Anything Mindy Chen (Ashley Park) does in Emily in Paris is primed to get the internet talking. Her commitment to eye-catching accessories alone is worthy of a trending Twitter moment. But there’s one scene in the Season 2 premiere that’s designed to break the internet: Mindy’s showstopping performance of “Dynamite” by K-pop supergroup BTS.

A Deep Dive into Mindy’s Explosive ‘Emily in Paris’ BTS Cover

“I was like, ‘We're global. I would love to do a K-pop song,’” Park told Vogue ahead of the Season 2 premiere. The Emily in Paris team didn’t nab Park just any K-pop song — it acquired a 2020 international chart-topper (including the US Hot 100) from BTS, the biggest band in the world. Emily in Paris music supervisor Brienne Rose tells Tudum that her team discussed a few song possibilities, but “Dynamite” was always at the top of the list. 

“We wanted something that could really pop and complement Mindy’s talents for this scene,” Rose says. “The fact that this song is also such a hit worldwide was a major bonus. Despite being lyrically in English, it defies cultural boundaries.” 

Mindy’s unique opening number allows her to explore identity in various ways: At a basic level, she’s a half-Korean woman from China belting out a K-pop song with English lyrics in France. Then, in honor of the drag bar where she performs, Mindy does half the song in a booming masculine style (complete with a top hat and mustache on one side) and half in a fiery feminine style (with a sparkling feather bodysuit on the other side). Park went through hours of makeup tests to perfect her gender-bending look and pull off her BTS cover. 

“We had a quick turnaround on this one, as we needed to obtain the rights to the song, record the backing track, then record Ashley’s vocals in France — all before the shoot date so she could perform to our Emily in Paris version,” Rose recalls. The music team had just two weeks to get all these pieces in place. At least the writers and publishers of “Dynamite” quickly approved Emily in Paris’ request, allowing Rose’s team to set off on its music marathon.

Park had less than a week to learn her choreography. Her former colleague, James Alsop, helped Park plan the dance over Zoom. She then adjusted the moves during filming the next day. “My favorite thing to do is interpret songs that are well-known and make them my own,” Park told Vogue. Well, mission accomplished.