“Likey” is the title song and first lead single by TWICE. The song was released in October 2017 through JYP Entertainment. “Likey” is indeed known as an upbeat and addicting bubble pop song, with consistent repetition of “likey” throughout the song. What makes this song even more iconic was Dahyun-Chaeyoung’s rap toward the end of the song.
Background of “Likey”
“Likey” was the lead single of TWICE’s first full-length comeback studio album Twicetagram. The “Likey” teaser videos and photos were published on October 15th, 2017. The teasers consisted of cute selfies of each member through YouTube videos and official Instagram posts by JYP Entertainment.
Two music video teasers were later uploaded online on October 28th, 2017. JYP Entertainment released “Likey” and the music video on October 30th, 2017. A day later, “Likey” was available to stream through various digital music platforms, as the full album was also released on the same day.
Story of “Likey”
The song was produced in early 2017 with a collaboration with Black Eyed Pilseung and Jeon Jeongun. The production of “Likey” was considered as TWICE’s third collaboration with Pilseung. In terms of musicality, the song is often described to have a future electro-pop genre, with a touch of old-school synth, cheers, and trumpeting horns. During TWICE’s interview with Arirang K-Pop, Nayeon explained that the lyrics of “Likey” are about “an adorable girl who posts daily pictures on social media and wants her crush to like them.” Aside from telling a story of a girl’s effort to get likes, the lyrics also aimed to convey a bittersweet message about girls’ struggles to maintain their physical appearance based on beauty standards that are regularly being displayed on social media.
“Likey” MV
Just like TWICE’s previous title tracks, the MV concept of “Likey” was vibrant and colorful. The main concept was the girls documented themselves having fun in the city together. The “Likey” MV was directed by Kim Young Joo and Yoo Seung Woo. All of the scenes were shot in Vancouver, Canada. Jihyo stated that it was the first time for all TWICE members to shoot an MV abroad, outside of South Korea. The video was shot in September 2017. The MV trailer then was uploaded online on October 16th, 2017, followed by the full-length MV being released two weeks later. The MV was a product of the collaboration between Twice and the City of Vancouver, as the video was expected to boost the tourism of the city. The music video also highlighted some of Vancouver’s iconic places such as Stanley Park, Pink Alley, Gastown, and White Rock Beach. Other than touristy spots, the MV was also shot inside a moving SkyTrain and a local secondary school. Later, after the MV release, it was revealed that some of the members also gave a personal touch to the making of the MV. Some of the footage was personally filmed by Jihyo, while the dance break at 3:05 was choreographed by Momo. As of July 2021, the “Likey” MV has been viewed over 500 million times on YouTube. It was also one of the first K-pop girl group music videos to reach 100 million views on YouTube 33 days after its release.
“Likey” Performance
The debut stage performance of this song was on M Countdown! on November 2nd, 2017. The performance began with the promotion of the Twicetagram album with all the members’ video package using an Instagram-like format for their concept photos. The stage was decorated to look like a colorful amusement park. All the members wore black, white, and red outfits.
A week later, the song was again performed in KBS’s Music Bank.
The MBC Gayo Daejeon 2017 version of “Likey” was somewhat different from the previous ones. Some of the lines were switched with another member.
“Likey” was also played at the 2017 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony parade in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
“Likey” Achievements
“Likey” skyrocketed to No. 1 in the Billboard World Digital Song Sales, the K-pop Top 100 Chart, shortly after debut.
Weekly Charts
Year-end Charts
Award Nominations
Music Program Awards
“Likey” Fun Facts
TWICE also released a Japanese version of the song, written by Mayu Makisaka. The MV with Japanese lyrics was released on Twice Japan’s Official YouTube channel in January 2018. The song “Likey” is also included in the tracklist of the compilation album KPop! That’s What I Call Music!, which was released in 2021.
