[#40] Twice - "OOH-AHH하게"

From: "The Story Begins"
Previous Best of Entries: First Appearance
Other notable song(s) from 2015: n/a

And the entries from reality show-formed rookie groups continue with JYP's new girl group Twice. Honestly, I had high hopes for SIXTEEN when it started—the Chae sisters from K-Pop Star looked promising, and the production quality of the show made me optimistic. But honestly, throughout the show several things were revealed—there were very few strong singers in the line-up, and most of the girls had "personality" but little to no musical (or performance-related) talent.

So I was really surprised when I heard "OOH-AHH하게", because it exceeded my expectations after I saw the final line-up. As a song, half of it is a mess—but I'll have to admit it's a mess that grew on me. The chorus is ridiculously addictive, with strong recall throughout the entire section (and not just at the hook). And for a group that isn't very musically gifted, "OOH-AHH하게" is a heavily-melodic song. Plainly put, there's a lot of singing going on even if not a lot of the girls can sing.

"OOH-AHH하게" does two things: it's a package that makes use of Twice's strengths, and it's a well-written, produced, and executed pop song with a very effective hook. And this, I believe, is an achievement. It's an achievement for JYP and his A&R team—because after years of lambasting K-Pop's A&R skills, finally groups are getting repertoires that bring out the best in the talents they have. And it's an achievement for Twice, because thanks to smart song choice they're off to a good start.