well, after a nine-month period, we have been given the second all-English track from BTS, “Butter.” And you butter believe it was worth the wait.
BTS’ “Butter” Enters the World like… well, like Butter
It started like any regular Monday in April. ARMY were surfing the internet like always… posting cute pictures of BTS here and there, trending Jimin’s name on Twitter for the millionth time just because we missed him, writing sweet messages to the boys in case RM did have a secret fan account. Then, all of a sudden, a notification popped up. “@BIGHIT_MUSIC on Twitter has tweeted: ‘#BTS #방탄소년단 Butter #BTS _Butter.’”
And then another. “BANGTANTV on YouTube is Live: BTS (방탄소년단) ‘Butter’ Logo Trailer.”
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLcim9EPx6c[/embedyt]
In confusion, thousands of ARMY sat for an hour watching this animated, yellow square of butter melt on screen. For an hour we watched butter melt. Like a modern-day watching paint dry, I suppose. But a bit more nerve-wracking since it was for BTS.
This hour-long livestream was the first notice the world got for “Butter.” We were given a name, a date, and a time. “Butter.” 2021.05.21. 13:00 KST and 00:00 EST. By the time alone, ARMY guessed that “Butter” would be the group’s next English single. And, of course, we were correct.
A couple of days after this, BigHit Music released the promotion schedule with a cute, butter-graphic calendar.
Image from BigHit_Music on Twitter
BTS “Butter” Concept Clips and Photos
One thing BTS doesn’t do is give hints for their songs in the concept teasers. While each concept clip and concept photo is amazing, they didn’t give us much to go off of.
The first concept clip, a teaser poster, is proof of that. It was a poster of Polaroid photos of balloons, toast, some candy, a camera, a drink, and confetti. There were some arrows, but we didn’t know what they meant. We still don’t know what they mean.
Image from BigHit_Music on Twitter
Needless to say, ARMY was thoroughly confused. But, then again, we always are during comeback season for BTS.
Starting on May 3rd, BTS released at least two concept clips a day. At just under twenty seconds, these concept clips only gave us enough to figure out which member was for each Polaroid in the teaser poster. The first day was members Jungkook and RM. The next, it was Jin and SUGA. And the last day was j-hope, Jimin, and V.
A few days of radio silence later, BTS release the first group teaser photo. And, if I must say, they look butter-riffic.
Image from BigHit_Music on Twitter
In a similar fashion to the concept clips, they release at least two individual member teaser photos a day starting on May 11th.
The first, again, are members Jungkook and RM. Then members Jin and SUGA. And lastly, but certainly not least, members j-hope, Jimin, and V.
The second teaser photos—including the group and individual shots—were released at the same time on May 16th.
Image from NME
The Music Video Teaser
On May 18th, the music video teaser for “Butter” came out.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOMxU9f1FBU[/embedyt]
This twenty-four-second video included all seven members of BTS standing in nicely dressed attire and a black-and-white filter. The beat behind them was solid, consistent and a bit familiar. When each beat hit, the members tilted their heads in unison to match. And at the very end, we can hear Jungkook’s voice singing “Get it, let it roll.”
At this point, ARMY were theorizing that “Butter” was going to be some rock-anthem/a beat-heavy dance tune. But, if you’ve been an ARMY as long as I have—six years now—then you know that these music video teasers usually sound nothing like that actual song. And it’s no different this time around.
The “Butter” Special Countdown Video
Before each new music video/comeback release, BTS likes to do a short ten to fifteen minute countdown show. Usually, the members just talk about the new song/album and answer some silly questions. For BTS’ “Butter,” they did a fifteen-minute video of the members decorating toast.
Image from BANGTANTV_Yontube
Jin was the host of this video, directing the two groups of three to do certain things. Jimin and V—one from each team—started the decorating process by adding jam to their toasts. Next, j-hope and Jungkook added “butter” art to the toast. They essentially put clumps of butter on it, but Jungkook shaped his into a cute heart in the center. Lastly, RM and SUGA wrote on the toast with frosting. While these toasts didn’t seem the most appetizing—though poor Jin was pushed into taking a bite from them—each member had a great time creating them and talking about the song. It was a fun and lighthearted countdown special.
