Twice returned on October 17 with their newest Japanese single, ‘Fake & True‘. It will be included in their second Japanese album ‘『&TWICE』‘, which will be released on November 20. This is their third original Japanese song this year after ‘Happy Happy‘ and ‘Breakthrough‘ in June. Unlike their previous tracks, this one is a house genre song with a retro and jazzy feel, and distinctive brass sounds that enhance the chorus.
The title of the song, ‘Fake & True‘, conveys deep meaning. The lyrics are inspirational and tells a story of how you can find yourself by “believing in your intuition” (Jeongyeon, 0:42-0:45), and how you can make your goals ‘come true someday if you continue to try’ (Momo, 0:31-0:37). They talk about how one should be true to oneself in order to reach success rather than be fooled into falsity by settling with something less. Mina’s parts at 1:03-1:07 (“If we are freer, we can shine“) and Tzuyu’s at 0:54-1:00 (“I can’t decide the limits, so limitless to the end“) add to the meaning of the song. It seems that in the former, they’re talking about themselves and the way they sometimes cannot act freely on camera. They desire to express their true persona, but people expect idols to be like dolls and have certain expectations for public image. Jihyo also gets to sing catchy parts at the beginning of the chorus (“Hold on, Fake and True“, “stretch your hand rather than giving up“) and powerful lines later in the song (“important things are courage and imagination“). I like the harmonies we can hear throughout the song, such as Sana’s “Ah ah” in the background during the chorus.
The music video is worth watching and also deserves its own analysis. The sets and visuals are nicely eye-catching, and the choreography is somewhat energetic and suits the song. The contrast between “Fake” and “True” is visible in the video itself, with the choice of outfits—which change from sparkly and colorful to plain black many times throughout the song—and the use of motifs. At 0:18-0:19, Nayeon conducts a lie detector test on Sana to see if she is being truthful. At 1:39, Sana is surrounded by TV screens, and she is holding a chameleon in her hand—which portrays that she is blending well into the eyes of the media. CCTVs are all around Nayeon, meaning that as an idol, her every move is constantly being scrutinized. Part 1:49 shows the painting of Adam and Eve —Dahyun holds the apple, which in this case is a temptation to give in. At 3:18, Jihyo is in front of several shelves of diamonds, but she finds a fake one and puts it into her mouth and eats it. In the end, Sana fails the lie detector test, and the screen says ‘Fake’. All these motifs tell that the members are struggling between fake and true. They’re in a way fake and true to the media when they talk about themselves but can never express all their thoughts freely. They don’t want others to be able to control them, and they want to reach for their own intuitions in order to find their true selves.
‘Fake & True‘ isn’t as cheerful as ‘Happy Happy‘ and, unlike ‘Breakthrough‘, it doesn’t have a hard-hitting chorus — however, it is more memorable, and the lyrics are more motivational. Overall, it is clearly different from their previous Japanese releases, and its fancy and elegant concept reminded me of their latest Korean single ‘Feel Special’. I enjoyed the song due to its harmonious vocals and catchy brass sounds during the chorus. The music video, with its deep meaning and beautiful scenery, goes perfectly with what the lyrics want to express and is really pleasant to watch.
Music Video: 9/10
Vocal Quality: 7.5/10
Music: 8/10
8.1/10
