"I Can't Stop Me" (stylized in

all caps In typography, all caps (short for "all capitals") refers to text or a font in which all letters are capital letters, for example: "THIS TEXT IS IN ALL CAPS". All caps may be used for emphasis (for a word or phrase). They are commonly seen in ...

) is a song recorded by South Korean girl group

Twice Twice (; Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn: ''To~uwaisu''; commonly stylized as TWICE) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaey ...

, for their second

Korean-language Korean (South Korean: , ''hangugeo''; North Korean: , ''chosŏnmal'') is the native language for about 80 million people, mostly of Korean descent. It is the official and national language of both North Korea and South Korea (geographically Ko ...

studio album, '' Eyes Wide Open'' (2020). It was released on October 26, 2020, through

JYP Entertainment JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate founded in 1997 by J. Y. Park. It is one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea, and operates as a record label, tale ...

and

Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...

, as the album's

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

. As the opening track of the album, the song was written by

Park Jin-young Park Jin-young (Hangul: 박진영; born December 13, 1971), also known by his stage names J. Y. Park and The Asiansoul or the initials JYP, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, record executive, and reality television show ju ...

and Shim Eun-ji. The song was also composed by Melanie Joy Fontana, Michel "Lindgren" Schulz, and A Wright. "I Can't Stop Me" is a

synthwave Synthwave (also called outrun, retrowave, or futuresynth) is an electronic music microgenre that is based predominantly on the music associated with action, science-fiction, and horror film soundtracks of the 1980s. Other influences are drawn fr ...

and

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

-infused pop song with '80s-influences and rich instrumental sound exuding a

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

style. The track's lyrics describe the boundaries of the good and bad of intractable desires. The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

, directed by Lee Gi-baek, premiered simultaneously with the release of the single. Sporting a retro atmosphere, the colorful video depicts Twice performing non-stop choreography to the song in multiple settings. To promote "I Can't Stop Me", the group appeared and performed on several South Korean music programs including ''

M! Countdown ''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet. The show features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. It is broadcast from CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul. Bro ...

'', ''

Music Bank Music Bank may refer to: * ''Music Bank'' (TV program), a South Korean music program by KBS **''Music Bank World Tour The ''Music Bank'' World Tour is a worldwide live concert tour of South Korean music show ''Music Bank'' by the Korean Broad ...

'', and ''

Show! Music Core ''Show! Music Core'' (), or simply ''Music Core'' is a South Korean music television program broadcast by MBC. It airs live every Saturday at 15:30 (KST). The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform live on stage. ...

''.

Background and release

Twice released their ninth

EP '' More & More'' in June 2020. The EP was a commercial success in South Korea, selling over 550,000 copies and becoming the group's best-selling album. Following the success of ''More & More'',

announced that Twice would be releasing their second Korean studio album, ''Eyes Wide Open'' in October 2020, to commemorate the group's fifth anniversary. On October 11, the group shared the track-listing of ''Eyes Wide Open'', where "I Can't Stop Me" was revealed to be the album opener. The song was written by A Wright,

, Melanie Joy Fontana, Shim Eun-ji, and its producer Michel "Lindgren" Schulz. It was

engineered Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more specializ ...

by Sehee Eom, Eunjung Park, and Hyejin Choi, while the latter was additionally responsible for mixing alongside

Tony Maserati Tony Maserati is an American record producer and audio engineer specializing in mixing. He was involved in the development of the New York R&B and hip-hop scene in the 1990s, working with Mary J. Blige, Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, and Queen ...

which took place at Mirrorball Studios,

North Hollywood, California North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North H ...

. David K Younghyun was credited with assisting throughout the mixing process. PERRIE provided backing vocals for the song, and mastering was handled by

Chris Gehringer Chris Gehringer (born May 27, 1962) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered recordings such as Gwen Stefani's '' Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004), Rihanna's '' Loud'' (2010), Lady Gaga's '' Born This Way'' (2011) and Drake' ...

Sterling Sound George Marino (April 15, 1947 – June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He at ...

Edgewater, New Jersey Edgewater is a borough located along the Hudson River in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough had a population of 11,513,/nowiki>''sic''/nowiki> Hill Road was an important route to the top ...

