"Bbibbi"
Single by IU
ReleasedOctober 10, 2018
GenreAlt-R&B
Length3:14
LabelKakao M
Composer(s)Lee Jonghoon
Lyricist(s)Lee Ji-eun
Producer(s)Son Myung-gab
IU singles chronology
"Sleepless Rainy Night"
(2017) 		"Bbibbi"
(2018) 		"Love Poem"
(2019)
Music video
"Bbibbi" on YouTube

"Bbibbi" (삐삐; Bbibbi) is a song recorded by South Korean singer-songwriter IU, released digitally on October 10, 2018, through Kakao M.[1] 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.[2]

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.[3]

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.[4] Particular attention was paid to her delivery, including phrases and words like "yellow C-A-R-D" and "hello stu-P-I-D".[5][4] "Bbibbi" refers to a pager in Korean, in particular the noise the device makes before people leave a message.[5]

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.[6]

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.[4] She also appears in high fashion looks, with Billboard stating that she wears a "Grace Kelly-style scarf".[5]

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 Ref.
Billboard 100 Best Songs of 2018 87 [7]
The 20 Best K-pop Songs of 2018 4 [8]
Paper Top 20 K-Pop Songs of 2018 5 [9]
SBS Top 100 Asian pop songs of 2018 44 [10]
Spotify Best of 2018: K-Pop 18 [11]
Music program awards (7 total)
Program Date Ref.
Music Bank October 19, 2018 [12]
Show! Music Core October 20, 2018 [13]
October 27, 2018 [14]
November 3, 2018 [15]
Inkigayo October 21, 2018 [16]
October 28, 2018 [17]
November 4, 2018 [18]

Charts

Chart performance for "Bbibbi"
Chart (2018) Peak
position
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[19] 26
Singapore (RIAS)[20] 26
South Korea (K-pop Hot 100)[21] 1
South Korea (Gaon)[22] 1
US World Digital Songs (Billboard)[23] 5

Certifications

Certifications for "Bbibbi"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
South Korea (KMCA)[24] Platinum 2,500,000*
Streaming
South Korea (KMCA)[25] Platinum 100,000,000†

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Bbibbi – Single by IU on Apple Music". Apple Music. 10 October 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  2. ^ McMullen, Chase (October 10, 2018). "Korean Queen IU sounds more confident than ever on truly vibrant celebratory single 'BBIBBI'". The 405. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  3. ^ 아이유, 데뷔 10주년 기념 싱글 ‘삐삐’ 10일 발표 [IU, the 10th anniversary single "Bbibbi" announced, release on the 10th]. KBS News (in Korean). October 1, 2018. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Kelley, Caitlin (October 15, 2018). "IU Gives Fair Warning On Chart-Dominating Single 'BBIBBI'". Forbes. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c Herman, Tamar (October 10, 2018). "IU Takes Aim at the Haters in New Single 'Bbibbi' to Celebrate 10th Anniversary". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  6. ^ Hwang, Jeeyoung (October 18, 2018). 가온차트 "임창정·,아이유 41주차 2관왕 등극" [Gaon Chart "Im Chang-jung, IU, 41st week 2 crowns]. Joins (in Korean). Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  7. ^ "Billboard's 100 Best Songs of 2018: Critics' Picks". Billboard. December 11, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  8. ^ "The 20 Best K-pop Songs of 2018: Critics' Picks". Billboard. December 17, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  9. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (December 21, 2018). "PAPER's Top 20 K-Pop Songs of 2018". Paper. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  10. ^ "PopAsia's Top 100 Asian pop songs of 2018: 50-1". SBS. Popasia. December 24, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  11. ^ "Best of 2018: K-Pop". Spotify. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  12. ^ Park, Yoon-jin (October 19, 2018). 아이유, '뮤직뱅크' 1위…이홍기·에이프릴·김동한 컴백 [종합] [IU, 'Music Bank' 1st place... Lee Hong-ki · April · Kim Dong-han comeback [Comprehensive]]. My Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021 – via Naver.
  13. ^ "2018년 10월 20일 음악중심 차트" [Music Core Chart for October 20, 2018]. iMBC (in Korean). October 22, 2018. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  14. ^ "2018년 10월 27일 음악중심 차트" [Music Core Chart for October 27, 2018]. iMBC (in Korean). October 29, 2018. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  15. ^ "2018년 11월 3일 음악중심 차트" [Music Core Chart for November 3, 2018]. iMBC (in Korean). November 5, 2018. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  16. ^ 10월 셋째 주 인기가요 차트 [Inkigayo chart for the third week of October] (in Korean). Seoul Broadcasting System. October 24, 2018. Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  17. ^ 10월 넷째 주 인기가요 차트 [Inkigayo chart for the fourth week of October] (in Korean). Seoul Broadcasting System. November 4, 2018. Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  18. ^ 11월 첫째 주 인기가요 차트 [Inkigayo chart for the first week of November] (in Korean). Seoul Broadcasting System. November 4, 2018. Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  19. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  20. ^ "RIAS International Top Charts". Recording Industry Association (Singapore). Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  21. ^ "Iu Chart History (K-Pop 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-10-27.
  22. ^ "Digital Chart – Week 41 of 2018". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  23. ^ "IU Chart History: World Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  24. ^ "South Korean single certifications – IU – 삐삐" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association (KMCA).
  25. ^ "South Korean single streaming certifications – IU – 삐삐" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association (KMCA).
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