You can watch it here:
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WTSNvhCL8Y[/embedyt]
BTS “Butter” – The Release
At exactly midnight eastern standard time (or 1 pm in South Korea) on May 21st, the music video for “Butter” premiered. For the debut of the music video, more than 3.9 million viewers were watching at once. Another record for the books for BTS.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMweEpGlu_U[/embedyt]
The music video reached ten million views on YouTube in about thirteen minutes, which is eight minutes faster than when “Dynamite” reached ten million views. Though these eight minutes don’t feel like a lot of time, it grows to be quite a difference later on. “Butter” hit seventy million views in just under thirteen hours after its release. However, “Dynamite” hit seventy million views in 15.5 hours. That’s a huge time difference. It truly shows the amount of growth “Dynamite” brought—more views in a shorter amount of time means that there are more fans listening to the song.
And, breaking yet another record—one previously set by “Dynamite”—within the first twenty-four hours, “Butter” achieved 108.2 million views on YouTube. YouTube confirmed this on their blog here on the 22nd.
The Facts about BTS’ “Butter”
This three-minute song is a dance-pop tune with upbeat lyrics and a catchy chorus. It’s the group’s summer anthem that brings joy and energy. As the members mention in the pre-premiere video, “Butter” allows each member to use their strengths for an amazing song. (SUGA’s part is already iconic throughout the fandom. ARMY trended “ice on my wrist,” lyrics from SUGA’s part, on Twitter within the hour after release.)
To make ARMY even prouder, RM is credited as a songwriter for “Butter.”
The lyrics for BTS’ “Butter” are catchy, comforting, and everything you’d expect from BTS. In RM’s part, the members spell out ARMY with their bodies and RM raps about how ARMY are behind them.
Image from “Butter” Music Video
As an ARMY, we couldn’t have felt happier from seeing that.
The Fan Reaction to BTS’ “Butter”
Of course, with how quickly the views are going up, it’s easy to see that the fans love “Butter.” The tune is catchy, the lyrics mention them, and the boys look fantastic in the music video—the song is everything and more. And though it might not have been quite what we were expecting, the song is even better than we could have imagined.
ARMY trended multiple hashtags on Twitter for hours worldwide, celebrating the release and spreading their love for “Butter” (the song, not the food).
BTS’ “Butter” Performance on the 2021 Billboard Music Awards
For their fifth appearance at the Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs), BTS was up for four awards and a performance of “Butter.” By the end of the night, BTS won all four awards and delivered a powerful performance that left us all wanting more.
Image from Soompi
The first time BTS performed at the BBMAs was back in 2018 with their song “Fake Love.” ARMY were ecstatic, doing all they could to promote the group and spreading word of this performance. Their stage, however, was smaller than what we expected and the camera work was subpar. Nonetheless, BTS did an amazing job and put on a great show. You can watch the performance here from a side-angle shot provided by BigHit Music.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60Ks0ybPuac[/embedyt]
Now, three years later, BTS came out onto the BBMAs stage with a performance that has grown insanely large. For the 2021 BBMAs performance, BTS performed “Butter” with finesse and style.
What did the performance look like?
Unfortunately, with Covid-19 still running its course, the BBMAs are still mostly virtual. On the bright side, this meant that BTS had more freedom with their performance as they recorded it from Seoul, South Korea.
The performance starts with member Jungkook walking into what looks to be a dressing room. When he passes by, switching into a performance outfit, the camera follows him. He walks through a door into a set that’s decorated with various stage props and lights.
To signal the start of the performance, he joins the end of the line the other members were forming.
With the beat of “Butter” kicking in, the camera pushes down the line with heart-stopping glances from each member. As the song goes on, the camera cuts to Jimin and V performing on a set designed like a red carpet for the Billboards.
The last transition leaves the boys standing on a stage, complete with spotlights and a giant ball glowing in the background. It truly gives the “superstar” feeling to their performance.
Throughout the entire performance, there’s a dance break, units, and amazing vocals. Not only was the song smooth as butter, but the performance was as well. Each member was dressed impeccably well and performed just as perfectly.
You can find this performance on BTS’ YouTube Channel BANGTANTV here:
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7lhGz6Bfik[/embedyt]
What’s next for BTS’ “Butter”?
It’s hard to say what’s next for the song itself, but ARMY are working hard to bring more impressive numbers for the song. There’s going to be a lot of streaming, buying, and promoting of the song until it breaks the records previously set by “Dynamite.” Hopefully, we can see another number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and possibly even another Grammy nomination next year.
For now, let’s just enjoy this summer song as the summer season rolls in. And don’t forget, get it, let it roll.
If you’d like to check out any more blogs we’ve written about BTS, you can scan through our K-Pop Category or through our Blog Page itself. There are plenty of fun blogs written about the amazing accomplishments this group has had, and there will definitely be more written in the future. Or watch the short video below on how BTS members react to webtoons!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p5vws9NqA8[/embedyt]
