Collab Corner: BTS X Charli XCX

Did you know that K-pop superstars BTS and British BRAT sensation Charli XCX have a track together? Many ARMYs probably already knew this, but if you aren’t deep in the fandom, you may have never heard of this track.

 

 

On June 7, 2019, BTS released the song “Dream Glow” as the first single from their BTS World soundtrack for the mobile game of the same name. Although the song was released as a BTS track with a Charli XCX feature, the track was originally written by Charli several years prior. The original lyrics were about falling in love in the club and was titled “Glow” after the feeling that this new person had a ‘glow’ about them. She never felt like the track was quite right and decided to shelve it until she could figure out what to do with it.

It wasn’t until 2017 when she met BTS at a festival in Korea that the song began to take form as we know it now. The stars decided they wanted to work together, so Charli sent the demo over to see if the boy group had any ideas on how to make it work. Reportedly the adaptation took a while to come together, as the production, lyrics, and theme were all adjusted. 

 

The final track was changed to be about following one’s dreams and has a much more positive, hopeful energy. Charli said later that she loved how the song turned out and expressed her gratitude for both BTS and ARMY. Fans curious about the origins of the song got a peek behind the scenes too, as several demos for “Glow” were leaked to the public alongside the early versions of songs for Charli XCX’s third, eventually scrapped studio album. The track is quite different than the final version, but it’s got a lot of the same foundations.

Both BTS and Charli have expressed their admiration for each other since the collab, meaning that a second track together isn’t out of the question. Who knows, maybe with the success of Charli’s BRAT this summer, next time BTS will be the ones writing a track for her?