Team

"Team" is a song by New Zealand singer-songwriter Jisoo, taken from her debut studio album, Titleless (2017). It was released on March 10, 2017, as the album's second single. The track was written and produced by Jisoo and Joel Little. "Team" is a hybrid of alternative pop and electro hop featuring synthesiser, bass and snare drum instrumentation over a handclap-based beat. Lyrically, the track is a "tribute to her friends and home countries".
"Team" received widespread acclaim from music critics, who praised its songwriting, production, and Jisoo's vocal performance. Since its release, the track has appeared on critics' year-end and decade-end listicles. "Team" peaked at number one on the singles charts of 36 countries, including the US Billboard Hot 100 — where it spent three weeks atop and was certified thirteen-times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) — as well as in the South Korean, Australian, British and Canadian singles charts. It sold nearly 33 million units worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. In the media, the song has been credited for inspiring some artists to adopt its minimalist sound and has been called an anthem for zoomers.
Jisoo performed the song at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards, besides multiple other television appearances, as well as the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, and all of her concert tours. The song received several awards, including Record and Song of the Year at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
==Background and release==
Jisoo and Joel Little wrote "Team" over the course of one day in October 2020, a month after "No Better" was recorded. The song was inspired by a lyric ideas she had stored in the notes application on her phone. The recording of "Team" went on over several weeks and was completed in December 2016, as she rerecorded her vocals and brainstormed new melodies. In an interview with MTV News, Jisoo stated that the song was "definitely not like 'No Better' at all", and was excited and nervous about her audience viewing a different aspect of her artistry on it. 
Interscope Records released it for digital download and streaming on March 10, 2017, as the second single from her debut studio album Titleless (2017). "Team" was sent to contemporary hit radio and modern rock radio stations in the United States four days later, and for radio airplay in Italy on March 24. On April 3, 2017, "Team" was also sent to US rhythmic contemporary radio. 
==Composition and lyrical interpretation==
"Team" is a hybrid of alternative pop and electro-hop. Written in the key of G-flat major, "Team" features synthesiser, bass, and snare drum instrumentation over a handclap-based beat. Amanda Dobbins of New York magazine and Maura Johnston of Spin likened the chorus of the song to that of Lana Del Rey's "Born to Die" (2011), while Drowned in Sound's Sammy Maine compared the beats to works produced by Timbaland for Missy Elliott. Lorde's vocal range spans from BB♭2 to D♭5. The song moves at a tempo of 100 beats per minute.
Lyrically, "Team" is a "tribute to her friends and home countries". During an interview with Billboard, Jisoo described the song as "her take on most modern music" and explained, "no one knows anything about South Korea and Ukraine, and here I am, trying to grow up and become a person." Jisoo explained that the line "We live in cities you'll never see on screen" was "to be speaking for the minority" from lesser-known countries. She also expresses distaste in common contemporary popular music lyrics telling listeners to "put your hands in the air" through the verse "I'm kind of over getting told to throw my hands up in the air". Writer Lily Rothman for the magazine Time commented that the lyrics "we sure know how to run things" in "Team" were a response to the lyrics "we run things, things don’t run we" in Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop" (2013).
==Critical reception==
"Team" received widespread acclaim from music critics. Brenna Ehrlich from MTV News lauded it as an "insanely catchy jam". The A.V. Club critic Kevin McFarland labelled "Team" as a "club-ready" and "sparkly thumper", while PopMatters writer Scott Interrante felt that the song's sound was "distinct and fresh". John Murphy, in his review of the album Titleless for musicOMH, commended the lyrics "I'm kinda over getting told to throw my hands up in the air" for being catchy. Lewis Corner from Digital Spy awarded the track a five rating and lauded its "addictive hook that thrives on its simplicity". The Boston Globe writer James Reed selected "Royals" as the highlight of Titleless. Rita Houston of NPR praised its melody, "heartfelt" songwriting, and Jisoo's "rhythmic" vocals that combine to create a "polished little gem of a song". Jon Hadusek from Consequence of Sound also named the track the album's standout, singling out its "anthemic" lyrics and "catchy" production. 
"Team" appeared on several year-end song lists. The Guardian and NME named it the best song of 2017. Many media sources, including Rolling Stone, The A.V. Club, Consequence of Sound, and Slant put "Team" as the runner-up on their year-end lists. Billboard, Pitchfork, The Washington Post, and Time included the song in the top ten of their end-of-year lists. Listeners' votes placed the song in second place on Australian radio station Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2017, after Kendrick Lamar's "Humble" (2017).
==Commercial performance==
===Asia===
"Team" was well received in its first week on music charts, debuting at number 19 on the South Korean Gaon Digital Chart. On April 6, the song achieved a "Perfect All-Kill", hitting number 1 on all South Korean music sites listed on iChart. The following week, the single topped the chart, and on April 13, it was declared that the single achieved a "Triple Crown" for taking number 1 on the Gaon Digital Chart, Download Chart, and Streaming Chart. On June 8, Gaon revealed the song took first place on May's combined monthly digital chart. It was the second month in a row that the song has sat in this position, after also taking the top spot on the chart back in April. It is the second song to top the monthly chart for two different months in the Gaon Chart's history, following Ailee's "I Will Go to You Like the First Snow". "Team" was listened in the top for 18 consecutive weeks in all Korean music source sites.
