2023 single by Twice
"
Moonlight Sunrise
" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group
Twice
. It was released as their second original English-language single on January 20, 2023, through
JYP Entertainment
and
Republic Records
. It serves as a pre-release single of the group's twelfth extended play,
Ready to Be
, released in March.
[3]
It is primarily an upbeat
Miami bass
,
R&B
and
pop
track that incorporates
house
,
synth-pop
, and
dreamy
elements in its production.
"Moonlight Sunrise" received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised the song's sultry lyrics and its fun, miami bass production, showing a new side of Twice. The track peaked at number 22 on the
Billboard
Global 200
, number 84 on the
Billboard
Hot 100
, and number 152 on South Korea's
Circle Digital Chart
. It also became a top-ten charting song in Hungary, Japan, New Zealand, and Taiwan.
Background and release
[
edit
]
On December 21, 2022, Twice posted a poster showing the text "Twice / Our Youth" with the caption "First, 1/4 of 2023", revealing that they would release the second all-English single in January 2023, their first since "
The Feels
" in 2021, and their twelfth extended play in March of the same year.
[3]
On January 3, 2023, Twice shared their new English single title on their social media account, called "Moonlight Sunrise", to be released on January 20.
[4]
Individual and group concept photos were posted between January 10 and 15. The music video teaser was released through Twice's
YouTube
account on January 17.
[5]
[6]
Composition
[
edit
]
"Moonlight Sunrise" was co-produced by Earattack and Lee Woo-hyun, and co-written by Nina Ann Nelson and Kaedi Dalley of
Citizen Queen
.
[7]
[8]
It is an upbeat
Miami bass
,
R&B
, and
pop
song.
[1]
[2]
The track incorporates a
synth-pop
arrangement with
house
influences, a
dreamy
melody, and lyrics that "explore the urgency of love"
[9]
In terms of
musical notation
, the song is written in the key of
C-sharp Major
and has a tempo of 125 beats per minute.
[10]
In an interview with
People
,
Jihyo
said the inspiration for the song came from the final concert of
Twice 4th World Tour III
at
Banc of California Stadium
: "During the tour, we had performed under the moonlight and we were dancing, and the composer for this song was there. He found our performance so beautiful, so that was what the inspiration of this song."
[11]
Tzuyu
shared the meaning of "Moonlight Sunrise" during an appearance on
The Kelly Clarkson Show
, explaining that the song is about "wanting to know the other person's heart, and they use the metaphor of 'moonlight' and 'sunrise' to parallel that fluttering heart feeling when you're in love."
[12]
Critical reception
[
edit
]
Rolling Stone India
reviewed the song and stated that "it exudes romance with a synth-pop arrangement, further intensified with house influences. The dreamy melody breathes life into the lyrics that explore the urgency of love. The dizzying love confession sees the members of Twice boldly confess their ardor; 'Baby, I don't really mean to rush/ But I’ma really need your touch/ If I’ma make it through the night/ I got the moonlight/ Tequila sunrise/ Uh, come take a shot on me, I got ya'".
[9]
Joshua Minsoo Kim, writing for
NPR Music
, said the song was "one of the most thrilling English songs from a K-pop group ever" and praised its "faithful interpretation" of the Atlanta bass genre.
[8]
Tim Chan writing for
Rolling Stone
stated that "'Moonlight Sunrise,' a serious contender for pop song of the year. No longer the wide-eyed group that burst onto the scene as teenagers in 2015, Twice get downright sultry and seductive on the Atlanta bass-inspired track. In just three minutes, 'Moonlight' perfectly encapsulates the sheer joy of Twice's music, brimming with sing-along melodies and playful lyrics that get people talking".
[15]
Lai Frances, writing for
Uproxx
, "the song’s flirtatious lyrics ('I've got the moonlight, tequila sunrise, come take a shot on me, I got ya') on top of a bed of Miami-bass is an invitation to the new side of Twice."
[16]
Rolling Stone
included the song in their list of best song of 2023, praising the group's change in sound and image writing, "Twice underscored their maturity by showing an artistic range beyond their signature
bubblegum pop
, with a Miami bass-infused R&B track."
[17]
Commercial performance
[
edit
]
"Moonlight Sunrise" marks the group's second entry on
Billboard
Hot 100
, which makes Twice the fourth K-pop group to have two or more songs on the chart, joining
BTS
,
Blackpink
, and
New Jeans
.
