"Sneakers" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group

Itzy Itzy (stylized in all caps; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment and consisting of members Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna. They debuted on February 12, 2019, with the release of their single album ''It'z Different'' ...

. It was released on July 15, 2022, by

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, as the lead single for their fifth

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

'' Checkmate''. Both Korean and English versions of the song were included in the extended play. The

electro-pop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...

track was written and produced by Didrik Thott, Jessica Pierpoint, Sebastian Thott, Friday, and Ogi (Galactika). An accompanying music video was released alongside the single on

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featuring a royal concept. Commercially, "Sneakers" peaked at number five on the

Circle Digital Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based o ...

, becoming Itzy's highest-charting single since "

Dalla Dalla "Dalla Dalla" () is the debut single by South Korean girl group Itzy. The song was released to digital outlets as the lead single from their debut single album, ''It'z Different'', on February 12, 2019, through JYP Entertainment. Written and ...

" (2019) and their sixth top-ten entry on the chart. The song also peaked at number one on ''Billboard''s South Korea Songs chart. Following its release, Itzy promoted the song with live performances on several South Korean music television programs and amassed three music show trophies.

Background and release

On June 2, 2022, JYP Entertainment announced that Itzy would be releasing their fifth Korean extended play titled ''Checkmate'' on July 15, after nearly nine months since their last release ''Crazy in Love'' with "Sneakers" announced as the lead single. On June 13, the group teaser photo was released. On July 11, a highlight medley teaser video was released. On July 12, the music video teaser was released. The song, along with the music video, was released on July 15. On August 9, 2023, JYP Entertainment announced that ITZY's ' Ringo' album would be released on October 18 of the same year, in which a Japanese version of Sneakers would be included amongst the songs.

Composition

The song was written by Friday (Galactika), OGI (Galactika), Didrik Thott and Jessica Pierpoint and composed by Didrik Thott, Jessica Pierpoint and Sebastian Thott and arranged by Sebastian Thott. The English version was written by Friday (Galactika), OGI (Galactika), Didrik Thott and Jessica Pierpoint and Sophia Pae. "Sneakers" is written in both English and Korean and is composed in the key of

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, with a

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of 120 beats per minute. Lyrically, it tells the listeners to run farther together to the moment you feel most free, wearing the sneakers that make you feel good. ''

Rolling Stone India ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its cove ...

'' wrote that "Itzy's "Sneakers" undoubtedly serves as an additional chapter in the group’s growing discography, which shares stories of living life without being force-fitted into a mold".

Music video

Background

On July 12, 2022 a 20-second teaser clip was released. Again on July 13, a 15-second teaser clip was also released. Both clips reached more than 7 million views before the release. The accompanying music video was released on JYP Entertainment's

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on July 15, coinciding the album's release.

Synopsis and reception

The music video is produced by SL8 Visual Lab and it was directed by 725. The music video opens with

Yeji Yeji is a town in the centre of Ghana and the capital of the Pru East District of the Bono East Region in Ghana. Yeji is adjacent to Lake Volta. Yeji is connected by highway to Ejura and Kwadjokrom. It had a population of 29,515 at the census of ...

wearing an extravagant gown walking in a hallway with framed pictures of purple sneakers. The next scene shows the quintet decked out in jewels, dancing and singing in a luxurious palace with a grand surrounding of thrones, statues, chandeliers and most notably a structure of a sneaker made using

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

. The scene shifts to a military control center where they are assuming command. Later in the clip, the girl group showcase their fierce choreography on an outer space sneaker store. And in signature Itzy fashion, the music video ends with the group strutting their iconic "crown" pose. Writer Gladys Yeo from ''

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'' described the music video as "playful".

Promotion

Prior to the album's release, on July 15, 2022, Itzy held a live event in collaboration with

Mnet M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

called "Itzy Comeback Special Checkmate" to introduce the album and communicate with their fans. Following the release of the album, the group performed "Sneakers" on July 15 at

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 ''

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 Broa ...

''. Followed by a performance on the popular American music program "MTV Fresh Out Live", on the morning of the July 16. They also promoted the single on MBC's '' Show! Music Core'' and SBS's '' Inkigayo'' on July 16. The quintet also performed the song on ''

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 ...

'' on July 22 for the talk show's "#LateShowMeMusic" series to promote the song.

Accolades

"Sneakers" won three first place trophies on music programs in South Korea, winning on ''

'' on July 22, '' M Countdown'' on August 11, and '' Inkigayo'' on August 14, 2022. It received nominations for Song of the Year (Overseas) at the Asian Pop Music Awards (Hong Kong) and Artist of the Year – Global Digital Music (July) at the

12th Circle Chart Music Awards The 12th Circle Chart Music Awards ceremony will be held at KSPO Dome in Seoul on February 18, 2023, to recognise the best artists and recordings, primarily based on Circle Music Chart of the year from December 1, 2021, to November 30, 2022. On J ...

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

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. Studio * JYPE Studios –

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* Studio Nomad –

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* Chapel Swing Studios – mixing * 821 Sound Mastering – mastering Personnel *

– lead vocals * J.Y. Park "The Asiansoul" – executive producer * Friday (Galactika) – lyrics, vocal direction * OGI (Galactika) – lyrics * Didrik Thott – lyrics, composition * Jessica Pierpoint – lyrics, composition * Sebastian Thott– composition, arrangement, computer programming, keyboard * Aiden – background vocals * Sophia Pae – background vocals, English lyrics * Choi – digital editing * Yue – digital editing * Park Eun-jung – recording * Eom Se-hee – recording * Lee Sang-yeop – recording * Koo Hye-jin – recording * Tony Maserati – mixing * David K. Younghyun – mixing * Valley Glen – mixing * Kwon Nam-woo – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

{{Itzy 2022 songs 2022 singles Itzy songs JYP Entertainment singles Songs written by Didrik Thott Songs written by Sebastian Thott Republic Records singles