Cherry on Top (Bini song)

"Cherry on Top" is a song by the Filipino girl group Bini. It was released as a digital single on July 11, 2024, through Star Music.

Background
After the successful promotion of the group's EP Talaarawan, which spawned the chart-topping singles "Pantropiko" and "Salamin, Salamin", Bini announced the release of the standalone digital single "Cherry on Top" to great fan anticipation.

Promotion and release
Bini first teased the single "Cherry on Top" in early June 2024 through their social media platforms. The promotion also included a photoshoot clip with the caption, "All eyes on us! Our upcoming single 'Cherry on Top' is serving soon!" Another teaser later released on Instagram featured the group singing in their signature bubblegum pop style, with lyrics that describe them as sweet and spicy, embodying the phrase "Cherry on Top".

Prior to the song's official release, Bini performed the single for the first time during their first solo concert Biniverse, which ran for three nights from June 28 to June 30, at the New Frontier Theater in Quezon City. A snippet of the song was also previewed on the mobile rhythm game Superstar Philippines, allowing fans to play the first 60 seconds of the song in-game starting July 1, 2024. Bini became the first international artist after the K-pop group Exo to have a song previewed in the Superstar Game Series.

On July 1, 2024, Bini released the official teaser for the music video. This was followed by a second official teaser, which was released on July 10. "Cherry on Top", alongside an accompanying music video, was released on July 11, 2024.

Composition
"Cherry on Top" has been described as a bubblegum pop song and is set in the key of C major with a tempo of 76 beats per minute. The track was produced by Shintaro Yasuda and Skylar Mones and composed by Boy Matthews, Gaby Ramirez, Shintaro Yasuda, and Skylar Mones. It was created in a collaboration during a writer's camp in 2023, with Bini members Colet and Maloi involved in the creative process.

Music video
The music video features Bini wearing ensembles in shades of pink and red while walking along a busy street. The scene transitions to the group dressed in pastel outfits, performing a dance routine in an all-pink set adorned with cherries and a graffiti wall displaying the song's title.

The music video incorporates several references to Filipino culture, such as a depiction of the pagmamano tradition, a balikbayan box, and the Filipino delicacies banana cue and halo-halo. The video also portrays scenes of a typical morning in the Philippines, showing the rhythmic swish of a walis tingting (broom) on the streets and the enjoyment of pandesal dipped in coffee. The music video was directed by Kerbs Balagtas.

Commercial performance
Following its release on July 11, "Cherry on Top" topped iTunes Philippines' Top Songs chart. In addition, it became the top trending music video on YouTube. Less than 24 hours since its release, the music video garnered over two million views on YouTube. It became the highest new entry on Spotify Philippines' Weekly Top Songs chart, debuting at number eight with over three million streams.

Critical reception
Writing for Billboard Philippines, Gabriel Saulog praised Bini for their "endless charm and flirtatious energy" and deemed the track a "certified bop", further describing it as "a sweet auditory sensation that will surely delight their rapidly growing fanbase of Blooms".

The American bureau of the Philippine Daily Inquirer praised the song's music video for its depictions of Filipino cultural references despite its being aimed at international audiences. The song was listed on Teen Vogue's Best Songs of July 2024 publication.