JYP founder Park Jinyoung was one of K-pop’s first global visionaries, seeking Western partnerships far before it was the trendy thing to do. Without Wonder Girls’ 2009 foray into the States, a track like Strategy might not exist at all. Twice have already made themselves known worldwide, but this new single offers their first big-name collaboration with an international artist. “Twice + Megan Thee Stallion” was not on my 2024 bingo card, yet it makes complete sense given the agency’s wider legacy.
The song’s swaggering energy is a twist from Twice’s recent work. The retro synths and glossy beat are still very present, but Strategy takes a hip-hop turn that forgoes the bubblegum melodies the group has become known for. I’m of two minds about this. I love seeing them embrace some of the sassy energy that made Nayeon’s ABCD such a standout, but the song itself is keeping me at arm’s length. There are a few interesting things happening in the production, especially as the rhythm switches and deepens. The buzzsaw synths during the post-chorus are exquisite, recalling the best of early-00s hip-hop. And with over three minutes to unfold, Strategy crams a hearty number of unexpected turns into its running time.
Megan Thee Stallion is a very fun addition and, honestly, her verse makes for a much more convincing match with this production. Twice sound restrained in comparison and the hooks aren’t doing much for me. The chorus feels disconnected and a bit haphazard while the post-chorus chant is just too pedestrian. I’m more excited about some of the surprises within the verses — especially when the girls pull back for waves of harmony. Overall, the song is a real grab bag, with some flavors hitting stronger than others.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Idc i love this its their most exciting title track in ages! I’m quite happy with the chorus to be honest, I was nervous that the teased chanting section was going to be the whole chorus but it was a post-chorus to a more fleshed out melodic chorus which is a big relief to me. I have to agree Megan’s verse is the best part, but I’m having fun with the whole song already and I imagine it growing even more for me.
Can’t wait to dive into the album!
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Nick I usually always agree with you…except for this! Personally think this is their best work since TTT and the fun beat works so well with the members’ vocals and performance. It’s so nice to see a 10 year old girl group still having fun and reinventing themselves. Also this song is nearly 4 min long!!!!
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The song is 3:21 with Megan and 2:46 without
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I personally dont see what somehow a lot of people are seeing in this song. I think the chorus + post chorus are nice but the song is just too monotone? Nothing exciting ever happens with the production, the “hey boy” chant gets very aggravating by the end of the song due to it getting repeated maybe 15+ times. The verses dont offer anything unique? Megan Thee Stallion’s part was nice and very much needed to actually give something to this song. Better Chorus than One Spark but the verses and production was just meh?
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I actually love the hooks, and then I´m talking about the “Hey, boy, I’ma get ya I’ma get you real good and I bet ya” part. It´s so catchy and I love the instrumentals on that part. The song shows that the girls continue to grow and are passionate about it.
The basis is TWICE’s wonderful retro sound and the bubblegum is still very present. And that sound transitions seamlessly into a more edgy hip hop sound. If you see where TWICE comes from, I think that is very strong. It’s such a contrast to how the group started out and yet it fits perfectly into their discography.
Megan also fits the song perfectly without it feeling forced. TWICE doesn’t need a big name to collaborate with, as they have never done that before while many K-pop artists have already done so, but this collaboration is so natural.
The song broadens TWICE’s horizons while still sticking to their roots. I think the girls sound very good and confident. It’s mature and it sounds natural, but it could easily be on the soundtrack of an 80s teen movie. TWICE remain the retro queens.
There is a negative though. I would have liked the song to be a little longer and I would have liked to hear more of the “Hey, boy, I’ma get ya I’ma get you real good and I bet ya” part. But for me it certainly belongs in the list of TWICE’s best singles.
I also love that TWICE doesn’t follow trends but continues to do their own thing. They are confident about their own created sound and don’t give up on it. Not even if they collaborate with a major Western artist. And within their own sound they always know how to give us something new. The album is again very strong.
There’s a reason they’ve become my favorite K-pop act of all time. I like the message they want to convey. Sometimes it reminds me a bit of Whitney Houston, after all, her message was often about love and being close to yourself. It simply makes me happy and sometimes that’s all you need.
