Maestro (Seventeen song)

"Maestro" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band Seventeen. It was released on April 29, 2024, as the lead single from the compilation album 17 Is Right Here.^[1] It debuted at number one on the Circle Digital Chart.

"Maestro"
Orchestra remix cover
Single by Seventeen
from the album 17 Is Right Here
Language	Korean
Released	April 29, 2024
Genre	K-pop
Length	3:18
Label	Pledis
Composer(s)	Woozi Bumzu Ninos Hanna Andreas Oberg Gabriel Brandes Justin Starling Maya Rose Niklas Jarelius Persson William Segerdahl Yeom Dong-geon
Lyricist(s)	Woozi Bumzu
Seventeen singles chronology
"God of Music" (2023) "Maestro" (2024)
Music video
"Maestro" on YouTube

Background and release

After having initially teased new content on their Follow tour encore concerts in Incheon, Seventeen officially announced the release of 17 is Right Here, a compilation album that would encompass their nine-year career, on April 2, 2024.^[2] On April 18, the album revealed a 33-song tracklist, which included the band's greatest hits, as well as four new songs: "Spell", "Cheers to Youth", "Lalali", and the lead single "Maestro".^[3]

"Maestro" premiered at Seventeen's encore Follow Again to Seoul concerts at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on April 27 and 28.^[4] The song and its accompanying music video were officially released on April 29, 2024.^[5]

On May 2, Seventeen announced an orchestral remix of the song, to be released the following day.^[6][7] It was released on May 3, alongside a previously unreleased instrumental version of the original track.^{[8][unreliable source?]}

Composition

"Maestro" was described as a dance R&B track that pulls various elements from Seventeen's previous hits, such as "Very Nice", "Oh My!", "Fear", "Rock with You", "Cheers", and "Super".^[9] By incorporating these elements, the song aimed to convey the message of the past continuing to be a source of inspiration for the group as they evolve.^[10]

The song was composed by Woozi, Bumzu, Ninos Hanna, Andreas Öberg, Gabriel Brandes, Justin Starling, Maya Rose, Niklas Jarelius Persson, William Segerdahl, and Yeom Dong-gun; its lyrics were written by Woozi and Bumzu.^[11]

Music video

The music video was released on April 29, 2024. In an effort to question the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in music and art, the cyberpunk-themed music video, which features Seventeen performing in technology-heavy sets and fighting against robots, was intentionally partially created using AI,^[5] showcasing the band's thoughts and fears of a modern world where "everything is created through AI and new technologies".^[9]

The music video was partly filmed at Kwangwoon University's Cultural Centre, the hall Seventeen hosted their first fan meeting at in 2015, and a showcase for the 17 Is Right Here album in May 2024.^[12][13]

Commercial performance

"Maestro" debuted at number one on South Korea's Circle Digital Chart and component Download Chart, as recorded on the charts dated April 28 – May 5, 2024.^[14][15] The song also entered the World Digital Song Sales weekly chart at number five on the chart dated May 11.^[16]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Rolling Stone India^[17]

Cristina Jaleru of the Associated Press lauded "Maestro" as "a playful R&B tune intertwined with an engaging EDM hook", further calling it a "perfect encapsulation of the band's past sound with present inclinations".^[18] In a four-star review for Rolling Stone India, Debashree Dutta praised Seventeen for their "seamless harmony [which] creates a luminous soundscape in conjunction that showcases their musical expertise and virtuosity", noting that the song "builds in passion and profundity as solid rap, vocals, and performance take center stage".^[17]

Accolades

On South Korean music programs, "Maestro" achieved first place wins on the May 8 episode of Show Champion,^[19] May 9 episode of M Countdown,^[20] May 10 episode of Music Bank,^[21] and May 11 episode of Show! Music Core.^[22]

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Maestro" Chart (2024) Peak position Global 200 (Billboard)^[23] 91 Japan (Japan Hot 100)^[24] 17 Japan Combined Singles (Oricon)^[25] 16 Malaysia (Billboard)^[26] 25 Malaysia International (RIM)^[27] 14 New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)^[28] 18 Singapore Regional (RIAS)^[29] 9 South Korea (Circle)^[14] 1 Taiwan (Billboard)^[30] 7 UK Singles Downloads (OCC)^[31] 23 UK Singles Sales (OCC)^[32] 26 US World Digital Song Sales (Billboard)^[16] 5

