BTS is ready to season this summer with “Butter,” their brand-new single that dropped first thing Friday (May 21). In a new video interview ahead of Sunday’s Billboard Music Awards, the K-pop superstars talked to Billboard about why they’re calling “Butter” a “summer anthem” and reflected on being together for the last eight years as a group.
“While ‘Dynamite’ was an upbeat, kind of like a disco-pop [track] that we tried to give hope to global listeners in the middle of the pandemic, ‘Butter,’ you know, it’s summer,” RM tells Billboard’s Tetris Kelly. “It’s very, kind of like seasoning. It’s also a more upbeat, fresh dance-pop track, like more like a summer anthem. Just all the positive vibes and upbeat energy. That’s it. That’s what ‘Butter”s about.”
BTS will not only perform “Butter” for the first time at the BBMAs, but they’re also finalists in four categories at the awards show: top duo/group, top song sales artist, top social artist and top selling song for their Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Dynamite.” BTS could win their fifth consecutive award in the top social category, but RM is expecting another “comeback” on the stage itself after BTS brought “Dynamite” last year. “It’s gonna be huge,” he teases.
The septet also loves to tease the ARMY about what’s to come with new hair colors. Jungkook’s blue ‘do seemed to hint at his upcoming mixtape, RM’s coral-colored locks resurrected “Pink Joon,” and Jimin took on all the colors of the rainbow for his “Butter” teaser photo.
“I looked up the internet, thinking about what color I should do. A bunch of colors popped up. And seeing all these made me think, ‘Wouldn’t it be awesome to put these colors on my hair all at once?’” Jimin explains. “I got the OK sign, so that’s what I did.”
Since the three rappers of the group — RM, Suga and J-Hope — have already released solo mixtapes, the remaining vocalists know their time to shine is coming up. V has been slowly dropping hints about his upcoming solo project, from revealing there will be 13 tracks in the “BE-hind Story” teaser to explaining how the pandemic has affected the timing of its release for his Rolling Stone digital cover. While he’s trying to discover “the color of Kim Taehyung, the color of V,” Jungkook is also doing some digging ahead of his own release.
“When I create something and come back to it later, I feel like I can do better. But then Suga gave me a piece of advice that it doesn’t have to be perfect,” the now-purple-haired member says in the new interview. “So I’m working hard searching for my own color.”
While Jungkook and V take their time on solo projects, BTS is going down memory lane to commemorate their debut eight years in 2013. “Eight years feels quite a short time for me. I initially thought it was long, but looking back, it feels short,” Suga reflects. “And I think there’s so much left for us to do.”
The 2021 Billboard Music Awards will air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, May 23, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on NBC, with Nick Jonas hosting.