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I love this song a lot. Twice is just such a consistent group. They’ve made like 1000 songs this year and I’ve loved almost everything. They’re my favorite group so I’m gonna love everything they do regardless but they never fail to just make me happy. The rest of the album is great too. Its also nice to see Chaeyoung getting such a big focus on here. Maybe that means she’s next to get a solo album.
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I cant agree this time. In this collab feels like Megan just addition-effort. Her rap sounds not her. We can easily forget her. In comparasion to Sweetest pie with Dua lipa, this collab just about twice. And about the same beat we can clearly heard in previous works. I dont think it deserve 8. Maybe 7.5 is so so. It because nothing Aha moment. Just grab and go.
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Best thing for me about the song is that Megan’s part didn’t overshadow the group’s, they each had their moments,the pre chorus was fun. Twice are still doing something like this 9 years in, they’re not slowing down.
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I’ve never been a fan of music by rap artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Nicki Minaj so I expected not to like this as much. Twice are in a good phase of their career, both internationally and nationally, they remind me of Seventeen’s growing commercial performance. But, anyway, its golden era has passed and Strategy doesn’t show much. The song’s hooks are pretty boring
Rating: 7.75 (7, 8, 8, 8)
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Another good, not great, TWICE song. Their consistency is admirable. I don’t get why MTS is on this…
7.5/10
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The Twice portions play it so safe. There are a lot of opportunities to dial it up to 11, and instead the energy is set at an 8 or 9. Song is catchy, but doesn’t lean in.
The Megan part is fine. Phoned in, but fine. A good change of pace that isn’t jarring but just lays right into it.
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Middling song.
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This song really doesn’t work. I have been disappointed with almost all the newly released title tracks, and this is no exception. Earattack used to be one of my favorite producers but has sadly become very commercial in his productions.
The song has nothing interesting to offer musically or lyrically; the writing seems like a compilation of lyrics from older works. In general, it really feels like this track is scared of committing to anything specific, a common issue present in all Twice releases after “With You-th.” It is trying to go for a retro sound but only half-commits to it, making the core in modern production elements and adding retro sounds randomly to distract from how bland it really is. You get the feeling that the producer either wasn’t on board with the retro sound or was heavily restricted to make the sound as approachable as possible.
This scared approach is really the main issue plaguing Twice today and was most visible in the “Dive” album and the Misamo album. I hope they will get out of this phase soon, as these songs are just so forgettable.
(7, 7.5, 6.5, 7) Overall 7
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Wow, the comments are either ripping this song a new one or calling it Whitney-level amazing. Personally, I’m glad to see them having so much fun here. One Spark had me feeling like they were winding down, but this feels like, “Twice is back!”
The video helps a lot, because just listening to the song I zero in on the imperfect English. I wish they’d sung in Korean or at least released a Korean version. I think with Korean they could have dialed the energy up higher. Still, I’m satisfied.
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As far as I’ve heard, there are plans to release a Korean version. But then, if that was the case idk why they wouldn’t perform it in Korean on Music Bank
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once since 2016 here. this is the first song (and album) i dont like in the slightest
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the best
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Super weird to not hear a whisper out of Nayeon until the second chorus. This feels like the least amount of lines she’s had in a long time.
I thought it was fun, and it’s interesting to see them push Tzuyu as a vocalist this time.
I do wish that there was more interplay between them and Megan.
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Nayeon is still second in the line distribution of the song, if you count out Megan of course. Jihyo is first and third is Tzuyu.
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this is SOOOO good, it reminds me a lot of (like you said) the early-mid 00s, it’s a bit the neptunes / pharell-ish it’s just 🤌🤌
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I love the synths, it reminds me of Pharrell’s four counts like another commenter mentioned. I think this will be a grower!
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Am I the only one who prefers the version without Megan? Her rap is really, really good, don’t get me wrong, but it feela a bit out of place to me. I much prefer the Twice only version. The album is a mixed bag for me as well, overall one of their weakest. But hey, I’m also one of the few people who loved Ready to be album and Set Me Free is actually my favorite track of them by far.
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I felt like they got outshined by Megan. Her verse was great and an obvious highlight, but the song itself is pretty forgettable. The chanted hook is not for me.
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hmm its not for me
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Oops! I accidentally commented something while trying out how this worked… Oh well
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the beginning of the song sounds exactly like the beginning of ‘feel it’ by primrose, did they use the same sample?
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