Twice’s Nayeon made her solo debut in June of 2022 with the splashy, addictive Pop. Now, almost two years later to the day, she’s picked up where she left off with the even splashier ABCD. There may still be room to grow, but in this era of flattened, fluttery earworms it’s refreshing to hear something this unabashedly old-fashioned in its showmanship.
ABCD has the driving force of a Crazy In Love. Or, to put it in K-pop terms, it sounds like something Ailee might have unleashed during the first few years of her career. Nayeon clearly enjoys this sound and revels in ABCD‘s breathless blend of bombast and swagger. It’s a stitched together string of highlights, from the charismatic hip-hop of the central drop to the explosive brass that follows. Not every moment is equally engaging, but there’s always a peak waiting around the corner. Nayeon ties it all together with plenty of attitude, wrapping her vocals around a variety of rhythms and tones.
ABCD‘s audio version cuts out an excellent dance break, which is a shame but inevitable given the demands of streaming culture. However, even at under three minutes the track manages to take us through a variety of segments without feeling slapdash. I like how we finish with a repetition of the breakdown, but wish the production indulged in those rhythms for longer. I could easily lose myself in an extra minute of percussion, dismantled and reassembled with renewed funk. The song calls for a major jam session and we just don’t get that. But that’s me wishing for something that doesn’t exist. ABCD is compelling on its own and a welcome blast of fresh air.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.75 |
Grade: B+
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
this song is AWESOME, might be better than her debut. imma download the MV ver of the song and add it to my playlist. rating’s about the same
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i also thought of Crazy in Love! which can only mean positive things
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I almost forgot that the dance break was edited out, and I have been playing the song on loop on Spotify for almost 20-30 minutes now!
Idk about the sing-talk hook in the beginning, it’s so-so, but the second part of the chorus is just wow with the brass (?) playing in the background. The percussion is really addicting, though wish the outro had a bit of brass in it. It’s really funky and I’m enjoying it so much!
Rating’s the exact same!
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I agree with you! I wish they included the dance break in the official audio!! It’s so good!
Stream Nayeon’s 2nd Mini Album!! I’m sorry but the whole is a no-skip album! You won’t be disappointed! 😭🫶🏻
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Oh she served mother when no one else would, whatever they are putting into their music, it’s too addictive! 😭😭
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nayeon does a great job but I think this type of song would be even more engaging with more vocal colors. Regardless, this is easily my favorite song from the last few weeks
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this is crazy in a good way
8.75/10 for me
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It’s ok.
More of a full course meal than Pop, but I’d rather have a tasty snack than a middling dinner.
Nayeon just doesn’t have the vocals for this. They’ve toned down the song for her , but they won’t overboard and it almost feels bland.
Not to say it’s bad, but it’s no Pop, nor is it even a Killing me good.
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Crazy In Love is a great reference to start with and it would’ve been great if the song leaned more into that direction but this is still a massive bop
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The MV reminds me of BoA’s Only One. Crazy in Love is an amazing reference. I love the song and rating is about the same. I love Nayeon’s solos so much!
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A big step up from her solid debut imo! I wished the dance break was in the audio version though :(.
Man what’s in JYP’s water lately?! So far, their music output this year has been amazing. I wonder if they listened to Nick’s (and a lot of our) critiques on their music over the past few years haha.
Plus, off topic but I’m curious to know your thoughts on Lay’s new song “Step” (+ his new album) which just dropped today. We got vocalist Lay back!😭😭😭
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Ooh, the Lay album wasn’t even on my radar. I’m going to have to give it a listen. The highlight medley sounds promising.
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I hear Beyoncé but I mostly hear JLO! Especially with that dance break. I wish the pre-chorus was more exciting but it’s not a bad song for sure.
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The Go-Go and early noughties inspiration in the sound really flatter my ears. The chorus is much better then Killin’ Me Good!
(Why did they cut out the dance break in the audio?)
But Nayeon lack the power for the obvious adlib at the end. For a sound that draw inspiration from Amerie’s One Thing and Beyonce’s Crazy In Love, you’d better have pipe to belt those adlib and chorus.