[18]
Track listing
[
edit
]
- "Moonlight Sunrise" ? 3:00
- "Moonlight Sunrise" (House remix) ? 3:38
- "Moonlight Sunrise" (Club remix) ? 3:51
- "Moonlight Sunrise" (R&B remix) ? 3:13
- "Moonlight Sunrise" (instrumental) ? 3:00
Credits and personnel
[
edit
]
- Twice
? vocals
- Sophia Pae ? background vocals
- Earattack ? songwriter, producer, arranger, keyboard, bass, drum programming, vocal director,
recording
- Nina Ann Nelson
? songwriter
- Kaedi Dalley
? songwriter
- Lee Woo-hyun ? songwriter, producer, arranger, keyboard, bass, drum programming
- Lee Kyeong-won ?
digital editing
- Goo Hye-jin ? recording
- Lim Chan-mi ? recording
- Lee Tae-sub ?
mixing
- Kwon Nam-woo ?
mastering
- Haneul Lee ?
immersive
mix engineering
- Jung-hoon Choi ? immersive mix engineering
Charts
[
edit
]
Certifications
[
edit
]
Release history
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
Bell, Crystal (January 20, 2023).
"New Year, New Twice: The Global Pop Phenoms Talk "Moonlight Sunrise" and Conquering Another Year"
.
Nylon
.
Archived
from the original on January 20, 2023
. Retrieved
January 20,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
Kim, Na-yul (January 20, 2023).
"[팝's新曲]"'moonlight sunrise'"‥트와이스, 사랑의 설렘 담은 러블리 魅力"
[[Pop's New Song] "'Moonlight Sunrise'" ‥ TWICE, lovely charm filled with the excitement of love.].
Herald POP
(in Korean).
Archived
from the original on January 20, 2023
. Retrieved
March 15,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
Kwak, Hyun-soo (December 21, 2022).
"트와이스, 來年 1月 先公開 英語 싱글→3月 새 미니 앨범 發賣"
[TWICE, Pre-Release English Single in January Next Year → New Mini Album Release in March].
YTN
(in Korean).
Archived
from the original on January 19, 2023
. Retrieved
January 19,
2023
.
- ^
Bowenbank, Starr (January 3, 2023).
"TWICE Reveals Details for New English-Language Single 'Moonlight Sunrise': Here's When It Arrives"
.
Billboard
.
Archived
from the original on January 18, 2023
. Retrieved
January 18,
2023
.
- ^
Park, Jae-hwan (January 14, 2023).
"Twice, English single 'MOONLIGHT SUNRISE' group teaser"
.
KBS Entertainment
.
Archived
from the original on January 18, 2023
. Retrieved
January 18,
2023
– via Naver.
- ^
"트와이스 '문라이트 선라이즈' MV 티저…로맨틱 雰圍氣"
[Twice 'Moonlight Sunrise' MV Teaser... romantic atmosphere].
Newsis
(in Korean). January 17, 2023.
Archived
from the original on January 18, 2023
. Retrieved
January 18,
2023
.
- ^
"MOONLIGHT SUNRISE - TWICE (트와이스)"
.
Melon
.
Archived
from the original on January 21, 2023
. Retrieved
January 20,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
Kim, Joshua Minsoo (January 20, 2023).
"TWICE, 'MOONLIGHT SUNRISE'
"
.
NPR Music
.
Archived
from the original on January 20, 2023
. Retrieved
January 20,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
Divyansha Dongre (January 20, 2023).
"Twice Unlock the Door to Their Heart in 'Moonlight Sunrise'
"
.
Rolling Stone India
.
Archived
from the original on January 20, 2023
. Retrieved
January 20,
2023
.
- ^
"TWICE MOONLIGHT SUNRISE"
.
Tunebat
. January 20, 2023
. Retrieved
January 20,
2023
.
- ^
Schmidt, Mackenzie (January 20, 2023).
"TWICE Release Second English Single 'Moonlight Sunrise,' and It Has a Special Hidden Significance for Fans"
.
People
.
Archived
from the original on January 20, 2023
. Retrieved
January 20,
2023
.
- ^
Ziwei, Puah (March 15, 2023).
"Watch TWICE perform 'Moonlight Sunrise' on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show'
"
.
NME
.
Archived
from the original on March 15, 2023
. Retrieved
March 18,
2023
.
- ^
Lee Hong-hyun (February 2023).
"TWICE ? Moonlight Sunrise"
.
IZM
(in Korean).
Archived
from the original on February 5, 2023
. Retrieved
February 5,
2023
.
- ^
Raj, Tanu I. (January 23, 2023).
"On new single 'Moonlight Sunrise', TWICE embrace their evolved ethos with a sultry smoothness"
.
