"Boom Boom" is a joint single by Moroccan artists RedOne and French Montana, Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee, and American singer Dinah Jane. The track was written by Edwin Serrano, Daddy Yankee, R. City, and the producers RedOne and "T.I" Jakke Erixson, with Modjo, Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers receiving songwriting credits for the sampling of Modjo's "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)" (itself a reworking of Chic's "Soup for One"). The single was released digitally on October 27, 2017. An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Saïd C. Naciri and premiered through Daddy Yankee's YouTube account on October 26, 2017. It shows two friends traveling to various Moroccan cities and attending different parties while RedOne, Daddy Yankee, French Montana and Dinah Jane perform the track. The song is Jane's first release outside of Fifth Harmony.
Background and composition
"Boom Boom" was written by Edwin Serrano, Daddy Yankee, R. City, and the producers RedOne and "T.I" Jakke Erixson, with Modjo, Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers receiving songwriting credits for the sampling of Modjo's "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)" (itself a reworking of Chic's "Soup for One"). The song was born after RedOne introduced French Montana to "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)" at his studio. Following Montana's positive reaction to it, claiming that "it'd be cool if [they] did something," RedOne recorded him during the next day. A few weeks later, he was with American group Fifth Harmony member Dinah Jane and showed her the track, receiving another very positive reaction to it, eventually recording her that same day. Dutch disc jockey and producer Tiësto also liked it, stating that he plays the original Modjo song "every weekend" and that it "is so perfect because [he] can replace it with something fresh." RedOne stated that "another artist" recorded too and then they filmed the music video in Morocco. Before the release of the song, he "had problems clearing the third artist" and decided to take a break.
While thinking about who could replace that artist, he decided to rework the track by making it "more global" and incorporating Latin influences. RedOne decided to reach Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee, of whom he considers himself a fan, and sent him the track. They met at a recording studio in New York and came up with the title after telling Daddy Yankee that "he loves when he repeats words 'boom' and 'bam' in songs," deciding to change its original title "U Here Tonight". RedOne called the song "an explosion of positive energy the world needs at this time" and highlighted Daddy Yankee's collaboration. "Boom Boom" marked Dinah Jane's first song as soloist and the second RedOne track in which he performs apart from producing, the first one being "Don't You Need Somebody" (2016) featuring Enrique Iglesias, Rock City, Serayah and Shaggy.
The melody of the chorus was based on that of "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)" with altered lyrics, a similar case to another RedOne production, Jennifer Lopez's "On the Floor" (featuring Pitbull), sampling the melody of Kaoma's "Lambada". He also stated that he wanted to do something with Modjo's song since "the first time he heard it," being "Boom Boom" a "realization of that dream." Allison Stubblebine of Billboard mentioned a speculation about "Boom Boom" being a reworked version of an unreleased collaboration between RedOne, French Montana, Dinah Jane, and American rapper Fetty Wap titled "U Here Tonight", which was announced in February 2017.
"Boom Boom" has been described as a fusion between EDM, hip hop and house music with a reggaeton beat and "a lush Latin melody." It was released on digital stores and streaming platforms on October 27, 2017.
Critical reception
Raisa Bruner of Time magazine described the song as "an eclectic, upbeat mix" and "a truly global, Latin-tinged dance hit backed by their collective star power [...] and one that's guaranteed to get you dancing."