TWICE Strategizes Their Way Into Your Heart with “Strategy”
TWICE is back in the game with their 14th mini-album featuring not just the modern rap icon Megan Thee Stallion, but an English title track, the first since “The Feels” back in October of 2021. This sweet, head-bumping, and quintessentially TWICE release shows the reason why the nine-member powerhouse has managed to capture the hearts of many for nine years.
STRATEGY TRACKLIST:
“Strategy (feat. Megan Thee Stallion)”
“Kiss My Troubles Away”
“Like It Like It”
“Sweetest Obsession”
“Keeper”
“Magical”
“Strategy”
The Title Track: “Strategy (feat. Megan Thee Stallion)”
The rise of K-Pop idols collaborating with Western artists has been well documented in recent years, and 2024 is no exception. From IVE and Saweetie’s “All Night,” BTS and Coldplay’s “My Universe,” to SEVENTEEN and DJ Khaled’s “LOVE, MONEY, FAME” over a month ago, TWICE isn’t the first to collaborate with a Western or international artist this year. But that doesn’t mean the group is new to these kinds of collaborations. In November of 2023, the group released a compilation of remixes to their songs by DJs Jonas Blue, Ian Asher, Carneyval and a re-recording of “I Can’t Stop Me” featuring American rock band BOYS LIKE GIRLS. Before then, the group featured Italian DJ Benny Benassi and frequent USA-based SM collaborators The Stereotypes to remix their first English single “The Feels” in 2021.
What makes “Strategy” different from TWICE’s previous releases and collaborations is how prominent Megan is on the track. Megan’s feature makes the song as much hers as it is TWICE’s. “Strategy” has relatives in Nayeon’s “ABCD,” MISAMO’s “Identity,” and the group’s 2019 Japanese single “Breakthrough.” Megan naturally inserts herself into the soundscape of TWICE the same way that the group blends in on the “Mamushi” remix. “Strategy” combines the best of both TWICE and Megan Thee Stallion and it culminates in a track that’s not afraid to be what it is: fun to listen to.
B-Side Spotlight: “Sweetest Obsession”
No track can best represent TWICE’s unique sound in the modern day other than “Sweetest Obsession.” The track calls the listener their sweetest obsession and the things the group would do for the listener. While its content is a familiar theme for TWICE, the track itself is something not heard since “LOOK AT ME” on 2017’s Twicetagram. If anything, “Sweetest Obsession” and “LOOK AT ME” are almost siblings in both production and lyrics, both vying for the attention of the listener in different respects. The track is bright, bubbly, and a perfect representation of TWICE’s B-sides.
The Final Verdict
The “one-in-a-million” group continues its hot streak of “one-in-a-million” songs, making bigger and bigger strides in their ascent to the top in the West. The nine-member powerhouse takes charge on its title track, and their commanding presence reinforces their scheming theme in its lyrics. What can easily be its own promoted single represents what TWICE is as artists, taking nine years of discography and continuously evolving itself into its own unique sound. Megan Thee Stallion slips into TWICE’s soundscape in such a natural way that one can mistake her for being TWICE’s secret tenth member. “Strategy” as both a title track and full release is a welcome return to the personal sound TWICE is known for in an age where trends rule all.
Edited by Lacey Diluvio