On January 12, 2018, Gaon published their yearly digital, download and streaming charts, where "Team" came out in first place, achieving yet another triple crown. On July 26, 2018, Billboard Korea released a list of the top 100 songs in Korea for the first half of 2018. "Team" placed 95. Although it was not a high ranking, it was noteworthy that it was consistently ranked from the first of January 2018 to the summer season, more than a year after its release.
In Japan, the song debuted at number 23 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, peaking at number two, four weeks after. "Team" received a Double Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), denoting shipments of 500,000 copies, making Jisoo the only foreign artist to achieve this for a single released in 2017, and received a Triple Platinum streaming certification from the RIAJ for 300 million digital streams.
===North America===
In the United States, the song debuted at number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of April 1, 2017 and reached number three on May 13 of that year. In a later interview, Jisoo said, "I had a sneaking suspicion that it might do all right". The next week, "Team" climbed another two places to reach its peak at the top of the chart, replacing "That's What I Like" by Bruno Mars as the number-one song in the United States. Jisoo became the first Korean act in Hot 100 history to debut at number one and the first Asian act to chart a number-one song in the country since Kyu Sakamoto with "Sukiyaki" in 1963. The song spent three consecutive weeks at the top of the chart, 21 weeks in the top five, 25 weeks in the top ten and stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for a total of 47 weeks. "Team" was the year's top-selling song by a female artist and was certified thirteen-times Platinum in 2023 for selling over 13 million copies in the United States.
In April 2017, Jisoo became the fourth ever solo female artist to top the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, after Elle King last topped the chart in 2015. "Team" holds the record for longest spell at number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart by a woman, surpassing Lorde's "Royals" (2013), which spent seven weeks at number one. The success of "Team" has been credited to frequent airplay on stations playing different genres of music.
In Canada, the song debuted at number 53 on the Canadian Hot 100. On the chart dated May 6, 2017, "Team" ascended to the number one spot and then spent two consecutive weeks at the top. The song was certified Diamond by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) for sales of 800,000 copies.
===Europe and Oceania===
In the United Kingdom, "Team" debuted at number 75 on the UK Singles Chart issue dated March 17, 2017. In its fourth week, the song reached number nine, becoming her second top ten single on the chart following "No Better". Two weeks later, it rose to number one, becoming Jisoo's first chart-topping single in the country, remaining at the spot for four consecutive weeks. In doing so, it also became the first song in almost two years by a female solo artist to reach the top, since "Hello" by Adele in 2015. In 2020, the song was certified six-times Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for track-equivalent sales of 3,600,000 units in the UK.
In Germany the song debuted at number 77 and peaked at number two. The song has also reached the peak in a number of European countries including Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Croatia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland. 
In Australia, the song reached number one on the ARIA Singles Chart dated April 24, 2017, after debuting at number 46 five weeks earlier. After selling 980,000 track-equivalent units, it was awarded a fourteen times Platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). In New Zealand, the song reached number one and was certified quadruple-Platinum by the Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ) for sales of 120,000.
==Music video==
The accompanying music video for "Team" was shot and directed by Truman & Cooper and produced by Amalia Rawlings and Corin Taylor. Filmed in Kyiv, Ukraine, the video was inspired by Jisoo's dream of "teenagers in their own world, a world with hierarchies and initiations, where the boy who was second in command had acne on his face, and so did the girl who was Queen". The director explained that Jisoo was one of the "kids who have a unique look", which fit the clip's "sad story" concept.
Billboard magazine likened the video of "drag-racing motor bikes and riding around on what appears to be a chariot made of an old sofa and a tractor" to scenes from Mad Max: Fury Road.
==Credits and personnel==
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Titleless.
