Smoke Sprite
| "Smoke Sprite" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by So!YoON! | ||||
| from the album Episode 1: Love | ||||
| Language | English | |||
| Released | March 14, 2023 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Length | 4:02 | |||
| Label | Magic Strawberry Sound | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Composer(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Hwang So-yoon | |||
| So!YoON! singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "'Smoke Sprite' (feat. RM of BTS) Official MV" on YouTube | ||||
"Smoke Sprite" is a song by South Korean musician So!YoON! from her second studio album, Episode 1: Love (2023). The song was written by Hwang, Chae Lin Suh and RM of BTS who features on the track as a guest collaborator.[1] The single was released on March 14, 2023 by Magic Strawberry Sound with an accompanying music video to promote the release of the album.[2]
Background
[edit]In the summer of 2022, Hwang and RM were working on their individual albums when they met by chance in a recording studio. While sharing their work with each other, Hwang showed RM an early demo of the "Smoke Sprite" instrumental, leading the pair to collaborate on developing the song.[3][4] On the first day of writing the lyrics, RM kneeled down in front of Hwang while suggesting the chorus line "Take on my knees".[5]
On March 9, 2023, Hwang released a teaser video for the single which revealed a 10-second snippet of the chorus, along with a variety of shots from the upcoming music video.[6]
The music video for "Smoke Sprite" portrays Hwang in a series of surreal scenarios, such as floating in a pool of water, running through snowy mountains with a sunburn, and shooting herself with a bow.[7]
Reception
[edit]Upon release, "Smoke Sprite" received positive reviews from music critics, with Mary Sirosky of Consequence describing the song as "effortlessly cool".[8]
The Bias List gave it a rating of 8/10, calling it a "much more alternative sound than the glossy K-pop surrounding it".[9] Dr. Colette Balmain of View of the Arts gave "Smoke Sprite" a rating of 4.5/5, discussing the "visual and lyrical eroticism" of the song, and comparing Hwang's use of personas in the music video to Cindy Sherman's Untitled Film Stills.[10]
Chart performance
[edit]| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Hungary (HUN)[11] | 39 |
| Japan (JPN Dig)[12] | 36 |
| United Kingdom (UK Down)[13] | 15 |
| United States (US Dig)[14] | 9 |
References
[edit]- ^ 새소년 SE SO NEON (2023-03-14). So!YoON! (황소윤) 'Smoke Sprite' (feat. RM of BTS) Official MV. Retrieved 2025-06-04 – via YouTube.
- ^ Ziwei, Puah (2023-03-14). "BTS' RM and SE SO NEON's So!YoON! unveil new single 'Smoke Sprite'". NME. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ Yeo, Gladys (2023-03-28). "So!YoON! on new album 'Episode1: Love': "I knew that gender shouldn't hold importance when representing love"". NME. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ Lim, Glenda (2023-03-09). "SE SO NEON's So!YoON! talks new album, co-writing with BTS' RM, and stepping up as a soloist". Bandwagon Asia. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ COSMOPOLITAN. "RM이 새소년 작업실에서 무릎 꿇었다고?" [RM Knelt in Se So Neon's Studio]. Cosmopolitan (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ Bowenbank, Starr (2023-03-09). "So!YoOn! Shares Rapid-Fire 'Smoke Sprite' Teaser With RM of BTS: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ Bowenbank, Starr (2023-03-14). "So!YoON!'s 'Smoke Sprite' Video Featuring RM of BTS Is Here: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ "So!YoON! teams up with RM of BTS for effortlessly cool single "Smoke Sprite"". Consequence. 2023-03-14. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ Nick (2023-03-14). "Song Review: So!YoON! – Smoke Sprite (ft. RM)". The Bias List. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ Arts, View of the (2023-03-15). "The Ephemerality of Longing: So!YoON!'s "Smoke Sprite" (feat. RM) Single Review". VIEW OF THE ARTS. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ lightmedia.hu. "Single Top 40 slágerlista: 2023. 11. hét – 2023. 03. 10.-2023. 03. 16" [Single Top 40 Chart: Week 11 of 2023 – 10/03/2023-16/03/2023]. slagerlistak.hu. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ "オリコン週間 デジタルシングル（単曲）ランキング 2023年03月13日～2023年03月19日 31～40位". ORICON NEWS (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart on 17/3/2023". Official Charts. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ McIntyre, Hugh. "BTS' RM Scores Another Milestone Solo Top 10 Billboard Chart Hit". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-06-14.