Ddu-Du Ddu-Du
"Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" (Korean: 뚜두뚜두; RR: Ttuduttudu) is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Blackpink. It was released on June 15, 2018, through YG Entertainment, as the lead single for the group's first Korean extended play, Square Up. It was written by YG collaborator Teddy Park, whilst production and composition were handled by Teddy, 24, Bekuh Boom and R. Tee. The Japanese version of the single was released through YGEX on August 22, 2018, and was distributed in three physical formats. A EDM trap and pop rap song infused with bubblegum pop sounds, "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" utilizes oriental percussion rhythms and whistling while its title imitates the sound of a gunshot. Its lyrics contain messages of strength and self-assurance.
"Ddu-Du Ddu-Du"
"Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" was a commercial success in South Korea, where it peaked at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart for three weeks, marking Blackpink's second number-one single in the country. The song reached number one in Singapore, Malaysia, as well as on the Billboard K-pop Hot 100 and World Digital Songs charts. It peaked at number 55 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became the first song by a K-pop girl group to enter the UK Singles Chart. It was certified double platinum for streaming and platinum for digital sales in South Korea, platinum in Japan, gold in the United States, and silver in the United Kingdom. It was named the Song of the Year through a public survey conducted by Gallup Korea in 2018, and appeared on Melon and Rolling Stone's lists of the best Korean pop songs of all time.
Its accompanying music video was uploaded to the group's official YouTube channel on the same day and soon became the most viewed online video in the first 24 hours by a Korean act, and the second most watched music video of all time within 24 hours. It has since become the first music video by a K-pop group to reach one billion as well as two billion views, and remains the most-viewed music video by a K-pop group on YouTube to date. It also became one of the most-liked videos on YouTube with over 23 million likes on the platform. Blackpink promoted "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" with appearances on the music programs Show! Music Core and Inkigayo in South Korea, with the song's "finger gun" choreography becoming a viral dance move.
Background and release[edit]
On June 4, 2018, YG Entertainment confirmed via YG Life that Blackpink will release their debut Korean-language mini-album, Square Up, on June 15, with "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" serving as its single. It marked the group's first original release in a year since "As If It's Your Last" in June 2017.[1] The name of the track attracted attention from fans due to the song's name being reminiscent of an onomatopoeia, and sparked curiosity regarding its genre and concept.[2] Following a series of concept photos and teasers, Blackpink were reported saying, "as it is our debut mini-album and comeback after one year, we prepared each song with a lot of sincerity and affection." Additionally, member Jennie commented, "I am confident and I look forward to our comeback. I am happy to be able to express the musicality of Blackpink in various ways."[3]
"Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" was made available via digital download and streaming on June 15, 2018, in conjunction with the release of Square Up. It was written and produced by Teddy Park and co-produced by Park, Bekuh Boom, 24 and R. Tee. On August 17, YGEX announced that a Japanese version of the track would be released as the group's debut single in Japan on August 22. It was subsequently distributed in three physical formats: a CD-only regular edition, a limited edition CD+DVD, and a CD member edition. The regular and limited editions include all the tracks from Square Up, in addition to the Japanese version of the single. The limited edition DVD contains behind the scenes footage from the music video as well as a dance practice video. The member edition was packaged as a four-version CD single—one version for each member, and contains only the original version of the track.[4] On April 5, 2019, a remix of "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" was included as an album track on Blackpink's second Korean extended play, Kill This Love.[5]
Composition[edit]
Music journalists have characterized "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" as a "fierce pop-rap track" that "features a prominent trap beat" infused with bubblegum pop sounds.[6][7] It combines instrumentations of oriental percussion rhythms and whistling on top of the bassline.[8] Yonhap News Agency described the single's production as primarily hip-hop laced with "aggressive trap" beats,[9] while The Korea Herald noted how the song's title resembled the sound of a gunshot, but also likened it to that of "a spell". Jennie commented how the group reacted when they were given the demo for the song: "When we first listened to the lead track 'Ddu-du Ddu-du,' we all thought, 'This is it.'"[10]
The song opens with a chord progression which makes use of EDM and trap synths, which is repeated multiple times throughout the first verse. Music producer Azodi commented that its "biggest riff" is already heard in the beginning, "but keeps a lot of space in the verses and chorus for a strong lead vocal line".[11] Its production makes use of percolating synthesizers while the chorus sees the group members delivering the refrain: "hit you with that 'ddu-du ddu-du'".[12][13] Azodi observed that, "By the time the chorus is here, you would've heard the hook about four to eight times roughly so it's already been passively drilled into your skull without you realizing".[11] Its lyrical content, such as "In my hands is a fat check/ If you're curious, do a fact check", celebrate the member's success and offer feelings of strength and self-assurance.[14][15]
