It is primarily a hip hop song driven by trap beats and a looped classical violin sample of Niccolò Paganini's "La Campanella", with lyrics dismissing the group's haters.

"Shut Down" was a commercial success and became Blackpink's second number-one hit on the Billboard Global 200 as well as the first song by a K-pop act to top Spotify's weekly chart.

On July 31, 2022, a teaser video was uploaded on Blackpink's social media accounts, announcing the release of a new album in September, preceded by the pre-release single "Pink Venom" on August 19.

[1] On August 24, YG Entertainment announced that Blackpink was filming the music video for their second album's lead single in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.

[7] "Shut Down" is a hip hop-based track that features strings, an insistent bass sound, a trap beat and a "crazy loop" of classical violin.

Glenn Rowley writing for Billboard called it one of the best songs of 2022, praising its "swagger and savvy", and the melding of classical music and hip-hop as "ingenious.

[14] Maddy Myer writing for Teen Vogue hailed the song as an "effective ode to their haters" and "a musical masterpiece" due to its captivating production and pointed lyrics.

[20] "Shut Down" debuted at number one on the Billboard Global 200 with 152.8 million streams and 17,000 downloads sold, earning Blackpink their second number-one hit on the chart after "Pink Venom".

U.S. with 140 million streams and 13,000 downloads sold outside the U.S., earning Blackpink their third number-one hit on the chart after "Lovesick Girls" and "Pink Venom".

[26][27] In South Korea, "Shut Down" debuted at number 29 on the week 38 issue of the Circle Digital Chart for the period dated September 11–17, with less than two days of tracking.

[33][34] In the opening shot of the video, Lisa stands on a deck against a dark sky ("Playing with Fire") before taking the wheel for a group car ride, mirroring a scene from "Whistle" in which Rosé drove.

"[38] "Shut Down" won 10 music program awards in South Korea, including triple crowns (or three wins) on Show Champion, M Countdown, and Inkigayo.

[42] On September 16, 2022, the group held a livestream on their official YouTube channel, one hour before the release of Born Pink, on a large stage themed after the concept of "Shut Down".

In the broadcast, the members revealed behind-the-scenes stories of the music video filming, future activities and sneak peeks of the Born Pink World Tour, and they introduced the new songs on the album.

[58] On January 28, 2023, the group performed the song with Swedish violinist Daniel Lozakovich at the Le Gala des Pièces Jaunes charity event organized by the First Lady of France, Brigitte Macron, in Paris.

[59] In April and June 2023, Blackpink performed "Shut Down" during their headlining sets at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California and BST Hyde Park in London.

[60][61] La Poem, who is part of Yoo Se-yoon's team, covered "Shut Down" on the fifth episode of the South Korean reality show Webtoon Singer.