"When We Disco"
Single by J. Y. Park and Sunmi
ReleasedAugust 12, 2020 (2020-08-12)
Recorded2020
GenreEuro disco
Length3:44
LabelJYP
Songwriter(s)J. Y. Park
J. Y. Park singles chronology
"Fever"
(2019)		 "When We Disco"
(2020)		 "Switch to Me"
(2020)
Sunmi singles chronology
"Pporappippam"
(2020)		 "When We Disco"
(2020)		 "Oh Yeah"
(2020)
Music video
"When We Disco" on YouTube

"When We Disco" is a song recorded by South Korean singer-songwriters J. Y. Park and Sunmi. Written and composed by Park, it was released as a digital single on August 12, 2020 by JYP Entertainment.[1] The song was featured at "J.Y. Park Best" album, with a Japanese version as bonus track.

Background and release

At a restaurant, after hearing a song that she used to listen to in New York with J. Y. Park when Wonder Girls were touring the United States with him, Sunmi sent a recording of the song to her former boss to reminisce about the past. J. Y. Park answered her message by sending her a demo of his song, asking her "if she missed the days [they] worked together" and suggesting a collaboration.[2] At this point, he had almost completed writing the lyrics.[1]

I said I’d work with him, thinking that I’d just be featuring in the song, but when I saw the lyrics, I had a whole verse. When I asked if it was a duet, he texted me saying yes with a smiley face. I asked him if he was thinking of anyone else for the song, and he responded, "No, there’s no one else but you."

— Sunmi[2]

On July 24, 2020, it was reported that J. Y. Park would release a new song in August and that all recordings had been completed.[3] On August 3, a teaser poster announcing Park and Sunmi's collaboration scheduled to be released on August 12 was posted on JYP Entertainment's twitter account and retweeted by both singers.[4] On August 6, J. Y. Park shared a teaser for the music video on his Instagram account.[5] A second teaser was released on YouTube the following day.[6] On August 10, both singers shared the online cover image for the song.[7] The single was released on August 12.[1]

Composition

J. Y. Park was inspired by Modern Talking's song "Brother Louie" which serves as the opening song for the South Korean talk show Radio Star and was stuck in his head at the time; it took him a few hours to complete the song.[8] Park said to have used "typical instruments of the European disco genre and recorded with the equipment imbued with 80s vibes to fully recreate nostalgic melody."[9]

Music video

The song's accompanying music video was released on August 11, 2020 at 6:00 PM (KST), one day prior to the single's release.[10] It was inspired by the American films Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Pulp Fiction (1994) which J. Y. Park loves, as mentioned at the end of the video.[11]

Riddhi Chakraborty of Rolling Stone India described the music video to have "a late-Seventies, early-Eighties vibe, reviving the Saturday Night Fever era with its multi-coloured dance floor, hazy club setting, glimmering disco ball and glitzy wardrobe and makeup. Park and Sunmi play lovers who are parted in their youth but are fated to meet again 10 years later, fighting gangsters and all odds to be together and celebrate their love for each other and for disco."[12]

The music video reached 2.32 million views in 24 hours, a new record for J. Y. Park.[13] It surpassed 10 million views 4 days and 22 hours after its release.[14]

Critical reception

Jason Lipshutz of Billboard said that the song "showcases both J. Y. Park and Sunmi's vocal talents above sparkling synth lines."[15]

Chart performance

After its release, the single quickly topped the real-time music charts Naver Music, Genie Music and Bugs.[16]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Genie Music.[17] Recorded at JYPE Studio.

  • J. Y. Park – lead vocals, songwriter, composer, arranger
  • Sunmi – lead vocals
  • Lee Hae-sol – arranger
  • Ham Chun-ho – guitar
  • Lee Tae-yoon – bass
  • Kim Hyo-kook – keyboard
  • Kim Hyo-soo – background vocals
  • Lee Sang-yeob – recording
  • Tony Maserati – mixing
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2020) Peak
position
South Korea (Gaon Digital Chart)[18] 3
South Korea (Kpop Hot 100)[19] 2
US World Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[20] 22