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They really did their assignment with this one. Beyoncé, JLo, Britney Spears, Tinashe. It’s a pop throwback blender from the sound to the MV. Still, Nayeon never once lost her individuality and she shined all throughout. Nayeon and her team just knows how to Kpop. Just full on pop showmanship without all that noise to distract you from the bad song production 👀
9/10! 🩵
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There’s a breathless “bring the house down”-type of energy that both this song’s and Pop’s choruses have, they really showcase what a good performer Nayeon is!
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Hell yeah! Nayeon’s back to bless us with another fantastic release for the summer! Love everything about this track. I was reminded a little of Antifragile, because the song gave me a spoken hook that I thought was going to be the chorus only to be surprised (pleasantly!) to find that a sung chorus came right after. Oh, and the MV is a ton of fun. I was reminded a tiny bit of the MV for What Is Love, with all the different scenes that felt like they were ripped from romance movies. But that might just be me. I haven’t listened to all of the the b-sides on this album yet, but I gave Magic a listen because I love Julie. Wasn’t disappointed! It’s nothing crazy, but it was a pleasant listen and Julie did a great job.
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wasnt sold on her debut track, but this track slapped me silly. As nick mentioned, in this recent year of samey unexciting music, the energy on this is much appreciated.
I can also see Jihyo performing this tbh, which speaks more about how similar in vibe both gives
9/10 as initial feeling
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Very early 00’s R&B. There were other songs besides “Crazy in Love” back when which have diminished in time. Will this be Nayeon’s break out like like CiL was Beyonce’s, or will it be just another one like this? Who knows, but for now they did as well as they could. I give it a “grounder triple to right field with runner batted in” rating.
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WOW, I was so nervous when the title was announced thinking it was going to try to take after “abcdefu,” so I was not expecting this harkening back to one of my favorite eras of pop music. She sells it so well, too! I’ve never been super into TWICE for whatever reason, but this checks all my boxes and I really like POP too. Nayeon, I have become a convert for you!
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she kinda looks like Lee Hyori in the beginning of the music video! (Auburn hair and short shorts)
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Not Nayeon releasing this BANGER on Tzuyu and I’s birthdays!?! Thanks queen 😭🩷👸🏻
I just wish the dance break was included in the actual song and not just the MV 🥲.
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Happy Birthday!!! 🎂🎉😊😍
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Thank you 🥰🩷
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Thank you 🤍🥰
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OMG happy birthday! ❤
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Great song and MV, I love to see a soloist this confident and charismatic. And yes, I thought about Crazy in Love too 😅. The timing was right for this song, with this Lee Hyori/sexy y2k style having a surge in popularity. I’m actually surprised JYPE has taken inspiration from something popular without making it feel like a “microtrend final boss”.
Anyway, I’d be more than happy if Nayeon’s solo career continues to grow in this direction and soloists like her are needed in K-pop.
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I love that she didn’t try to copy and paste from Pop. This really stands on its own and the energy doesn’t really ever back off once the song gets going. I really enjoyed this!
And I don’t know how I missed the Crazy in Love reference! I originally caught the Amerie One Thing reference in the dance break along with some Britney Spears earlier in the video. These make complete sense since all three singers have given us Summer bangers and ABCD looks like it’s going to be one as well! (It’s also ironic to me that this drops the same day as Normani’s album and she herself made similar references in her Motivation video).
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Blimey, I read this review before checking the song and had my expectations sky high… especially as the credits on this song are INSANE. PDogg on production? HELLO?
And now I am a bit disappointed, I have to say. I couldn’t make it past the first chorus. Well first of all I struggled to understand where the chorus is. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an “OK” song, but feels contrived and like some kind of uninspired exercise to me. The production is nowhere near the level of Crazy in Love or Amerie 1 Thing, nor are the hooks. I’m afraid it’s a hard pass for me. Naeyeon’s bland vocals don’t make it any better to my ears. I ADORED “Pop” – the chorus was so good to me, instantly memorable. And it suited her vocals.
My 2 cents, I know I’m in the minority here, so maybe it’s just me.
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I agree with everything, except that instead of Crazy in Love I couldn’t stop thinking about Christina Aguilera and more specifically Can’t Hold Us Down
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Am I really the only one who likes the no dance break version? while I was watching the mv I wished so bad that it wouldn’t be there and when I opened the album on spotify I was so happy that I didn’t hear it!! Definitely an A for me😊🤍
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