"DNA" is a song recorded in two languages (Korean and Japanese) by South Korean boy band BTS. The Korean version was released on September 18, 2017, as the lead single from the band's fifth extended play Love Yourself: Her (2017) by Big Hit Entertainment. The Japanese version of the song was released on December 6, 2017, by Universal Music Japan as a triple A-side single album that included "Mic Drop" and a new, original song "Crystal Snow", both also in Japanese. Both versions were written by "Hitman" Bang, Supreme Boi, KASS, Suga, RM, Pdogg, with the latter of the six solely handling production. A "Pedal 2 LA" remix of the track appears on the band's third compilation album, Love Yourself: Answer (2018). An EDM and pop song, the lyrics talk about fate and love at first sight.
The song received generally favourable reviews from music critics, who praised its production, sound, and the band's musical direction. It was also likened to the works of Selena Gomez, Shawn Mendes and Avicii. Commercially, the Korean version of "DNA" debuted at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart and number one on the Billboard K-pop Hot 100. It has since sold over 2.5 million digital copies in South Korea as of February 2019. The song peaked at number 67 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at number 90 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's first entry on both the charts. The Japanese version debuted and peaked at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart, becoming the 13th best-selling single of 2017 in Japan. The song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). "DNA" received several accolades, including a nomination for Song of the Year at the 15th Korean Music Awards and the 19th Mnet Asian Music Awards.
The music video was directed by YongSeok Choi and premiered simultaneously with the release of the song. The video features the band performing complex choreography in various CGI-enhanced settings. Following the release of Love Yourself: Her, BTS promoted the song with televised live performances on several South Korean music programs, including M! Countdown, Music Bank, and Inkigayo. The band's US television debut performance of "DNA" at the 2017 American Music Awards received positive reviews from critics. It was also included on the setlist of their Love Yourself World Tour (2018–19).
Background and release
Following the success of their third studio album Wings (2016), and its reissue You Never Walk Alone (2017), BTS embarked on their "Love Yourself" thematic series. On August 24, 2017, the band announced the release of their fifth extended play, Love Yourself: Her which formed the first chapter of the extended three-part series. "DNA" was announced as the lead single from the EP. The song was written by "Hitman" Bang, Supreme Boi, Kass, Suga, RM, and its producer Pdogg. It was engineered by Pdogg, Wooyeong Jeong and KASS, while mixing was handled by James F. Reynolds at Schmuzik Studios. BTS recorded the song at Big Hit Studios in Seoul, South Korea.
"DNA" was released for digital download and streaming in various countries by Big Hit on September 18, 2017, as the lead single from Love Yourself: Her. A "Pedal 2 LA" remix version of the track was recorded and subsequently included on the band's third compilation album, Love Yourself: Answer (2018). The original version also appears on that album. A Japanese version of the song was digitally released for purchase on December 6, 2017, by Universal Music Japan as the band's eighth Japanese-language single album, together with the Japanese version of previously released Korean single "Mic Drop" and a new, original Japanese track "Crystal Snow". It was also released as a four-version CD single in Japan on the same day, with a regular edition and three different limited editions: A, B and C. All four editions contain "Mic Drop", "DNA" and "Crystal Snow" as a triple A-side. Individually, edition A includes a DVD with the music video for the Japanese version of "Mic Drop" and a dance version video of the song, edition B comes with a DVD that contains behind the scenes footage of the music video for "Mic Drop" and the making of album jacket photos, and edition C contains a 36-page photobook. The Japanese version was later included on the band's third Japanese-language studio album, Face Yourself (2018).