NME
.
Archived
from the original on January 23, 2023
. Retrieved
January 23,
2023
.
- ^
Chan, Tim (March 10, 2023).
"On 'Ready to Be,' TWICE Prove They're Ready to Win"
.
Rolling Stone
.
Archived
from the original on March 10, 2023
. Retrieved
April 17,
2023
.
- ^
Frances, Lai (March 14, 2023).
"TWICE's 'Ready To Be' Is An Ode To Love And Maturity"
.
Uproxx
. Retrieved
April 17,
2023
.
- ^
"The 100 Best Songs of 2023"
.
Rolling Stone
. December 1, 2023
. Retrieved
December 3,
2023
.
- ^
Lee, Jae-hoon (January 31, 2023).
"트와이스, '문라이트'로 빌보드 '핫100' 2番째 進入…K팝 걸그룹 세番째"
[TWICE enters Billboard's 'Hot 100' for the second time with 'Moonlight'... The third K-pop girl group].
Newsis
(in Korean).
Archived
from the original on March 15, 2023
. Retrieved
March 15,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
"MOONLIGHT SUNRISE (The Remixes) - EP"
.
Apple Music
.
Archived
from the original on January 24, 2023
. Retrieved
January 24,
2023
.
- ^
"The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 30 January 2023".
The ARIA Report
. No. 1717.
Australian Recording Industry Association
. January 30, 2023. p. 9.
- ^
"Twice Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)"
.
Billboard
. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^
"Twice Chart History (Global 200)"
.
Billboard
. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^
"Twice Chart History (Hong Kong Songs)"
.
Billboard
.
Archived
from the original on September 7, 2022
. Retrieved
January 31,
2023
.
- ^
"
Archivum ? Slagerlistak ? MAHASZ"
(in Hungarian).
Single (track) Top 40 lista
. Magyar Hanglemezkiadok Szovetsege. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
- ^
"Twice Chart History (Japan Hot 100)"
.
Billboard
. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- ^
"Oricon Top 50 Combined Singles: 2023-02-06"
(in Japanese).
Oricon
.
Archived
from the original on February 6, 2023
. Retrieved
February 3,
2023
.
- ^
"Twice Chart History (Malaysia Songs)"
.
Billboard
.
Archived
from the original on September 7, 2022
. Retrieved
January 31,
2023
.
- ^
"NZ Hot Singles Chart"
.
Recorded Music NZ
. January 30, 2023.
Archived
from the original on January 27, 2023
. Retrieved
January 28,
2023
.
- ^
"Twice Chart History (Philippines Songs)"
.
Billboard
.
Archived
from the original on January 31, 2023
. Retrieved
January 31,
2023
.
- ^
"RIAS Top Charts Week 4 (20 - 26 Jan 2023)"
.
RIAS
. Archived from
the original
on January 31, 2023
. Retrieved
January 31,
2023
.
- ^
"Digital Chart ? Week 4 of 2023"
.
Circle Chart
(in Korean).
Archived
from the original on February 6, 2023
. Retrieved
February 2,
2023
.
- ^
"Twice Chart History (Taiwan Songs)"
.
Billboard
.
Archived
from the original on September 7, 2022
. Retrieved
January 31,
2023
.
- ^
"Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50"
.
Official Charts Company
. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
- ^
"Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100"
.
Official Charts Company
. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
- ^
"Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100"
.
Official Charts Company
.
Archived
from the original on March 26, 2023
. Retrieved
January 28,
2023
.
- ^
"Twice Chart History (Hot 100)"
.
Billboard
. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^
"Twice Chart History (Billboard Vietnam Hot 100)"
.
Billboard
.
Archived
from the original on February 3, 2023
. Retrieved
February 4,
2023
.
- ^
"Japanese single streaming certifications ? Twice ? Moonlight Sunrise"
(in Japanese).
Recording Industry Association of Japan
. Retrieved
July 25,
2023
.
Select
2023年6月
on the drop-down menu
- ^
Dongre, Divyansha (January 3, 2023).
"Twice Announces Pre-Release English Single 'Moonlight Sunrise'
"
.
Rolling Stone India
.
Archived
from the original on January 18, 2023
. Retrieved
January 18,
2023
.
- ^
Yoo, Jeong-min (November 17, 2023).
"트와이스, '문라이트 선라이즈' 리믹스 버전 發表 '특별한 膳物'
"
[Twice announces remix version of 'Moonlight Sunrise'].
MBC Entertainment
(in Korean)
. Retrieved
November 17,
2023
.
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