Shortly after the announcement of BTS’ hiatus-but-not-really, Jungkook surprisingly joined forces with prolific singer-songwriter Charlie Puth for the American musician’s new single ‘Left And Right’. The song was released on Friday, 24 Jun 2022, alongside an accompanying music video featuring the two artists.
Produced by Puth himself, ’Left And Right’ will be featured in his upcoming eponymous album, Charlie, which will be unleashed later this year.
About ‘Left And Right’
The track is an upbeat tune documenting the lovesick feelings that one inevitably feels following a break-up or separation from a romantic partner.
Jungkook jumped onto the track to contribute some of his melodic vocals to the second verse of the song, as well as its ear-worm-worthy hook. Part of the hook notably pans between the left and right output of the listener’s speakers or earphones.
The panning is evidently an intentional feature of the production. Not only is it a way to match the title of the song, but it also illustrates the shared memories of a relationship being the only thing running in one’s mind post-separation. And this is where Puth’s production shines though; it is through these little techniques that he is able to comprehensively convey feelings that otherwise might be difficult to express with only the lyrics of a song.
Collaboration was Teased on Social Media a Week Before Release
Prior to the release of ‘Left And Right’, Puth teased the iconic collaboration with a video on his Twitter on 17 Jun. The 40-second clip is edited such that it appears as if Puth is on a video call with the BTS member, asking if he could sing the hook of the song.
Amusingly, Puth then instructed Jungkook to sing “I can feel you over here” on the left side of the microphone, before asking him to repeat the same set of lyrics on the right side of the microphone. Jungkook gamely complies, and the faux video call ends with a snippet of the finished chorus.
When the song was officially released a week later, a music video also premiered on YouTube the same day.
The ‘Left And Right’ Music Video
Directed by famed music video director Drew Kirsch, the video for ‘Left And Right’ is a comical and colourful take on the premise of the song. It sees Puth and Jungkook visiting a “Love Doctor” to seek treatment for the duo’s lovesickness. Footage of the pair musing about their lost love was also interpolated throughout the video.
Halfway through the video, the footage cut to a playful mock advertisement for the “Love Doctor” in the video. The advertisement is reminiscent of those that you see on home shopping TV channels, with a QR code displayed onscreen.
Scanning the QR code in the video with your phone leads to the official Charlie Puth website. We have to say that it is an interesting way to perk the interest of viewers to drive traffic to the website.
Certain parts of the music video also see Puth speeding down a highway while Jungkook clings onto the windscreen of the car – Just like how memories of a lost love tend to linger in one’s head for an extended period of time.
Since the song’s release over the weekend, it has already racked up over 14 million streams on Spotify and over 31 million views on YouTube as of this writing.
Not The First Collaboration Between BTS, Jungkook, and Charlie Puth
This is not the first time Jungkook and Charlie Puth have collaborated. Back in 2018, the pair teamed up to perform a series of their hit singles for the MBC Plus x Genie Music Awards. Puth performed the popular Furious 7 Paul Walker tribute song ‘See You Again’, and was joined by Jungkook for ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’.
Jungkook and the other BTS members then performed the group’s smash hit ‘Fake Love’, with Puth’s signature head voice holding its ground next to the polarising K-Pop group’s performance.
Charlie Puth’s latest single, ‘Left And Right’, featuring Jungkook of BTS, is out on all streaming platforms. The music video is also available now on YouTube.
