"Shut Down" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Blackpink. It 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 (2022). It is primarily a hip hop song driven by looped classical violin, trap beats, strings, and bass sounds. It was written by its producer 24, alongside Teddy, Danny Chung, and Vince.
"Shut Down" was a commercial success and became Blackpink's second number-one hit on the Billboard Global 200. In South Korea, the track topped Billboards South Korea Songs chart for three weeks and peaked at number three on the Circle Digital Chart. It entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 25 and the UK Singles Chart at number 24. The song also topped the charts in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam, and entered the top ten in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, and South Korea. It was later certified platinum in Canada and gold in Australia and Japan. An accompanying music video for the song was uploaded onto Blackpink's YouTube channel simultaneously with the single's release.
Background
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 Blackpink was filming the music video for their second album's lead single in Gyeonggi Province, 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. From September 10 to 13, promotional posters of the song featuring each of the members were released. On September 13, a teaser for the music video was released, and the official music video was released on September 16.
Composition
"Shut Down" is a hip hop-based track that features strings, an insistent bass sound, a trap beat and a "crazy loop" of classical violin. 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." Unlike the original piece, which was composed in the key of B minor, "Shut Down" was composed in the key of C minor with a tempo of 110 beats per minute. Lyrically, the song shows the members response to the criticism from their haters. Elles Erica Gonzales wrote that "throughout the track, the girls take turns telling their haters and doubters to take a seat".
Critical reception
Billboard called "Shut Down" one of the best songs of 2022, praising its "swagger and savvy", and the melding of classical music and hip-hop as "ingenious."
Commercial performance
"Shut Down" debuted at number one on the Billboard Global 200 with 152.8 million streams and 17,000 downloads sold, earning Blackpink their second number-one hit on the chart after "Pink Venom". The group joined BTS, Justin Bieber and Olivia Rodrigo as the only acts with multiple leaders on the chart. With "Pink Venom" at number two, Blackpink also became the first group to hold the top two spots in a single week on the Global 200. "Shut Down" debuted at number one on the Global Excl. U.S. with 140 million streams and 13,000 downloads sold outside the U.S., earning Blackpink their third number-one hit on the chart after "Lovesick Girls" and "Pink Venom". With this, Blackpink became the artist with the second-most number-one hits on the chart after BTS. The group also became the fourth act to debut atop the Global 200, Global Excl. U.S. and Billboard 200 charts simultaneously with "Shut Down" and its parent album Born Pink. BTS, Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift are the only other acts that have achieved this feat. "Shut Down" charted on the Global 200 for a total of 24 weeks.