"Likey" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Twice. It was released by JYP Entertainment on October 30, 2017, as the lead single from their first studio album Twicetagram.
Background and release
Twice's comeback with their first full-length album, along with the lead single "Likey", was officially announced on October 16, 2017. The two music video teasers for the song were uploaded online on October 28. "Likey" and its music video was released on the 30th as a digital download on various music sites.
Composition
"Likey" was composed by Black Eyed Pilseung and Jeon Gun. It was Twice's fourth collaboration with Black Eyed Pilseung, after their hit singles "Like Ooh-Ahh", "Cheer Up" and "TT". The future electropop song opens with a synth-driven intro, and continues with children cheering, trumpeting horns, old-school synthesizer samples throughout the track. Lyrically, it is about the agony of trying to elicit a social-media "like" from a crush, as well as the struggle of maintaining a beautiful social media image.
Music video
Produced by Naive Creative Production for JYP Entertainment, the music video of "Likey" was directed by Kim Young-jo and Yoo Seung-woo. It was uploaded on October 30, 2017 at the official YouTube channel of JYP Entertainment. The music video was entirely filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in early September 2017, showcasing some of the most iconic areas in the region. It was featured in CTV News Vancouver—stating that the video is expected to boost tourism of the city. Some parts of it were personally filmed by Twice leader Jihyo. Early on in the video, Twice is seen clowning around at the Sunset Beachroller hockey rink with views of the ocean and Granville Island behind them. They also gather in a gelato shop called Ocean Rock Cafe on Marine Drive inWhite Rock. Backdrops for the dance routine include Gastown alley and Maple Tree Square, Alley Oop and Stanley Park's Hallelujah Point. In the mix, it also features the Gastown Steam Clock, Angel Hand-Painted Fashions store, White Rock Pier, Steveston's Marine Garage and the SkyTrain while riding an old Mark I train. On December 3, 2017, it set a new record of the fastest K-pop girl group music video to reach 100 million views on YouTube within 33 days. It surpassed 300 million views in September 2018.
Twice's second compilation album #Twice2, released on March 6, 2019, includes both Korean and Japanese-language versions of "Likey". The Japanese lyrics were written by Mayu Wakisaka. "Likey " was pre-released on January 10 as a digital single, along with an accompanying music video.
