"TT" is a song recorded by South Korean girl groupTwice. The song was released byJYP Entertainment on October 24, 2016, as the lead single from their third extended playTwicecoaster: Lane 1. It was written and composed by Sam Lewis andBlack Eyed Pilseung respectively. The title "TT" refers to anemoticon used to express crying or sadness.[2]
The Japanese version of "TT" was released as the lead single from the group's first Japanese compilation album,#Twice.[3] Its accompanying music video was released on June 21, 2017.
On October 10, 2016, JYP Entertainment announced that Twice would release their third EPTwicecoaster: Lane 1. The first teaser for the music video for "TT" was unveiled on October 20, featuring a boy and a girl wearingHalloween costumes, followed by the second teaser next day. It was released on October 24 as a digital download on various music sites.[4][5][6][7] A remix version titled "TT (TAK Remix)" was released on February 20, 2017, as a bonus track from Twice's special albumTwicecoaster: Lane 2.[8]
A few weeks after the release, "TT pose", which is part of the choreography of "TT", became atrend in Japan. It was imitated by several Japanese celebrities onSNS and became popular among teenagers.[9][10] On February 24, 2017, Twice officially announced that their debut in Japan was set for June 28. They released a compilation album titled#Twice which consists of ten songs including both Korean and Japanese-language versions of "TT".[11][12][13] It has Japanese lyrics written byShoko Fujibayashi.[3]
"TT" was composed byBlack Eyed Pilseung, who is also the composer of Twice's hit songs "Like Ooh-Ahh" and "Cheer Up", and arranged byRado. It has lyrics written by Sam Lewis, which describes a girl's pounding heart as she falls in love for the first time. It is a K-pop song with heavy electronic influences and steady deep house snare beats.[1][15] Of the song, Twice memberJihyo said "We've got a song that best shows Twice's energetic, bright vibe that we've shown since 'Like Ooh-Ahh' and 'Cheer Up'".[16]
The music video for "TT" was directed by Kim Young-jo and Yoo Seung-woo of Naive, the same production team behind the music videos for Twice's songs "Like Ooh-Ahh" and "Cheer Up".[17] It earned more than 5 million views onYouTube in less than 24 hours since its release. As of 2016, the video set a new record in only 40 hours, making it the fastest K-pop group music video to reach 10 million views and then broke the record of fastest to reach 20 million views in 114 hours (4 days 18 hours).[2][18][19][20] The music video also ranked third place on 2016 YouTube's Most Popular Music Video in South Korea, while "Cheer Up" topped the list.[21]
In early 2017, the music video for "TT" hit 100 million views and became the most viewed K-pop girl group music video of all time.[22][23] It also recorded the first K-pop female act and the fastest idol group to achieve 200 million and 300 million YouTube views.[24][25][26] In September 2018, the music video became the first by a K-pop female act to hit 400 million views on YouTube.[27]
The full music video of the Japanese version of "TT", directed by Jimmy of BS Pictures, was released on June 21, 2017.[31][32] It ranked at No. 4 of YouTube Japan Top Trend Music Video in 2017.[33]
Billboard included "TT" in their best K-pop songs of the 2010s list, writing that "the decade-defining girl group solidified their legacy with this gooey synth-pop track that created a new go-to phrase for K-pop fans worldwide. The song boasts an earworm for anyone and everyone's taste."[34]
"TT" became one of thebest-performing songs in 2016, as it claimed the top spot ofGaon'sDigital Chart for four consecutive weeks. It also peaked at number two and three onBillboard charts'World Digital Song Sales andBillboard Japan Hot 100, respectively.[55][56][57][58] "TT" surpassed 100 million streams in April 2017 and 2,500,000 downloads in July 2018 on Gaon Music Chart.[59] It placed at No. 6 on the 2017 Year-end Billboard Japan Hot 100 list, the only Korean song on the ranking.[60] It is also Twice's best selling song in the United States with 33,000 copies sold as of May 2019.[61]
In February 2018, "TT (Japanese ver.)" earnedGold digital certification for over 100,000 downloads, marking the group's first digital single certification from theRecording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).[62] In April 2020, the RIAJ introduced streaming certifications, and the single was certified Silver for upwards of 30 million known streams. Both the Korean and Japanese versions of "TT" were subsequently certified Gold for surpassing 50 million streams.[62]
^Yoon, Min-sik (February 24, 2017)."Twice to debut in Japan".K-pop Herald. Herald Corporation.Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. RetrievedJune 28, 2017.
^"TWICEcoaster : LANE 1".Twice official website (in Korean). JYP Entertainment.Archived from the original on November 25, 2016. RetrievedJune 28, 2017.
^"TWICEcoaster : LANE 1".Twice official website. JYP Entertainment.Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. RetrievedJune 28, 2017.
^Kim, Min-su (December 8, 2016)."2016년 유튜브를 뜨겁게 달군 동영상 톱10은?".No Cut News (in Korean).Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. RetrievedDecember 9, 2016 – via Naver.
^"第32回 日本ゴールドディスク大賞・受賞作品／アーティスト".Japan Gold Disc Award (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan.Archived from the original on October 4, 2018. RetrievedFebruary 26, 2018.
^"20주년 어워즈 – 가장 사랑받은 음악 20" [20th Anniversary Awards – 20 Most Loved Music].Bugs! (in Korean).Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. RetrievedApril 10, 2022.
"2016년 44주차 Digital Chart".Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association.Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. RetrievedJune 28, 2017.
"2016년 45주차 Digital Chart".Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association.Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. RetrievedJune 28, 2017.
"2016년 46주차 Digital Chart".Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association.Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. RetrievedJune 28, 2017.
"2016년 47주차 Digital Chart".Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association.Archived from the original on January 4, 2019. RetrievedJune 28, 2017.
^abcDaniel, C. (September 12, 2018)."GAON′s 관찰노트" [Gaon's Observation Notes].Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association.Archived from the original on September 13, 2018. RetrievedSeptember 12, 2018.
^"2016년 Digital Chart".Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association.Archived from the original on September 22, 2018. RetrievedJune 28, 2017.
^"2017년 Digital Chart".Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association.Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. RetrievedJanuary 13, 2018.
