On their much awaited joint album, Charlie Puth and BTS’s Jung Kook reflect on a love that is no longer reciprocated. The song “Left And Right” has the two talking about their own personal relationships that they don’t want to give up on.
Early on Friday morning, the 30-year-old singer-songwriter and the youngest BTS member dropped “Left and Right,” a charming pop tune.
“Memories follow me left and right/ I can feel you over here/ I can feel you over here/ You take up every corner of my mind,” the two sing on the song’s chorus, over a snare-driven beat.
It wasn’t until this month that it was made public that Jung Kook would be on the track, even though a section of “Left And Right” had gone viral on TikTok earlier in the year. Puth described how Jung Kook landed up on the song in an interview with Z100.
Not nearly two weeks have passed since BTS’s announcement that they would be taking some time to consider solo projects before collaborating.
In the music video that goes along with the song, Puth talks to a “love doctor” about a woman who keeps popping into his brain. Later, Jungkook joins him in the office and sings two songs back-to-back with Puth.
“When I contacted him and asked if he’d like to be a part of it, I had no idea they were taking a break, so he immediately came to mind,” Puth said.
The song’s music video has Puth and Jung Kook dancing in front of vibrant backdrops and consulting a “love doctor” as they support one another through their unique heartbreaks.
Puth has worked with Kpop stars before, but this is not their first collaboration on a song. BTS performed “See You Again,” “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” and “Fake Love” with Puth on stage at the 2018 MGA Awards in Incheon, South Korea.
Puth has been hinting at the collaboration for days; on June 16, he even shared a video to Twitter in which he was giving Jungkook instructions on how to sing the chorus.
He promised last week that if he received 500,000 pre-saves, the song would be released on Friday.
The “Attention” singer also sent a tweet advising followers to use headphones to get the full effect when listening to left and right. It will make your brain tingle.”
Each of those lines can be heard in the opposing ears while wearing headphones.
At the 2022 iHeartRadio Wango Tango Festival, Puth hinted to announce a potential BTS collaboration earlier this month during an interview with KIIS FM on June 4.
After “Light Switch” artist Charlie Puth was informed by radio DJ JoJo Wright that he had heard rumors about a future collaboration between BTS and him, Puth addressed the rumors and admitted he didn’t know anything about them.
Puth told KIIS FM, “I heard that too, and nobody in my team knows the day it comes out.
He then made a suggestion that he knew more than he had previously said. Puth continued, “We genuinely don’t know when it comes out. We do, but we just figured it out, you know?
BTS members RM, Jungkook, J-Hope, Jin, V, Jimin, and Suga revealed on June 14 during a FESTA dinner to commemorate nine years as a band that they were taking a temporary break.
BTS did not intend to take a break and instead planned to release both group and solo projects as they started their “new chapter” together, according to a June 15 release that PEOPLE was given access to.
According to a press release from HYBE, the management company for BTS, “the group will remain active as a team while taking individual journey to further achieve personal growth,” adding that the members of the two-time Grammy nominated group “will allow themselves to express their individuality through the release of solo albums and collaborations with other artists.”
BigHit Music, the parent business of HYBE, stated, “With new solo and group projects, BTS is starting a new chapter. Members will use this time to grow personally through a variety of new activities, and we anticipate that this will further solidify the groundwork for the group’s long-term success as a unit. The musicians will receive active backing from BIGHIT MUSIC.”
Check out “Left And Right” above.