. "I Can't Stop Me" was released for digital download and

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

as the

from ''Eyes Wide Open'' on October 26, 2020, by JYP Entertainment and

. "I Can't Stop Me" was choreographed by

Jonte' Moaning Jonte' Moaning (born October 9, 1982 in Portland, Oregon), also known as Jonte, is an American choreographer, dancer, singer-songwriter, and model. Life and career Jonte' was born on October 9, 1985, in Portland, Oregon. He began his dance care ...

, who has worked with

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

for Single Ladies, as well as Kiel Tutin and Leejung Lee, who previously collaborated for More & More.

Japanese and English versions

English version

The English version of "I Can't Stop Me" was released on November 30, 2020, as a digital single.

Japanese version

Twice released the fourth compilation album '' #Twice4'', on March 16, 2022, which includes both Korean and Japanese-language versions of "I Can't Stop Me". The Japanese lyrics were written by Natsumi Watanabe.

Composition

"I Can't Stop Me" has been described as an '80s

and pop song, with elements of

. It is the group's first attempt at the

synth A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

genre that has inspired the musical direction of their entire album. The song draws from European

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

and American

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

sound, supported by an arrangement of drum machines, "intoxicating"

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

beats, and "strong" instrumental sound. Lyrically, "I Can't Stop Me" talks about the conflict and duality of the good and bad of uncontrollable desires. Elaborating on the lyrics, member

Dahyun Kim Da-hyun (; born May 28, 1998), known mononymously as Dahyun, is a South Korean singer and rapper. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Twice, formed by JYP Entertainment in 2015. Life and career Dahyun was born in Seongnam, Gye ...

stated, "It portrays the danger and anxiety that come from standing on the boundary between the good and bad. It also captures a provocative ambience that boldly crosses the line, which I feel that a lot of people will be surprised by seeing a new Twice that they've never seen before." She added that the track illustrates the group's "musical growth" the most amongst all tracks on the album. Justin Moran of ''

Paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distributed ...

'' noted that the track is about "seduction and the ways we're constantly attracted to things we know we shouldn't want — things that are bad for us," through lines like, "I see the end, I know it's not right, I can't stop me, can't stop me." The song is composed in the key of A♯ minor, with a fast tempo of 150 beats per minute and runs for 3:25.

Promotion and music video

In the lead-up to the release of "I Can't Stop Me", the group released photo and video teasers for the track, which served as a promotional tool for their return. An accompanying

was uploaded to JYP Entertainment's

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel on October 26, 2020. The video was directed by Lee Gi-baek of the production company Tiger-Cave Studio, who had previously worked with several Korean artists, including Got7,

Beenzino Lim Sung-bin (; born September 12, 1987), better known by the stage name Beenzino (Hangul: 빈지노), is a South Korean rapper. His stage name is a play on that of Boston rapper Benzino, combined with "빈" (pronounced "been") from his birth ...

and Zico, among others. Portrayed in

, the visual features Twice performing "non-stop" choreography in a white subway station, a rainbow-colored canyon, and a large lotus flower, as they don color-coordinated looks. In one scene, the members are seated at a long table, facing their mirror images. Towards its conclusion, they are seen boarding a train wearing "high-fashion black-and-yellow" outfits similar to the plaid separates worn by

Alicia Silverstone Alicia Silverstone ( ; born October 4, 1976) is an American actress. She made her film debut in the thriller ''The Crush (1993 film), The Crush'' (1993), earning the 1994 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, and gained further prom ...

in the teen comedy film, ''

Clueless ''Clueless'' is a 1995 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling. It stars Alicia Silverstone with supporting roles by Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy and Paul Rudd. It was produced by Scott Rudin and Robert La ...

