30 Seconds of Vietnamese Music Draws 1 Billion Views, Sparks Global Trend
A catchy 30-second music clip with the lyrics “Gwenchana ding ding ding đình ding” from It’s Okay unexpectedly went viral last month.
“Gwenchana ding ding ding đình ding” started trending thanks to dance videos on TikTok set to the tune of It’s Okay. To date, over 1.4 million videos have used this song as background music.
This dance challenge has been embraced by numerous global stars, including Aespa, Enhypen, Ateez, Seventeen, Le Sserafim, Jeon Somi, NCT, ZEROBASEONE, Meovv, The Boyz, NMIXX, Treasure, Jung Il Woo, and GeminiFourth from Thailand, among many others worldwide, particularly in South Korea and the U.S.
Many international artists posted videos dancing to “It’s Okay” (Photo: Screenshot).
On February 8, the K-pop group Seventeen performed the It’s Okay choreography in front of 40,000 fans at their Jakarta concert.
On February 13, the cast of Five Blessings, including Dong Si Cheng, Huang Yang Tian Tian, Wang Xing Yue, Chen He Yi, and Ke Ying, danced to 7dnight’s song during promotional events for their film.
These videos garnered millions to tens of millions of interactions, helping It’s Okay go viral globally without any signs of slowing down.
Notably, a February 3 video featuring a dog dancing to It’s Okay gained nearly 88 million views and over 11 million likes.
As of February 13, It’s Okay ranked 5th on TikTok Billboard’s Global Top 50 chart (January 27 – February 2). It is also the only Vietnamese song currently on this chart.
“It’s Okay by 7dnight skyrocketed from 24th to 5th place in its second week on the charts. Featured on Rap Việt and released in November 2024, It’s Okay gained popularity through its viral dance trend, along with standout videos featuring pets and plush toys,” Billboard reported.
Previously, “Gwenchana ding ding ding đình ding” sparked a trend in South Korea, even reaching the top 50 songs on Spotify’s Korean charts.
In a January 20 article, Chosun noted that It’s Okay gained significant attention in Korea, reaching number one on search rankings of popular Korean music platforms.
Under the It’s Okay music video on YouTube, many Korean viewers commented that it was an excellent track, praising the “gwenchana” message as “cool.”
Many Vietnamese listeners also remarked that the repetitive rhythm of It’s Okay made it catchy and easy to remember, similar to an earworm.
However, there’s an irony surrounding It’s Okay. While “Gwenchana ding ding ding đình ding” led many international audiences to mistakenly believe it was a famous Korean hit, its streaming numbers remain modest. On Spotify, the song has just under 1.3 million streams despite being released months ago.
The view count for 7dnight’s performance on YouTube stands at 2.5 million, contrasting sharply with the staggering 1 billion views on TikTok.
Before It’s Okay, See Tình from Hoàng Thùy Linh’s 2022 album Link and Hai Phút Hơn by rapper Pháo also took the global social media scene by storm.
Though It’s Okay lacks overt cultural or musical Vietnamese elements compared to those tracks, its massive international appeal still presents an opportunity for 7dnight and Vietnamese music to gain recognition.
“It’s Okay” performed by 7dnight during Rap Việt Season 4 (Video: YouTube).
The Meaning Behind the Globally Viral Track
It’s Okay is a song by 7dnight, a member of BigTeam, performed during the Breakthrough Round of Rap Việt Season 4. Given the challenge to incorporate viral phrases, 7dnight chose “kìn chá nà” and “khó chịu vô cùng” for his track.
7dnight, whose real name is Ngô Tuấn Đạt, was born in 2001 in Nghệ An. He became known for his inspiring story on Rap Việt Season 4.
The number “7” in his stage name symbolizes his seven fingers. Both his maternal and paternal grandfathers served in the military and were exposed to Agent Orange, leaving him with a congenital hand defect on his left hand.
This physical limitation caused 7dnight years of insecurity and low self-esteem. After high school, he moved to South Korea. However, fear followed him when applying for jobs at restaurants and farms. During his first two months abroad, he applied to five places, all of which rejected him upon seeing his left hand. That period marked his lowest point of self-hatred.
“It’s Okay” performed by 7dnight on Rap Việt Season 4 (Photo: Producer).
“When I was in school, classmates often teased me, so I always kept my left hand in my pocket to hide my insecurity. After finishing high school, I moved to South Korea. For a while, my biggest fear was applying for jobs at restaurants and farms. Back then, I always wore work gloves to conceal my hand,” 7dnight once shared.
During his seven years in Korea, 7dnight didn’t return to Vietnam because he lacked money and felt he hadn’t achieved anything to make his family proud.
While in Korea, he turned to music as a form of solace and emotional healing. Eventually, he began treating it as a serious career and committed to making meaningful music.
“Gwenchana”—the phrase 7dnight used in his song—means “it’s okay” in Korean. It’s also the encouragement he received when people noticed his unique hand while working in Korea.
Gwenchana—meaning “it’s okay”—is what 7dnight wanted to tell himself during tough times competing against stronger opponents.
