What Is Love?

Lore & Background

TWICE, the nine-member girl group that debuted in late 2015, quickly built a reputation for infectious, choreography-heavy pop hits. By 2019, the group had already cemented themselves as one of the most recognizable acts in the K-pop landscape. "What Is Love?" arrived as a deliberate tonal shift: a slower, more spacious arrangement that lets the members' vocal harmonies breathe. The production favors lush synth textures and a gentle, pulsing rhythm over the driving beats fans typically associate with the group.

The music video amplifies the song's dreamlike quality, placing the members in soft-lit, almost surreal environments that evoke the hazy, disorienting feeling of new love. Rather than the sharp, colorful staging of their regular music videos, the visuals here are muted, flowing, and cinematic, giving the impression of watching a memory rather than a performance. This aesthetic choice reinforced TWICE's versatility and showed that their identity as entertainers does not preclude artistic subtlety.

For fans, the track occupies a special niche in the group's discography. It is often cited as one of the songs that revealed the members as singers first, with the gentle vocal layering and emotional phrasing taking center stage. In a career defined by explosive energy, "What Is Love?" is the quiet, lingering note that stays with the listener long after the beat fades.

In Their Own Story

The studio was dim, lit only by the blue glow of a monitor and a single warm lamp in the corner. Momo leaned back in her chair, eyes closed, listening to the final mix of the bridge. The synth swelled like a tide pulling back from shore, and for a moment the room felt suspended—no choreography notes, no countdown, just nine voices braiding together into something that sounded less like a performance and more like a confession. Jeongyeon hummed a harmony under her breath, not quite on the beat, and the producer smiled without turning around. "Keep that," she said softly. "That's the whole song right there." Outside, the Seoul evening pressed its grey-blue face against the studio glass, and the track played on, patient and unhurried, asking its one simple question into the quiet.

Reader's Guide

TWICE debuted in October 2015 under JYP Entertainment, entering a K-pop market already dominated by established girl groups. Their early singles rapidly built a global fanbase, and by 2019 the group had become a fixture on international charts and award stages.

"What Is Love?" was released in 2019 as a standalone digital single, a format JYP used to keep the group present between full-album cycles. In the context of TWICE's career, the track mattered because it demonstrated the group's willingness to step outside the high-tempo, choreography-first formula that had defined their breakout hits. It was not a comeback single in the traditional sense but an artistic interlude, a reminder that the nine members could carry a song with nuance and restraint.

The release also reflected a broader trend in the K-pop industry during that period: labels increasingly used digital singles to experiment with tone and genre, building anticipation for upcoming full projects while giving fans a lower-stakes window into new creative directions. For TWICE, "What Is Love?" fit neatly into that strategy, reinforcing their image as versatile artists rather than a single-concept act.

Its lasting impact is felt in the group's later work, where softer, more atmospheric tracks became a recurring element of their discography. Fans frequently point to this song as the moment TWICE's artistic range was fully acknowledged, and it remains a go-to recommendation for newcomers who want to hear the group beyond the dance tracks.

Did You Know?

• The track's dreamy, spacious production is a deliberate contrast to the punchy, beat-driven sound that defined TWICE's earlier singles, showcasing the group's vocal harmonies in a more intimate setting.
• As a digital single rather than a full-album release, "What Is Love?" followed a pattern JYP Entertainment used to keep TWICE's discography fresh between major album cycles.
• The music video's muted, cinematic aesthetic is a notable departure from the bright, high-saturation visuals that typically accompany the group's choreography-heavy releases.
• TWICE's nine-member lineup means the song's layered vocal arrangement features a wide range of timbres, from bright top notes to warm lower harmonies, all woven into a single cohesive texture.