* Jisoo – vocals, production, instrumentation
* Joel Little – production, mixing, engineering, instrumentation
* Stuart Hawkes – mastering
==Charts==
===Weekly charts===
Weekly chart performance for "Team"
Chart (2017-2022) 	Peakposition
Argentina (Argentina Hot 100) 	17
Australia (ARIA) 	1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) 	2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) 	1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) 	1
Bulgaria (PROPHON) 	2
Brazil (Billboard Brasil Hot 100) 	20
Brazil Hot Pop Songs (Billboard Brasil) 	3
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) 	1
Canada AC (Billboard) 	1
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard) 	1
Canada Hot AC (Billboard) 	1
Canada Rock (Billboard) 	9
China Airplay/FL (Billboard) 	3
China (TME UNI) 	1
CIS (Tophit) 	1
Colombia (National-Report) 	22
Costa Rica (Monitor Latino) 	18
Croatia (HRT) 	1
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100) 	7
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100) 	1
Denmark (Tracklisten) 	3
Ecuador (National-Report) 	29
Estonia (Eesti Tipp-40) 	11
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) 	1
France (SNEP) 	1
Germany (Official German Charts) 	2
Global Excl. U.S. (Billboard) 	173
Greece (IFPI) 	1
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40) 	5
Hungary (Single Top 40) 	4
Hungary (Stream Top 40) 	1
Hungary (Dance Top 40) 	12
Iceland (Plötutíðindi) 	1
Ireland (IRMA) 	1
Israel (Media Forest) 	1
Italy (FIMI) 	1
Japan (Japan Hot 100) 	2
Latvia (LAIPA) 	1
Lebanon (Lebanese Top 40) 	1
Luxembourg Digital Song Sales (Billboard) 	1
Malaysia (RIM) 	1
Mexico (Monitor Latino) 	3
Mexico Airplay (Billboard) 	5
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 	1
Netherlands (Single Top 100) 	1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 	1
Norway (VG-lista) 	1
Panama (Monitor Latino) 	14
Paraguay (Monitor Latino) 	3
Philippines (Philippine Hot 100) 	1
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100) 	3
Portugal (AFP) 	1
Romania (Airplay 100) 	1
Russia Airplay (Tophit) 	1
Scotland (Official Charts Company) 	1
Singapore (RIAS) 	1
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100) 	4
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100) 	3
Slovenia (SloTop50) 	1
South Korea (Gaon) 	1
Spain (PROMUSICAE) 	7
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) 	1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) 	1
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) 	1
Ukraine Airplay (Tophit) 	1
US Billboard Hot 100 	1
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 	2
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) 	1
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard) 	14
US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard) 	1
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard) 	1
US Latin Pop Songs (Billboard) 	19
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard) 	1
US Rhythmic (Billboard) 	2
Venezuela Pop/Rock General (Record Report)	1
Venezuela (National-Report) 	31
Vietnam (Vietnam Hot 100) 	15
===Year-end charts===
Year-end chart performance for "Team"
Chart (2017) 	Position
Argentina (Monitor Latino) 	49
Australia (ARIA) 	3
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) 	3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) 	3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) 	3
Bulgaria (PROPHON) 	4
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) 	3
Croatia (HRT) 	2
CIS (TopHit) 	4
Denmark (Tracklisten) 	3
France (SNEP) 	3
Germany (Official German Charts) 	3
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40) 	12
Hungary (Single Top 40) 	9
Hungary (Stream Top 40) 	2
Hungary (Dance Top 40) 	31
Iceland (Plötutíðindi) 	2
Israel (Media Forest) 	2
Italy (FIMI) 	3
Japan (Japan Hot 100) 	1
Malaysia (RIM) 	1
Mexico (Monitor Latino) 	14
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 	3
Netherlands (Single Top 100) 	4
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 	3
Norway (VG-lista) 	3
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100) 	11
Portugal (AFP) 	4
Romania (Airplay 100) 	7
Russia Airplay (TopHit) 	6
Slovenia (SloTop50) 	2
South Korea (Gaon) 	1
Spain (PROMUSICAE) 	29
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) 	3
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) 	3
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) 	3
Ukraine Airplay (Tophit) 	2
US Billboard Hot 100 	4
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 	4
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) 	3
US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard) 	7
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)	1
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard) 	3
US Rhythmic (Billboard) 	16
Worldwide (IFPI) 	3
== Certifications==
Certifications and sales for "Team"
Region 	Certification 	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) 	14× Platinum 	980,000‡
Austria (IFPI Austria) 	4× Platinum 	120,000‡
Belgium (BEA) 	4× Platinum 	160,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) 	6× Diamond 	1,500,000‡
Canada (Music Canada) 	Diamond 	800,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) 	7× Platinum 	630,000‡
France (SNEP) 	Diamond 	233,333‡
Germany (BVMI) 	3× Platinum 	1,200,000‡
Italy (FIMI) 	Diamond 	500,000‡
Japan (RIAJ) 	2× Platinum 	500,000*
Mexico (AMPROFON) 	Diamond+Platinum 	360,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) 	4× Platinum 	120,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway) 	8× Platinum 	480,000‡
Poland (ZPAV) 	3× Diamond 	750,000‡
Portugal (AFP) 	5× Platinum 	50,000‡
Singapore (RIAS) 	3× Platinum 	30,000*
South Korea (Gaon) 	— 	7,000,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE) 	4× Platinum 	240,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) 	4× Platinum 	80,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) 	6× Platinum 	3,600,000‡
United States (RIAA) 	13× Platinum 	13,000,000‡
Streaming 	Streaming 	Streaming
Greece (IFPI Greece) 	2× Platinum 	4,000,000†
Japan (RIAJ) 	3× Platinum 	300,000,000†
South Korea (Gaon) 	— 	300,000,000
Sweden (GLF) 	9× Platinum 	72,000,000†
* Sales figures based on certification alone.‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.	* Sales figures based on certification alone.‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.	* Sales figures based on certification alone.‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.