Salamin, Salamin
2024 single by Bini
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Salamin, Salamin" (lit. 'Mirror, Mirror') is a song recorded by Filipino girl group Bini. It is a bubblegum pop and funk song with a prominent groovy bassline. The lyrics reference fairytales, with the narrator asking her magic mirror when her crush will notice her. Star Music released "Salamin, Salamin" as the third and lead single of Bini's first extended play (EP) Talaarawan on March 8, 2024.
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| "Salamin, Salamin" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Bini | ||||
| from the EP Talaarawan | ||||
| Language |
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| English title | Mirror, Mirror | |||
| Released | March 8, 2024 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:50 | |||
| Label | Star | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producers |
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| Bini singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Salamin, Salamin" on YouTube | ||||
"Salamin, Salamin" became one of Bini's most popular songs and peaked at number one on the Billboard Philippines Songs chart on June 8, 2024. In February 2025, Tatler Asia recognized the ubiquity of "Salamin, Salamin" in the Philippines throughout the year of 2024, along with "Pantropiko" (lit. 'Tropical'), the previously released single from Talaarawan. The inaugural Official Philippines Chart, launched on February 19, also acknowledged "Salamin, Salamin" as 2024's top four local song, based on aggregate data collected from Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, and YouTube Music.
Background and release
After promoting "Karera" and the sleeper hit "Pantropiko" as pre-release singles for their upcoming EP, Bini released Talaarawan together with its lead single "Salamin, Salamin" on March 8, 2024, International Women's Day, to align with the group's advocacy on women empowerment.[1] An accompanying music video was posted on YouTube on the same day; it garnered over one million views by March 27, within nearly three weeks of its release.[2]
Composition and lyrics
"Salamin, Salamin" is a bubblegum pop and funk song with a prominent groovy bassline.[3] The Bini members' vocals span from C4 to F♯/G♭5 in the song.[4]
Its lyrics are written in Tagalog and English[4] and incorporate fairytale motifs, with the narrator asking her magic mirror if her crush will notice her.[5] The track was produced by Mat Olavides and Bojam and composed by John Michael Conchada, Paula Rose Alcasid, and Paulo Miguel Rañeses.[6] The song also contains direct references to fairytales such as Mikha's line in the bridge "Mirror, mirror on the wall," from the Brothers Grimm's original Snow White text.[4]
Reception
Reviews
According to Precy Tan of Nylon Manila, "Salamin, Salamin" resonated deeply within the hearts of individuals who are stuck in uncertain situationships. She added, "In a world where mixed signals have become an art form, this track literally screams 'Better say it now, it's not too late. I'm ready to be called your princess.'"[7] Mika Geronimo of Rappler wrote that the song had a charming approach towards teenage love, similar to Talaarawan's previous single, "Pantropiko".[8] SunStar Davao included "Salamin" in their "10 OPM songs that defined 2024" list, with the song placing at number two. In the article, SunStar writer Ralph Lawrence G. Llemit praised the song's "infectious" melody and uplifting message that resonated with Filipinos, declaring "Salamin" to be the group's "crown jewel" for the year.[9] In 2026, Rolling Stone Philippines placed "Salamin, Salamin" as Bini's top song in its latest list.[10]
Audience reception
A variety of media outlets have reported that numerous public figures were spotted dancing or singing along to "Salamin, Salamin". This includes Filipino public figures such as actresses Gabbi Garcia,[11] Jennylyn Mercado,[12] and Iza Calzado,[13] as well as Philippine Basketball Association players.[14] Foreign pop groups like J-pop's Psychic Fever from Exile Tribe and K-pop's Riize also danced to the song.[15][16] In a feature for Tatler Asia, Jove Moya remarked on the song's ubiquity throughout the year of 2024, writing, "The gay bars, supermarkets, and car radios were dominated by one girl group throughout 2024. If it wasn't Bini's 'Pantropiko', it was 'Salamin, Salamin' playing on loop in these places all year round."[17]
The phrase "eyyy", which was included in the song's lyrics, also became popular in Filipino parlance and became associated with Bini member Sheena.[18] A few months after the song was released, a Christian content creator claimed that "Salamin Salamin" was a witchcraft song. The creator's post linked the song's lyrics to a book titled Mirror Magic (Scrying, Spells, Curses and Other Witch Crafts) by Viivi James, among other things. The Bini members firmly denied the claims, calling them "funny" and "fake news".[19][20]
Commercial performance
Coupled with the viral success of Bini's previous single "Pantropiko" on TikTok,[21] "Salamin, Salamin" and Talaarawan led the girl group to become Spotify's highest-streamed OPM female artist, as well as the Filipino P-pop group with the most monthly listeners on the platform.[22][23]
"Salamin, Salamin" entered the Billboard Philippines Songs chart at number 10 on the issue of April 20, 2024.[24] This, along with "Pantropiko" reaching a new peak of number five,[25] made Bini both the first P-pop group to have multiple entries on the chart[26] and the first P-pop group to have entries within the top 10.[27] Three months after its release, "Salamin, Salamin" peaked at the top of the chart on the issue of June 8, dethroning the previous week's chart-topper "Pantropiko" and scoring the girl group their second Billboard number one hit.[28][29]
In December, "Salamin Salamin" was recognized as the top music video of 2024 on YouTube in the Philippines, with its lyrics video placing eighth.[30] That same year, Google ranked it as the seventh most searched song in the country.[31] The track was also featured in Billboard Philippines' list of The 50 Best Songs of 2024 and The 50 Best Music Videos of 2024.[32][33]
At the inauguration of The Official Philippines Chart on February 19, 2025, "Salamin, Salamin" was recognized as its top four Local Song of the Year.[34]
Adaptations
A parody of the song, titled "Salarin, Salarin" (Culprit, Culprit), was released on the comedy show Bubble Gang on September 29, 2024.[35]
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Philippines (Billboard)[28] | 1 |
| Philippines Hot 100 (Billboard Philippines)[36] | 2 |
| Philippines Top Songs (Billboard Philippines)[37] | 2 |
Monthly charts
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Philippines (Top P-pop Songs)[38] | 6 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2024) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| Philippines (Philippines Hot 100)[39] | 4 |
| Philippines (Top Philippine Songs)[40] | 4 |
Accolades
| Award | Year | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awit Awards | 2025 | Best Dance/Electronic Recording | Won | [41][42] |
| Music Video of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Myx Music Awards | 2024 | Pop Video of the Year | Won | [43] |
| P-pop Music Awards | 2024 | Song of the Year | Nominated | [44][45] |
| Music Video of the Year | Won | |||
| Production Design in a Music Video | Won | |||
| VP Choice Awards | 2025 | P-pop Song of the Year | Won | [46] |
Listicles
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Philippines | 2024 | The 50 Best Music Videos of 2024 | Placed | [47] |
| The 50 Best Songs of 2024 | [48] | |||
| 2025 | 9 OPM Songs we'd Love to See Translated into The Sims' Simlish Language | [49] | ||
| SunStar Davao | 2024 | Tatak Noypi[a]: 10 OPM Songs that Defined 2024 | Placed | [50] |