The BTS music video for “Butter” has surpassed one billion views on YouTube.
The K-pop stars have seen multiple videos reach the milestone previously, including “Dynamite,” “Boy With Luv” featuring Halsey, and “DNA.” When “Butter” first released in May 2021, the music video became the fastest to ever surpass 10 million views, passing the mark in just 13 minutes. “Butter” was BTS’ second-ever English-language single, and spent 10 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. Rapper Megan Thee Stallion provided a new verse on a “Butter” remix in August 2021, which saw the track skyrocket back to No. 3 on the Billboard Global Hot 200.
As BTS member Jimin shared in a 2021 press conference, the vision behind “Butter” was to release a fun, low-key song that fans could easily enjoy.
“If you hear the title ‘Butter,’ you know immediately that we tried to prepare a song that’s easy listening, instead of [something with] a really heavy or profound message,” he said. “This is a little embarrassing, but it’s something smooth like butter, that really melts into and grabs hold of you. It’s a very cute song, sort of a confession.”
Achieving over one billion YouTube views is just the latest accolade in BTS’ “Butter” trophy chest. The record was named Billboard’s 2021 Song of the Summer. It was also nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 2022 Grammy Awards, where the group performed the track live.
Per BTS member J-Hope, the “energetic” choreography in the “Butter” music video—directed by Yong Seok Choi—was an attempt to capture the song’s flirtatious energy.
“We tried to put in a lot of those emotions — kissing your hands, [giving] a mischievous look, or brushing our hair back… [are] highlight [moves].”
Last year, BTS released the song “It Takes Two” in celebration of the band’s 10th anniversary. Their most recent album, Proof, came out in 2022—since then, multiple members of the group have also shared solo work.
