This week we’re going to look at the Wonder Girls new song, ‘Like This’!
Concept
The concept for this video is refreshingly simple; a flash mob. The video is set in the forecourt of an outside shopping centre which is filled with all sorts of people just shopping or meeting up with friends. This concept is pretty universal as I would assume that many people all over the world know of flash mobs. Whether they have seen the phenomenon with their own eyes or not, in this highly technological age flash mobs can go viral on the internet in minutes. In the UK, flash mobs are becoming an increasingly popular occurrence; do you remember the mobile network provider adverts on TV that staged flash mobs in the train stations? At the time most people I knew loved that advert, and even wished they could be part of one. Plus, as K-pop fans, we’re not strangers to flash mobs, seeing as they are staged fairly regularly in an attempt to promote K-pop.
The way the video was filmed is very interesting to watch; it is videoed at such angles as if shot by phone cameras, CCTV, etc. The filming is still high quality, but the fact that parts of it look a little like you could have shot them on your phone gives it a much more interactive and personal feel to it. This might help some potential UK fans get over the language barrier because everything about this concept and video feels less ‘professional’ or groomed and as such the band are less removed from the public and much more accessible.
It’s a really refreshing concept seeing these idols interacting with fans and members of the public, dancing with them and it’s obvious that everyone is just having a fun time. Some people are dancing really well – presumably hired dancers – but there are also some people just doing what they can and it feels like anyone with any level of dancing skill can join in. There are men, women, children and grandparents included in the flash mob; no one is excluded. It really brings a smile to your face! Even if you don’t entirely understand what they are singing about or you aren’t very coordinated when dancing, it is clear that you still would be welcome to join in.
It was also very refreshing to see that the girls aren’t wearing anything too outlandish. They are still quite fashionable with a contemporised 80’s feel (leggings, neon clothing, etc), but they are not dressed to overshadow other people. They are all quite casually dressed and look comfortable; nothing too scary or weird, which will appeal to a wider proportion of people in the UK.
UK Potential: 5/5
Choreography
At first this choreography can seem deceptively simple-looking, but after looking a little closer it’s infinitely athletic and energetic.
The dance routine can look a little strange at first with all the rapid leg movements, but once you get more used to it, it undeniably looks like a lot of fun. There isn’t really any Wonder Girls choreography that I don’t like, but the moves for ‘Like This’ are probably the most creative in my eyes! It’s very memorable and after seeing it just once it’s nigh on impossible to not want to attempt parts of it yourself. All the knee-shaking and jumping around is begging to be copied!
This fun and creative choreography would be fairly attractive to people in the UK, as many parts of it are pretty simple to replicate. I think that the easier it is for people to copy certain parts of the routine, the more likely that the song will also be remembered.
UK Potential: 4/5
Song
Not going to lie, the first thing I noticed about this song was the lack of ‘JYP’ being whispered at the beginning of the song…a little disconcerting for a JYP fangirl, such as myself. But this would actually work in the favour of the Wonder Girls if they were trying to break into the UK market, as non-K-pop fans will have no idea who JYP is and they would wonder why it is whispered at the beginning.
The song itself is an incredibly catchy sounding tune, and I can imagine it to be a bit of a summer anthem. It reminds me a little of the edgy songs being released by home-grown artists, such as Jessie J’s ‘Who’s laughing now’, which was very popular. The song sounds cool, modern and edgy as it is a dance/techno track with very minimalistic beat. It has an irresistible quality to it that just makes you want to move.
There is a lot more English used in this song then I first realised when I listened to this song for the first few times; there are many short English phrases repeated through the whole song, ‘Like this, yo, like this’, ‘Come on, baby, come on’, ‘Feel it, baby, feel it’ and other similar phrases. The English used is very well spoken and pronounced, as to be expected considering the Wonder Girls are all fairly proficient in English. Also, because they have used some English slang words, ‘yo’, it makes the English flow much better, as it seems that they have a good understanding of the kind of language used by their target audience. Again, as I’ve said before, proficiency in English is always going to be a huge help if they tried to break into the UK market, and as such, I really think this song has what it takes.
UK Potential: 5/5
Highlight: Seeing Yubin dancing with a little girl about a minute into the video was just so cute!
Overall UK Potential: 14/15 – This is without a doubt the highest score I have given a song with regards to how well I think it would do in the UK! But I honestly believe that ‘Like this’ with it’s amazing mix of an accessible concept for the video, edgy and contemporary sound, and the good use of English lyrics, would really have a fighting chance of succeeding here in the UK.
Click here to check out the Wonder Girl’s new mini-album on YesAsia
Thanks for reading! Post your thoughts and votes for next week below!