Commercial performance[edit]
In South Korea, "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" debuted at number three on the Gaon Digital Chart for the week of June 16. The following week, the song ascended to the number one position, becoming Blackpink's second number-one single in the country. It broke the highest weekly points in the Gaon Digital Chart, previously held by labelmate Big Bang with the single "Flower Road".[49] "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" also achieved a perfect all-kill upon its release, retaining the status for eleven consecutive days.[50] It remained atop the Gaon Digital Chart for three weeks and subsequently spent over 50 weeks in the top 100.[51] It was then certified platinum for both download and streaming by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) for 100 million streams on November 8, 2018, and 2.5 million digital sales on April 11, 2019.[52][53] The Japanese version of the single debuted at number 6 on the Japanese Oricon Daily Singles Chart and peaked at number 2 six days later, selling 3,725 units.[54][55] On the chart's weekly issue, the song debuted at number 7 with 24,385 copies sold.[56] The song was certified gold for 50 million streams by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) in July 2021.[57]
In the United States, "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" debuted and peaked at number 55 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on June 30, 2018. It became the highest-charting song by a Korean girl group on the chart, breaking the record previously held by "Nobody" by Wonder Girls in 2009. Within its first week, the song accumulated 12.4 million streams and sold more than 7,000 digital units in the country.[58] According to Nielsen, the song received 113 million on-demand streams in 2018.[59] On August 23, 2019, the song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for track equivalent sales of 500,000 units, thus becoming the first Korean girl group and third Korean artist overall to receive the certification, after Psy and BTS.[60] In Canada, "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" debuted at number 22 on the Canadian Hot 100 and remained on the chart for ten weeks.[61] In Europe, the song peaked at number 32 on the Scottish Singles and Albums Charts[62] and number 78 on the UK Singles Chart, making them the first K-pop girl group in history to enter the chart.[63] The track reached 13.7 million streams in the UK as of April 2019, and 45.5 million streams as of September 2022, becoming the group's most-streamed song in the country.[64][65] In June 2021, the song was awarded a silver certification in the country by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for track-equivalent sales of 200,000 units.[66]
Live performances and other usage[edit]
Live performances[edit]
As part of promotions for Square Up, Blackpink premiered the song on live television along with "Forever Young" on Show! Music Core on June 16, 2018. Osen contrasted the "refreshing and melodic" performance of "Forever Young" with the strong hip-hop concept of "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du".[8] They subsequently appeared on Inkigayo for the first time the next day.[75] On June 22, the group was slated to perform the track at the Lotte Duty Free Family Concert 2018; however after several songs, their performance was abruptly halted before having a chance to perform "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" due to "safety concerns". Fans expressed discontent regarding the handling of the situation as many in the audience paid tickets to see the group and they did not return after being escorted off the stage. The event organizers soon apologized for the incident.[76]
Impact and legacy[edit]
"Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" was named the Song of the Year by South Korean research company Gallup Korea's annual public survey conducted in 2018.[98] In January 2019, The Korea Herald revealed that "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" was covered more times than any other K-pop song in 2018, with the "gun-shooting hand gesture" move attracting the interest of K-pop fans around the world to film cover videos.[99] In December 2019, British GQ named it amongst the best K-pop songs of the 2010s and the highlight work of the genre from 2018.[21] Lucy Ford, from the same publication, acknowledged that Blackpink cemented "the badass, empowered 'girl crush' concept" in K-pop with the release of "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du", a concept previously propelled by 2NE1 in the industry.[100] Writing for Sisa Journal, music critic Kim Young-dae observed that Blackpink's "sophisticated and edgy image", as showcased through the song and its "finger gun choreography", went on to become one of the most emblematic representations of girl groups globally.[101]
In 2021, a panel of 35 music experts curated by Melon and newspaper Seoul Shinmun pleaced "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" at number 13 on their list of the top 100 K-pop songs of all time. KBS Radio director Soyeon Kang commented that the song "ignited a global signal" leading to Blackpink's emergence as the girl group capturing worldwide attention. Kang highlighted Blackpink's record-breaking achievements and distinguished "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" as the work that established the group's musical identity, characterized by its EDM trap beats and strong hooks.[23][102] Rolling Stone ranked it sixth in their list of the 100 greatest songs in the history of Korean pop music in 2023, recognizing the song as one of the works that perfected and popularized the "EDM trap template" in K-pop, and the group's role in elevating the sound to "global heights".[26]