This Famous Singer-Songwriter Co-Wrote New BTS Track "Permission to Dance"
Published July 10 2021, 6:36 p.m. ET
K-pop group BTS is the best-selling artist in Korean history, and they've been expanding more and more into the Western music scene. Their third English-language single, titled "Permission to Dance," is both catchy and vibrant, but rumor has it the boys didn't write the track alone.
Who wrote "Permission to Dance," and where was the music video filmed? Read on for everything we know.
The co-writer of "Permission to Dance" is a frequent BTS collaborator.
If you loved the 2019 Map of the Soul: Persona track "Make It Right," you'll probably notice some similarities between "Make It Right" and "Permission to Dance." The biggest similarity? Their co-writer.
BTS typically writes their songs, but in the instance of both "Make It Right" and "Permission to Dance," they had a little help in the form of famous singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran.
In a tweet from July 9, 2021, Ed gushes about "Permission to Dance." He said, "Wrote this song a while ago and so happy it’s being heard on such a world stage and being sung by such talented people.
Check out Permission to Dance by @BTS_twt@bts_bighit on all platforms x." The song continues themes of feel-good, classic summer fun similar to their second English-language single, "Butter."
In an interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe, BTS discussed the themes of "Butter" via an interpreter: "We wanted to create a song that's really upbeat, that's a really summer song that, as you said, it makes people happy and go out and dance. That's what we want to do. We wanted to have a summer song that can heal and console people. That's why we chose this song, and that's why we decided to release this song."
The idea behind "Permission to Dance" is even more literal, encouraging people to enjoy themselves, celebrate happy moments, and push through difficult or dark times with youthful abandon.
The music video also showcases these themes with elaborate costumes, bright colors, and lots of dancing!
Where was the "Permission to Dance" music video filmed?
The "Permission to Dance" music video joyfully celebrates a pandemic ending, with small details including fake newspaper headlines about "2022, The Beginning Of A New Era" and "Purple balloons signal the end of COVID-19," as spotted by a few eagle-eyed fans.
There is also a signpost with different cities listed, which fans think nods to a potential tour coming soon.
One of the most impressive details about the music video was that BTS music videos production designers didn't use a green screen — they created the desert background of "Permission to Dance" from scratch!
Photos from Twitter and Instagram show the progress of MU: E, the Production Designer for the video, and many other BTS videos.
While none of the posts indicate the exact location where the music video was filmed, it's clear that immense time and dedication went into crafting the look and feel of the video.
As with everything BTS does, the details make a world of difference, and the upbeat, sunny cowboys-and-sunshine atmosphere perfects the video.
The new BTS single "Permission to Dance" is out on musical platforms everywhere.