'' (1995). Discussing the fashion styles used in the music video,

Chaeyoung Son Chae-young (; born April 23, 1999), known mononymously as Chaeyoung, is a South Korean rapper and singer. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Twice, formed by JYP Entertainment. Early life Chaeyoung was born in Seoul, South K ...

said, "We also wanted to showcase our new sides visually, such as our widely beloved suit outfits from our teasers. We have many other kinds of outfits in store, some of them are featured in the song's music video." Moran wrote that the video showcases "Twice's star power, as the girls dance — perfectly in-sync, of course — throughout different environments, both on earth and somewhere in space." A choreography version was released on November 1, 2020. Its dance was choreographed by Kiel Tutin and Jonte Moaning. After 77 days of release, the music video surpassed 200 million views on YouTube. Hours after the song and the album's release, on October 26, 2020, Twice held a live meeting called "Twice 'I Can't Stop Me' Special Live" on

Naver Naver (Hangul: 네이버) is a South Korean online platform operated by the Naver Corporation. It was launched in 1999 as the first web portal in South Korea to develop and use its own search engine. It was also the world's first operator to in ...

's V app and

, introducing songs from the album and communicating with their fans. To promote the song and ''Eyes Wide Open'', the group appeared and performed on several South Korean music programs, starting with Mnet's ''

'' on October 29, where they performed "I Can't Stop Me" and "Up No More". They also appeared on

KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...

's ''

'', MBC's ''

'',

MBC M MBC M (formerly MBC Music) () is a South Korean specialty television channel owned by MBC Plus Media. The cable channel primarily broadcasts programming related to music. The channel opened on February 1, 2012, with a new music program ''Show ...

's ''

Show Champion ''Show Champion'' (Korean: 쇼 챔피언) is a South Korean music television program broadcast live by MBC M every Wednesday at Bitmaru Broadcasting Center in Ilsan. Hosts * Shindong (February 14, 2012 – December 25, 2012) * Hahm Eun-jung ...

'', and SBS' ''

Inkigayo ''Inkigayo'' ( ko, 인기가요; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who p ...

'', to perform the song. In the second week of promotion, "I Can't Stop Me" won the top spot on ''Show Champion'' on November 4. A clip featuring group members

Nayeon Im Na-yeon (; born September 22, 1995), known mononymously as Nayeon, is a South Korean singer. She became a member of the South Korean girl group Twice, under JYP Entertainment, in 2015 as a winning contestant of the reality survival televis ...

Sana Sana may refer to: Places * Sanaa, the capital of Yemen * Sana (river), a river in Bosnia and Herzegovina * Sana, Bhutan, a town in Bhutan * Sana, Haute-Garonne, a commune in France * Sana, Iran, a village in Iran * Sana, Mali, a commune in M ...

Momo Momo may refer to: Geography * Momo (department), a division of Northwest Province in Cameroon * Momo, Gabon, a town in the Woleu-Ntem province of Gabon * Momo, Piedmont, a town in the province of Novara, in northern Italy * Joffrey Tower, in ...

, and Chaeyoung, performing relay dance to the song, was posted to

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

the same day. Twice performed the song for their US television debut with their appearance on the "#PlayAtHome" series of

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second it ...

on November 30.

Accolades

Year end lists

Track listing

*Digital download / streaming #"I Can't Stop Me" – 3:25

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

Melon A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a "pepo". The ...

and

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * Tidal (album), ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * ...

Recording

* Recorded at JYPE Studios (

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, South Korea) * Mixed at Mirrorball Studios (

North Hollywood North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...

, California) * Mastered at

(

)

Personnel

– lead vocals * Michel "Lindgren" Schulz – producer, songwriter, programming,

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

* A Wright – songwriter * Melanie Joy Fontana – songwriter *

– songwriter * Shim Eun-jae – songwriter, choir director, digital editor * PERRIE – backing vocals * Hyejin Choi –

recording engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

, mixer * Sehee Eom – recording engineer * Eunjung Park – recording engineer * Lee Sang-yeop – digital editor *

– mixer * David K Younghyun – assistant mixer *

–

mastering engineer A mastering engineer is a person skilled in the practice of taking audio (typically musical content) that has been previously mixed in either the analog or digital domain as mono, stereo, or multichannel formats and preparing it for use in distr ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2020 songs 2020 singles Korean-language songs JYP Entertainment singles Twice (group) songs Songs written by Park Jin-young Songs written by Melanie Fontana Synthwave songs