On challenge: BTS Releases “ON” Single Preview, Starts “ON Challenge” on TikTok
In a first for TikTok and BTS, the seven-member Korean group has used the social platform to debut a preview of their new single “ON” from their forthcoming album Map of the Soul: 7.
“ON” is the lead single from MOTS: 7, and if the preview is any kind of sign, fans are in for a delightful treat. According to a press release, “ON” is a “powerful and energetic” hip-hop song that “reflects on [BTS’s] calling and mindset as artists during the [past] seven years” of their career. The 30-second snippet is admittedly pretty small — at least, what we heard after ARMY excitement appeared to break TikTok by overcrowding the servers — but that tracks. The song, which features all seven members (#OT7 forever), appears to include a marching band-esque drumline beat overlaid with an anthemic pop-infused chorus and the English lyric, “Can’t hold me down cause you know I’m a fighter.”
The video even comes complete with a new challenge, appropriately titled the #ONchallenge, where fans can use the sound to back their own videos.
As the clock trickles down for the release of MOTS: 7, even more details are emerging. Teen Vogue previously reported that the album in its entirety will include solo tracks from all the members (including previously released Persona songs), as well as vocal line and rap line sub-units, and duos Jimin and V, and Suga and RM.
Record numbers around the album seem like a given at this point, and BTS is already hitting milestones with the choice to promote on TikTok. Forbes reported that TikTok said BTS has become “the first artists to ever introduce a single to the world using the short-form video app.”
BTS and TikTok already have a record-breaking history, too. When BTS joined the app last September, the band became the fastest account to reach one million followers (it took them all of three hours and 31 minutes). Since then, BTS has been sparing in their TikTok usage, dropping dances for “Chicken Noodle Soup” and various creepy Halloween videos. Here’s hoping there will be more TikTok content to come in 2020.
