Limelight leapfrogged up my “Top K-pop Rookies” list last year on the strength of one song. Madeleine emerged last summer as shimmering counterprogramming to many of 2023’s trends. Its bold melodies and propulsive sound only grew more addictive with time, and made me long for a future where Limelight built upon this success with even stronger material.
New single Ta Da isn’t a vast departure in tone, but it misses the change to go bigger and bolder. It feels more in line with K-pop’s brief city pop flirtation than the rousing retro dance pop suggested by pre-release imagery. The beat is ornamented with bright synth and flashes of disco guitar, giving Ta Da a familiar sound. However, the song sticks in one gear all the way through, stubbornly refusing to burst into something more thrilling.
This may be a case of rising expectations being unfulfilled, but I’m struggling to find anything that makes Ta Da feel “title track worthy.” It plays more like a solid b-side, pleasant but uncompelling compared to more standout moments on an album. With that said, the girls sound great and I appreciate the focus on straightforward singing over brash sing-talk.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
Grade: C
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
To me it feels like an attempt to mimic “Cupid”. For all the success “Cupid” had on US streaming and radio, the rest of us in kpop world gave it a big shrug. Indeed I have heard it more than once on radio, and I only listen to radio in the car when my ipods are out of battery power.
I think this song is “fine”, and also give it a shrug.
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By the way, for those who don’t know, this is the last comeback for Limelight as a trio, as after Kep1er disbands later this year, Mashiro & Yeseo will join Limelight. I don’t know how to feel about this yet, but I’m sure Mashiro & Yeseo will make great additions to the group.
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This is probably one of their most lackluster tracks but I appreciate how they always had this slightly old-fashioned, straightforward sound that made them feel new and refreshing (Eye to Eye from 2022 remains my favorite song by them). Suhye’s solo, If U Know U Know, is a standout on this album. Looking forward to how they’ll evolve with the additional members.
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If U Know U Know is really catchy
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help why does this remind me of cupid by fifty fifty 😭
7.5/10 for me
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because this is obviously inspired by the success of cupid
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I think I’d rate it an 8, personally. It’s not reinventing any wheels, but especially after the last few years that can be a really, really good thing. It’s pretty, it made my ears happy, they sound nice, it does the job.
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Need you to review MiU solo song Twenty Twenty! So good, addicting, a good journey.
Rating is about right (which was something I rarely do, but for this song yeah I agreed). So glad there’s acapella as usual, which kinda convince me that this song need better instrumentals.
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Ditto for Twenty Twenty! It will surely end up being a strong contender for my personal 2024 SOTY. I absolutely love the pre-chorus and the progression to the chorus. Reminds me of some of the stuff that YOUHA released 2-3 years ago.
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Pretty meh after the bops we got.
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I liked this better than both. Something about veteran singers squeezing everything out of a song, even if it’s a trifle.
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