Ribbon
Digital cover
EP by
BamBam
ReleasedJune 15, 2021 (2021-06-15)
Recorded2021
StudioAbyss Company
Genre
Length18:23
Language
  • Korean
  • English
LabelAbyss Company
BamBam chronology
Ribbon
(2021)		 B
(2022)
Singles from Ribbon
  1. "Ribbon"
    Released: June 15, 2021

Ribbon (stylized as riBBon) is the first extended play by South Korea-based Thai rapper and singer BamBam. It was released on June 15, 2021.[1]

Background and release

Abyss Company announced BamBam's debut as a soloist in South Korea on May 24, 2021.[2] The following day, they revealed he would release an extended play titled Ribbon.[1][3] Ten sets of photos were released between May 26 and June 8, centering on the symbolic object of the ribbon.[4][5] The tracklist was disclosed on June 9,[6] while the EP and the music video of the title track "Ribbon" were released on June 15.[1][7]

Music and lyrics

The theme of Ribbon is rebirth, and the title is a word play with English words "ribbon" and "reborn," which are written as 리본 (ribon) in Korean, and thus homophone.[8][9] It contains a message of hope, and BamBam's wish to better himself.[8] Ribbon was also based on the Greek mith of Pandora's box, which spread calamities to the world, but also hope, with the latter symbolized by the ribbon.[10]

The EP consists of an airy lo-fi rhythm instrumental intro,[11] produced by Murda Beatz, and other five tracks, with BamBam co-writing all the lyrics. He also took part in the composition of half of the songs.[12] The homonymous title track, which blends trap and hip hop, was created with the meaning of starting anew as a solo singer,[10][13] presenting "a hopeful and joyous new version of himself."[14] Talking about "Ribbon", BamBam said "I wanted to make a song that makes me feel a little better while listening to it in the morning when I go to work. This song goes well with the bright image of BamBam."[15]

"Pandora" is a hip hop track with a simple bass loop, in which, after opening Pandora's box, BamBam sings about dealing with his enemies without fear to achieve his goals.[16] "Look So Fine" is a funky dance piece expressing his confidence in front of others, not minding about how the world sees him.[16] On the other hand, "Air" and "Under the Sky" are more laid back: the first, a tropical house tune,[11] is completely in English and describes how being in love and missing your lover makes you feel like running out of air,[16] while the latter is an R&B ballad that sees BamBam expressing the preciousness and gratitude for the past with lyrics such as "The memories I have of those days / The times we cried and laughed / Shaped us into who we are today" (기억 속의 모든 날이 / 울고 웃던 시간들이 / 지금의 우리를 다 만들어 준거라).[11][17] It was written while reflecting on Got7's departure from JYP Entertainment in January 2021 and the fans' feelings.[16]

Promotions

BamBam presented Ribbon and performed "Ribbon", "Pandora" and "Air" during an online showcase aired on June 15 on YouTube, V Live, Shopping Live, and Facebook, and which was watched by more than 740,000 people.[18] He then promoted the title track and "Pandora" on music shows such as M! Countdown,[19][20] Music Bank,[21] Show! Music Core,[22] Inkigayo,[23] The Show[24] and Show Champion[25] from June 17 to June 27.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
NME[11]

Writing for Rolling Stone India, Divyansha Dongre said that the title song "Ribbon" "underlines the rapper's gleeful persona and style with lyrics embodying a strong metaphorical reference to that of a ribbon, subtly hinting towards BamBam's evolution as a musician."[14] EnVi Magazine noted that each track showcases the singer's versatility.[16] On the other hand, NME gave the EP three stars out of five, stating that BamBam "still has a long way to go in defining his personal music style."[11]

Commercial performance

Upon release, Ribbon debuted at #2 in South Korea on the Gaon Weekly Album Chart,[26] while the title track "Ribbon" entered the Gaon Digital Chart at #144[27] and ranked #17 on Billboard World Digital Song Sales Chart.[28]

It ranked seventh on Gaon Monthly Album Chart for June 2021 with 103,156 copies sold,[29][30] while it entered the Yearly Album Chart at #77 with 134,845 copies.[31]

"Ribbon" received the Black Melody Award for Most Downloaded Song in the first ten days of July 2021 from Line Melody Music Charts in Thailand.[32][33]

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Intro" 
2:22
2."Pandora"
  • BamBam
  • Earattack
  • Lee Ha-jin
  • Hwang Yoo-bin
  • Earattack
  • Chan's
  • Gong-do
  • Earattack
  • Chan's
  • Gong-do
3:04
3."Ribbon"
  • Earattack
  • Peter Chun
  • Andreas Carlsson
  • Drew Scott
  • Ryan Kim
  • Gong-do
3:07
4."Look So Fine"
  • BamBam
  • Earattack
  • Lee Ha-jin
  • BamBam
  • Earattack
  • Earattack
  • Lee Woo-hyun
2:40
5."Air"
  • BamBam
  • Chris LaRocca
  • Bryan Chong
  • BamBam
  • Chris LaRocca
  • Bryan Chong
  • Murda Beatz
  • Maneesh
2:55
6."Under the Sky"
  • BamBam
  • Lee Ha-jin
  • Jo Gwang-ho
  • Park Seo-hyun (Psycho Tension)
  • Psycho Tension (Jung Sung-min, Doo)
4:15
Total length:18:23

