Over the last few years, K-pop has taken the media by storm. Nine member girl group, TWICE, recently released their first ever original English single, “The Feels,” and the positive reactions are well deserved. If you are in need of a musical boost, leave it to TWICE to provide.

An energetic, retro-esque song, “The Feels” is an overall delightful listen. Coming up on TWICE’s six year anniversary, “The Feels” is a single foreshadowing their third full length album teased to be arriving in November. With an intriguing bassline and addictive electronic tone, TWICE blends the well known “bubblegum” K-pop feel with an earworm chorus similar to the pop music we all know and love. Over the last three years, TWICE has worked to reshape their group image from a solely bubblegum sound to a more mature, confident presentation, and “The Feels” combines both sides of their brand together perfectly. While English singles from K-pop groups typically struggle to embody the talent groups possess, TWICE’s impressive dance ability and passionate vocals are just as obvious in “The Feels” as their Korean tracks.

The last few years have been huge for TWICE. Besides already being one of Korea’s biggest girl groups, their songs “I Can’t Stop Me,” “Fancy,” and “Yes or Yes,” just to name a few, have taken the Korean media by storm. Many people are curious as to why K-pop groups make songs in English when they are, clearly, a Korean pop group, and the answer is simple — the goal of musical fame is to achieve more than what you thought you could. From cutesy, schoolgirl tracks to edgier, confidence anthems and now entering an all-English scene, TWICE continues to prove their versatility.

 The music video takes the theme of a high school prom with a bright blue and pink color scheme that drew me in as soon as it began. Rapper Chaeyoung opens the track in the center of the formation, followed by lead vocalist Nayeon. TWICE does a fantastic job at enticing viewers — from bright hair colors to unique outfits to perfect color schemes, I went into “The Feels” with high expectations and all of them were met, if not exceeded. I cannot say that the thought of where this song stands compared to TWICE’s other music didn’t cross my mind — it is close to impossible not to compare a new release from an artist to a previous one. Especially with “The Feels” being their first ever English single, I was slightly skeptical over what it would be able to achieve, but, as usual, TWICE did not disappoint, and I can safely say that this song becomes more compelling with every listen. 

TWICE’s breakthrough entry into the English music industry was nothing short of incredible, and I have no doubt that the girls will continue to shake up the media with every release. New listeners of TWICE are certainly going to be left wanting more after hearing “The Feels.”