TWICE’s new album ‘This Is For’ is an anthem to girl power and body positivity
Written by: Giulia Campora
With a powerful, Beyoncé-like background music, famous K-pop girl group TWICE begins to bring the listener into the world of girl power. In the intro track of their most recent fourth full-length album (most tracks are in English) ‘THIS IS FOR,’ named ‘FOUR,’ the group gives off the vibes of Beyonce’s worldwide hit ‘Run The World (Girls)’ with the killer sentence ‘Once you see us, you'll madly love us twice’ (found on Genius).
In the title track of the album, named ‘THIS IS FOR,’ the girl group begins pulling the listener into something beautiful. Lyrics like ‘which blends girl power and body positivity, something that is missing in this new generation nowadays. Lyrics such as ‘Thi-thi-this for the girls with that light inside/They spin around you like satellite/Yeah, you the baddest all day and night/I'll give you flowers 'til the end of time (Ooh)/This your moment, go get it (Ooh)/Forget that boy and don't sweat it (Oh)/I'll always be your ride or die, so,’ and the powerful chorus ‘This is for all my ladies (Ooh, ooh)/Who don't get hyped enough (Hyped enough)/If you've been done wrong/Then this your song so turn it up (Turn it up, oh, ooh-woah)/One time for all my ladies (All my ladies)/You looking good as what (Good as what)/So tell 'em bye, bye (Step out, done wrong)/Cause it's your time to turn it up,’ ensure that the song promotes girl power and body positivity, making it an anthem for someone who feels like they are an outcast in society (which it’s not true, ever).
In the next track, named ‘OPTIONS,’ which has a background music that gives the vibes of a song that Ariana Grande would release, the group points out the fact that they have many men to think about, and it’s hard to choose between them. That is seen in the playful chorus of the song (credit to Genius), “Baby, I'm gon' keep my options open, oh/Baby, I'm not bought and I'm not chosen/A-B-C-D, got options, oh/I'm picky when I choose, voulez-vous, could be you, oh,” and the pre-chorus, “First guy turned up in a black tie/Second wasn't my type, third, I let him know, oh/That I'm a little selfish, I know, but I just can't help it, no/Ego control (Keep it on the low, 'cause I never really know).” This track could also be seen as a soulful R&B anthem, with high notes that give goosebumps!
The next powerful pop track, named ‘MARS,’ is the first song in the album with most lyrics in Korean and focuses on the joy of puppy love, despite what everyone thinks of the relationship, as shown in the playful lyrics (English translation lyrics from Genius): “Do you ever really wonder if we are lost on Mars?/Some people might laugh/But you, with a face just like mine/Look me right in the еyes/Do you ever feel likе you don't belong in the world? (The world)/So much that you want to disappear (I know)/Among the shining stars/The blue dot has become distant.”
Going forward, there is the next track, ‘RIGHT HAND GIRL,’ where, in my opinion, the members of the group shine the most, as it is an R&B track, and promotes girl power once again. The lyrics of the song suggest that the girlfriend needs her other friend to have fun and forget the situation or the boyfriend who made them suffer, “I said I'm on my way, but I'm already outside/Girl, come and hop up in a big ride/Don't be messing up your eyeliner/For somebody who's a part-timer/Let's go heavy on the mood fired up/Trust me, it'll make you feel lighter.”
The playful pop song ‘PEACH GELATO,’ focuses on the millisecond that a guy sees a girl on the dance floor, and the girl invites the guy to join her, because she is likes him, as seen in the lyrics: “I'm just getting started, I can't stop (Shh)/I think I likе you more than a lot (More than a lot)/Text me back, I'm waiting, dot, dot, dot (Dot, dot, dot)/Come on, boy, show me that stuff you got (Show me, show me, show me).”
In the next track, the second Korean song in the album, named ‘HI HELLO,’ ensures the girls’ talent shine, as the girls invite out the boy that they like, by stating in the chorus, ’You say, "Hi," I say (Hello)/Don't keep me in limbo/No more vague, bye, hey, don't be shy/Look me in the eye, baby, all you gotta do is say/(Hello) Blushing cheeks/(Hello) Shaking hands/Hello, that mеans love/Hello, hello, hеllo, hello.”
Going forward, the next five tracks (BATTITUDE, DAT AHH DAT OHH, LET LOVE GO, G.O.A.T., TALK, in order) are all subunits within the members of the group. The first one, sung by TWICE members Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, and Mina, gives the vibes of a R&B Destiny’s Child or Pussycat Dolls type of song from the early 2000s, and it’s mindblowing! The lyrics focus on the girl moving on from the boy who broke her heart with ‘the big, big attitude.’
The second subunit song is sung by members Sana, Jihyo, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu. The track focuses on the fact that the girls have always been popular and are the center of the talk of social media (which it’s true!), as shown in the lyrics: “It's just the lifestyle, babe/Can't replicate, I been that girl (That girl)/They want the tea on me/Don't worry 'bout it.”
The third bubblegum pop subunit song is sung by members Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, and Tzuyu, focusing on the fact that the girl is better off without the man who makes her suffer, because she is tired of waiting around for him to come back to his senses. This is noticeable in the lyrics: “I held on so long 'til my body was numb/Couple holes up in my common se-e-ense/I held on so tight 'til my knuckles were white/But if I can survive, then I guess.”
In the fourth subunit R&B song, sung by members Mina, Dahyun, and Chaeyoung, the three TWICE members speak about their lives as singers in the tough K-Pop industry, by stating in the powerful chorus,“Got me on a roll, yeah, I breathe fire
Try to bring me low but I go higher'/Cause I got a goal, it won't stop for you (Stop for you)/Yes, I am the G.O.A.T., I am tougher (I am tougher); Got me on a roll, yеah, I breathe fire (Ooh)/Try to bring mе low but I go higher (Higher)/'Cause I got a goal, it won't stop for you/Yes, I am the G.O.A.T, on the top (Yeah, I).”
In the fifth subunit pop song, sung by the duo of Nayeon and Jihyo, in which they plead to the boy they like to give them attention and stop avoiding them, because that makes them suffer. That is noticeable in the lyrics: “Why my messages ain't goin through tonight?/Got me panicking, I want you by my side/'Cause I'm not better alone, not better alone, wooh/Baby, pick up the phone, I'm missin' your tone, wooh/Now, I'm having flashbacks, woah.”
Now, going back to songs with all the members, the album concludes with two soulful tracks, SEESAW (the third song in Korean present in the album) and HEARTBREAK AVENUE, which can be seen as the conclusion of the girl power moment, showing the vulnerability of a girl’s heart when it comes to the boy she likes, with lyrics such as “You hide it, I hide it, never letting go even for a moment/You want it, I want it, we want it, this dizzying seesaw just for us/I caught your secret, so it's hard to swallow/You're the only one who doesn't realize you've already lost,” in SEESAW, and “Every time I try to take another route, yeah/All the roads lead right back to you/I'm seeing all the signs but I ignore the truth/And end up on Heartbreak Avenue, oh/Can't get over you (Can't get)/Heartbreak Avenue (Heartbreak)/Can't get over you (Can't get)/Heartbreak Avenue (Heartbreak)” in HEARTBREAK AVENUE.
THIS IS FOR by TWICE is a wonderful blend of the bubblegum pop and girl crush genres. It’s thrilling and very interesting to analyze. Highly recommend listening to this album. And, additionally, the girls are going on tour soon, so start learning these 14 songs now to be ready for 2026 when they will come to the USA!
