I Didn't Expect to Get Roped into K-pop in Japan...

But here we stand. Oh, well.

My homestay sisters love to play DVR'd music shows on the family's TV, so they can follow the choreography and sing along to the songs. Their favorite group is TWICE, a group that makes Japanese versions of their songs, but is, as my homestay father put it, originally "a Korean unit." This post will be short, but I just wanted to share a few of the earworms that have become the background music of my life. (I honestly set up a Japanese iTunes account and bought a yen iTunes card from 7-Eleven just so I could buy some of these singles, which you can only buy in Korean on the American iTunes store).

(Well, and also so I could buy some songs I love that aren't available on American iTunes, like Mitchie M's "Viva Happy" ft. Hatsune Miku. Definitely one of my favorite songs in general. And, possibly surprisingly, Owl City, a singer from Minnesota, has two Japan-exclusive singles. So, of course, I had to buy those too now that I can.)

First, "BDZ," (short for BULLDOZER). I dare you to listen to this and not get the repeating English line stuck in your head. I can't sing the whole song without a lyrics sheet in front of me, but I can definitely sing that line from memory, at least.

Second, "Likey." This song is actually about how toxic Instagram culture can be, but it is definitely "a bop," as the kids these days say. (Zach H., if you're reading this, be proud of the fact that your obnoxious mannerisms are still haunting me from across the ocean.) Again, the English bits will get permanently lodged in your head.

I've also permanently got "Yes or Yes" and "What Is Love" by the same group stuck in my head, but those haven't had an official release in Japanese yet, so I haven't been able to find those songs on YouTube yet. Check back in March when the EP drops (which, yes, I have already pre-ordered).

Another song they like listening to, by a Japanese girl group, is "Synchronicity" (シンクロニシティ, if I recall correctly). This comes from the group Nogizaki46. This song has a rather touching message, and I really do enjoy listening to it.

I think those are the three main songs I wanted to link to... Oh yeah. Nix that.

I can't forget Da Pump.

I am never going to get the line "C'MON, BABY, AMERIKA" out of my head, ever again.