Monthly charts Monthly chart performance for "Maestro" Chart (2024) Position South Korea (Circle)^[33] 107

References

1. Bernardo, Jaehwa (April 24, 2024). "K-pop group SEVENTEEN to drop 4 music videos for greatest hits album". ABS-CBN. from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
2. Kaufman, Gil (April 2, 2024). "Seventeen Prepping Greatest Hits Album, '17 Is Right Here'". Billboard. from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
3. Kaufman, Gil (April 18, 2024). "Seventeen Reveal Full Tracklist For '17 Is Right Here' Greatest Hits Album, Which Includes 4 New Tracks". Billboard. from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
4. Cho, Yong-jun (April 28, 2024). "Seventeen fills Seoul World Cup Stadium for Follow Again' in Seoul'". Korea JoongAng Daily. from the original on April 29, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
5. Chin, Carmen (April 29, 2024). "Seventeen drop futuristic music video for 'Maestro', tease 2024 tour". NME. Archived from the original on April 29, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
6. Ryu, Hyo-rim (May 3, 2024). "세븐틴, '마에스트로' 오케스트라 리믹스 발표" [SEVENTEEN announces 'Maestro' orchestra remix]. Yonhap (in Korean). from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
7. Weverse, Seventeen (May 2, 2024). "Weverse - Official for All Fans". weverse.io. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
8. Youtube Music, Seventeen. "YouTube Music". YouTube Music. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
9. Cho, Yong-jun (April 29, 2024). "Seventeen's first compilation album takes a hard look at its past — and its future". Korea JoongAng Daily. from the original on April 29, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
10. Kwak, Kristine (April 30, 2024). "Seventeen on Wrapping Their Tour, New Music, and What's Next". Rolling Stone. from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
11. 곡 정보 - Maestro [Song Information - Maestro]. Melon (in Korean). from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
12. Video on YouTube
13. Lee, Tae-soo (May 5, 2024). "세븐틴, 팬들과 되짚은 9년..."앞으로도 서로 사랑하며 살아가요"". 연합뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved May 11, 2024.
14. "Digital Chart – Week 18 of 2024". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved May 9, 2024.
15. "Circle Download Chart - Week 18 of 2024". Circle (in Korean). Retrieved May 9, 2024.
16. "Seventeen Chart History (World Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
17. Dutta, Debashree (May 3, 2024). "'MAESTRO': SEVENTEEN's Latest Single Delivers on All Fronts". Rolling Stone India. from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
18. Jaleru, Cristina (April 30, 2024). "Music Review: SEVENTEEN's '17 Is Right Here' is a study of their impressive evolution". Associated Press. from the original on April 29, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
19. SHOW CHAMPION 517회 TOP5 [SHOW CHAMPION Episode 517 TOP5]. MBC Plus (in Korean). May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
20. @MnetMcountdown (May 9, 2024). "#MCOUNTDOWN 5월 2주✨ 🏆 No.1 of the Week! 🏆 #세븐틴(#SEVENTEEN) - #MAESTRO" (Tweet). Retrieved May 10, 2024 – via Twitter.
21. Lee, Nam-hee (May 10, 2024). [뮤직뱅크] 세븐틴, MAESTRO로 화려한 퍼포먼스...아이브 꺾고 1위 달성 [[Music Bank] Seventeen, spectacular performance with MAESTRO...Beating Ive and achieving 1st place] (in Korean). KBS Media. Retrieved May 10, 2024 – via Naver.
22. Lee, Ha-na (May 11, 2024). '음악중심' 세븐틴 1위+라이브 실력 인증, 육성재→김재환 컴백[종합] ['Music Core' Seventeen wins 1st place + live skills certified, Yook Sungjae→Kim Jae-hwan comeback [Comprehensive]] (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved May 11, 2024 – via Naver.
23. "Seventeen Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
24. "Seventeen Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
25. (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
26. "Seventeen Chart History (Malaysia Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
27. "TOP 20 Most Streamed International Singles In Malaysia Week 18 (26/04/2024-02/05/2024)". RIM. May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024 – via Facebook.
28. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
29. . RIAS. Archived from the original on May 7, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
30. "Seventeen Chart History (Taiwan Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
31. "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
32. "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
33. "Digital Chart – April 2024". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved May 9, 2024.