Charts

References

  1. 1 2 3 "GOT7's BamBam to make solo comeback next month, drops first teaser". NME. May 24, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  2. ↑ Kim, Soo-young (May 24, 2021). "뱀뱀, 6월 15일 솔로 앨범 발매…데뷔 7년 만 [공식]". hankyung.com (in Korean). Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  3. ↑ "'솔로 데뷔' 갓세븐 뱀뱀, 소년미-남성미 사이 묘한 매력". Star News (in Korean). May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  4. ↑ "뱀뱀, 'riBBon' 콘셉트 포토 공개··· '소년미+남성미'". Nate News (in Korean). Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  5. ↑ "뱀뱀, 첫 미니앨범 'riBBon' 마지막 콘셉트 포토 공개..희망 선사". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  6. ↑ "ขนลุกไปหมด! แบมแบม GOT7 ปล่อย Tracklist riBBon มินิอัลบั้มครั้งแรก พร้อม Concept Film สุดปัง!" (in Thai). June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  7. ↑ Chin, Carmen (June 15, 2021). "GOT7's BamBam releases fantastical video for debut solo song, 'riBBon'". NME. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  8. 1 2 Oliveira, Greyce (June 15, 2021). "[INTERVIEW] BamBam talks about his solo release "riBBon" and GOT7's noisy chatting room". Revista KoreaIN. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  9. ↑ "เปิดใจ "แบมแบม" แกะริบบิ้น ในฐานะศิลปินเดี่ยวเต็มตัว". pptvhd36.com (in Thai). Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  10. 1 2 "GOT7 ベンベン、メンバーと離れソロ活動へ…心境を語る「グループとの違いは…」（総合）". Kstyle (in Japanese). Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "BamBam – 'riBBon' review: on a quest to unravel his solo identity". NME. June 18, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  12. ↑ "뱀뱀, 첫 솔로 앨범 'riBBon' 트랙리스트 공개..전곡 작사 참여". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  13. ↑ Dongre, Divyansha (June 15, 2021). "BamBam Unlocks the Door To His Artistry in 'riBBon' -". Rolling Stone India. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  14. 1 2 Nandini, Raj (June 15, 2021). "BamBam Debuts With 'riBBon': A Gateway To The Unexplored Version Of Himself". Kpop High India. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  15. ↑ "갓세븐 출신 뱀뱀 "'이게 내 음악' 보여주고 싶어 솔로 결심"". KBS News (in Korean). June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 "BamBam is riBBon in His Roof-Hitting Solo Debut". EnVi Magazine. June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  17. ↑ Kim, Soo-jung (June 15, 2021). "[현장EN:]다른 누구도 아닌, 그대로의 뱀뱀". No Cut News (in Korean). Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  18. ↑ Song, Sung-hee (June 16, 2021). "뱀뱀 1위, 첫 솔로앨범부터 대박행진". Gukje News (in Korean). Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Mnet 엠카운트다운, 6월3주 라인업 공개…브브걸 컴백, 뱀뱀·유겸 솔로-WayV 유닛데뷔" (in Korean). June 17, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  20. ↑ Jang, Jin-ri (June 19, 2021). "갓세븐 유겸-뱀뱀, 같은 그룹 다른 솔로..K팝 밀고 끄는 '우정과 경쟁'" (in Korean). Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  21. ↑ Kim, Mi-ri (June 18, 2021). "'뮤직뱅크' 뱀뱀, 솔로 무대서 '소년미 폭발'". Nate News (in Korean). Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  22. ↑ Kang, Min-kyung (June 19, 2021). "'음악중심' 뱀뱀, 솔로 데뷔…솜사탕 같은 'riBBon'[별별TV]". Nate News (in Korean). Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  23. ↑ Lee, Seung-hoon (June 20, 2021). "'인기가요' 트와이스, 이변 없이 1위..브레이브걸스원위 컴백→뱀뱀유겸 솔로 데뷔[종합]". www.chosun.com (in Korean). Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  24. ↑ "'더쇼' 김요한, 뱀뱀 신곡 'riBBon' 뮤비 따라잡기". www.msn.com (in Korean). June 22, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  25. ↑ "'쇼챔' 방탄소년단 'Butter' 1위…뱀뱀·브레이브걸스 컴백 [종합]". www.xportsnews.com (in Korean). June 23, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  26. 1 2 "2021년 25주차 Album Chart". June 13–19, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  27. ↑ "2021년 25주차 Digital Chart". June 13–19, 2021.
  28. ↑ "World Digital Song Sales Chart". Billboard. June 26, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  29. ↑ 2021년 6월 Album Chart [June 2021 Album Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  30. ↑ "뱀뱀, 'riBBon'으로 10만장 돌파 [공식]". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  31. ↑ 2021년 Album Chart [2021 Yearly Album Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  32. ↑ "แบมแบม พา riBBon คว้ารางวัลเพลงที่มียอดดาวน์โหลดสูงสุดในเดือน ก.ค." (in Thai). Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  33. ↑ "LINE MELODY MUSIC CHARTS ประจำเดือนสิงหาคม 2564 ฉลองครบรอบ 2 ปี LINE MELODY" (in Thai). Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  34. ↑ "2021년 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved January 10, 2022.
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