Shut Down

"**Shut Down**" is a song by South Korean girl group Blackpink that was released on September 16, 2022, through YG Entertainment and Interscope Records as the second single of the group's second studio album, *Born Pink*.

## Contents

* 1Background
* 2Composition
* 3Promotion
* 4Music video
* 5Accolades
* 6Charts
* 7References

## Background[edit]

On July 31, 2022, a teaser video was uploaded on Blackpink's social media accounts, announcing the release of a new album in September, preceded by the pre-release single "Pink Venom" on August 19. On August 24, YG Entertainment announced that the four members of Blackpink were filming the music video for their second album's lead single in Gyeonggi Province in South Korea. The label stated that the group was preparing for their world tour and teased their next single: "they are working hard on a schedule to fulfill their promises to their fans … all the songs on the album are the crystals that will write a new story for Blackpink, but the title song in particular will be a song that will surprise world music fans. The music video will also elevate the status of K-Pop with a difference that has never been seen before."

On September 6, 2022, the title poster for the second single, "Shut Down", was released on Blackpink's social media accounts.

## Composition[edit]

"Shut Down" is a hip hop-based track with strings and an insistent bass sound. It samples the beginning of the third movement of Italian composer Niccolò Paganini's second violin concerto, commonly known as "La Campanella". YG Entertainment described the song's title as "intuitive but strangely tense," noting that "'Shut Down' is a word that means the closure of a certain space." "Shut Down" was composed in the key of C major with a tempo of 110 beats per minute in a compound meter, running for two minutes and 57 seconds.. Lyrically, the song sees the members clip back at their haters. *Elle*'s Erica Gonzales wrote that "throughout the track, the girls take turns telling their haters and doubters to take a seat".

## Promotion[edit]

On September 16, 2022 the group held a livestream on their official YouTube channel one hour before the release of *Born Pink* on a large stage themed after the concept of "Shut Down". In the broadcast, the members revealed behind-the-scenes stories of the music video filming, future activities and sneak peeks of the Born Pink World Tour, and they introduced the new songs on the album. On the same day, the group gave interviews on US radio stations Sirius XM and 102.7 KIIS FM. On September 19, 2022 they performed the song live for the first time on *Jimmy Kimmel Live!* on ABC.

## Music video[edit]

A teaser for the music video of "Shut Down" was released on September 13, 2022, and the official music video was released on September 16, 2022. It surpassed 100 million views in five days and three hours.
A scene in the music video where Jennie raps while sitting on a diamond-encrusted tank, referencing “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du”.
The video references previous music videos released by Blackpink. In the opening shot of the video, Lisa stands on a deck against a dark sky ("Playing with Fire") before taking the wheel for a group car ride, mirroring a scene from "Whistle" in which Rosé drove. The scene in "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" of Jennie rapping while sitting on a military tank with pink shopping bags is also recreated. Lisa raps sitting among black bags full of pink cash and speakers ("Boombayah"). Jisoo protects herself from raining money with a pink umbrella ("Ddu-Du Ddu-Du"). Just as in "Whistle", Rosé sits on top of the Earth, except the globe in "Shut Down" is black and pink. In another scene, she drives a car alone ("Kill This Love"). In "Playing with Fire", Jennie plays with a match with orange flame in a white bathtub; in "Shut Down", she does the same in an onyx bathtub and with a pink flame. Lisa wields a sword with the word "Blackpink" written on it, and Rosé swings on a chandelier ("Ddu-Du Ddu-Du"). Jisoo trips and falls in front of paparazzi filming her every move in "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" but in confidently takes pictures of herself without the glaring eyes of the photographers in "Shut Down". During the chorus, the members dance in an alley lined with posters referencing the titles of their solo and group songs.

## Charts[edit]

Chart performance for "Shut Down"
 Japan (Japan Hot 100)
 South Korea (Circle)