Monthly chart

Chart (2020) Peak
position
South Korea (Circle Digital Chart)[21] 5

Year-end chart

Chart (2020) Position
South Korea (Circle Digital Chart)[22] 55

Certifications

Certifications for "When We Disco"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Streaming
South Korea (KMCA)[23] Platinum 100,000,000†

† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Accolades

Awards for "When We Disco"
Year Organization Award Result Ref.
2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards Best Collaboration Nominated [24]
Song of the Year Nominated

Release history

Country Date Format Label Ref.
Various August 12, 2020 JYP Entertainment [25]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Yoon, So-yeon (August 3, 2020). "Park Jin-young to drop a duet with singer Sunmi on Aug. 12". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Kim, Soo-hyung (August 13, 2020). ""구원파 해명→신곡 듀엣까지" 박진영·선미·김형석 '라스'서 #사제케미# 터졌다 [종합]" (in Korean). Osen. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  3. ↑ Sohn, Paul (July 24, 2020). "박진영, 8월 가수로 컴백···앨범 작업 막바지" (in Korean). Sports Khan. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  4. ↑ Dong, Sun-hwa (August 3, 2020). "JYP's Park Jin-young to release single featuring Sunmi". The Korea Times. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  5. ↑ Lee, Seung-hoon (August 6, 2020). ""운명 맞죠?"..박진영, 'When We Disco' 완성→선미 연락 고백 '컴백 기대' [★SHOT!]" (in Korean). Osen. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  6. ↑ Kim, Soo-young (August 7, 2020). "박진영, 선미 손 잡고 디스코 열풍 일으킬까…'웬 위 디스코' 호흡 기대" (in Korean). Hankyung. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  7. ↑ Ji, Min-kyung (August 10, 2020). "박진영, 신곡 'When We Disco' 가사 공개.."골반이란 말 쓰게 될 줄 몰라"" (in Korean). Osen. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  8. ↑ Lee, Seung-hoon (August 11, 2020). "박진영X선미, 오늘(11일) 'When We Disco' MV 선공개..여름 더위 날릴 디스코[공식]" (in Korean). News Chosun. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  9. ↑ Hwang, Ji-young (August 11, 2020). "Park Jin Young reveals series of retro photos with Sunmi in new song's MV". JTBC Plus. V Live. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  10. ↑ Kim, Soo-young (August 13, 2020). "박진영, 선미 손 잡고 디스코 열풍 일으킬까…'웬 위 디스코' 호흡 기대" (in Korean). Hankyung. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  11. ↑ Park, Jung-sun (August 13, 2020). "박진영, 선미와 디스코 열풍 이끈다 '웬 위 디스코'" (in Korean). Is Plus. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  12. ↑ Chakraborty, Riddhi (August 12, 2020). "Watch J.Y. Park and Sunmi Get Retro On 'When We Disco'". Rolling Stone India. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  13. ↑ Lee, Seung-hoon (August 14, 2020). ""박진영 전성기=현재진행형"..'When We Disco' MV 232만뷰 돌파, 신기록 행진ing" (in Korean). Osen. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  14. ↑ Choi, Jung-ha (August 17, 2020). "'When We Disco'로 보는 박진영의 저력 [이슈]" (in Korean). Sports Worldi. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  15. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason (August 13, 2020). "7 Things to Know About K-Pop's Huge Month: BTS, Blackpink, SuperM & More". Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  16. ↑ Jung, An-ji (August 13, 2020). "박진영 신곡 When We Disco' 음원 차트 1위…오늘(13일) '엠카' 출격" (in Korean). News Chosun. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  17. ↑ "When We Disco". Genie Music (in Korean). Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Digital Chart – Week 40 of 2020" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Billboard Korea K-Pop 100". Billboard. October 3, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  20. ↑ "World Digital Song Sales: August 29, 2020". Billboard. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  21. ↑ "2020년 10월 Digital Chart". Circle Chart. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  22. ↑ "2020년 Digital Chart". Circle Chart. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  23. ↑ "South Korean single streaming certifications – Park Jin-young – When We Disco" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association (KMCA). July 6, 2023.
  24. ↑ "2020 MAMA Nominees". mama.mwave.me. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
  25. ↑ "When We Disco". Apple Music. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
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