"Bbibbi" () is a song recorded by South Korean singer-songwriter IU, released digitally on October 10, 2018, through Kakao M. The self-written song was produced by Son Myung-gab. It subsequently debuted at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart. The song was released in part to commemorate 10 years since IU's debut.
Background On October 1, 2018, IU announced the single through promotional posters on various social media accounts. According to Kakao M, the song was created in part to commemorate ten years since IU debuted.
Composition "Bbibbi" is a laid-back alt-R&B track with confrontational and introspective lyrics that addresses IU's critics, with her turning around commentary on her image. Particular attention was paid to her delivery, including phrases and words like "yellow C-A-R-D" and "hello stu-P-I-D". "Bbibbi" refers to a pager in Korean, in particular the noise the device makes before people leave a message.
Commercial performance "Bbibbi" debuted atop the Gaon Digital Chart on the week ending October 13, making it her twentieth number one song in South Korea–the most for any artist.
Music video The music video, directed by VM Project, was released along with the song and makes prominent use of monochromatic colour schemes. IU performs a choreographed hip hop dance routine with a blank expression on her face, which was called "more cute than menacing" by Caitlin Kelley of Forbes. She also appears in high fashion looks, with Billboard stating that she wears a "Grace Kelly-style scarf".
The video currently has over 230 million views, making it the second most popular Korean music video by a female soloist in 2018.
Accolades +Critic lists Publication List Rank Billboard 100 Best Songs of 2018 87 The 20 Best K-pop Songs of 20184PaperTop 20 K-Pop Songs of 20185 SBSTop 100 Asian pop songs of 201844 Spotify Best of 2018: K-Pop 18
+Music program awards (7 total) Program Date Music Bank October 19, 2018 Show! Music Core October 20, 2018 October 27, 2018 November 3, 2018 Inkigayo October 21, 2018 October 28, 2018 November 4, 2018
Charts +Chart performance for "Bbibbi" Chart (2018) Peak position New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) 26 Singapore (RIAS) 26 South Korea (K-pop Hot 100) 1 South Korea (Gaon) 1 US World Digital Songs (Billboard) 5
Certifications
See also List of certified songs in South Korea List of Gaon Digital Chart number ones of 2018 List of Inkigayo Chart winners (2018) List of K-pop Hot 100 number ones
References