GingaMingaYo (The Strange World)

"GingaMingaYo (The Strange World)" (from Korean: 긴가민가요; RR: Gingamingayo, meaning "uncertain") is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Billlie for their second extended play The Collective Soul and Unconscious: Chapter One. It was released as the lead single by Mystic Story on February 23, 2022. It was written by Le'mon and Hyuk Shin, MRey, Ashley Alisha and Le'mon of 153/Joombas worked on composing while Han Peacedelic Jungsu produced the song. "GingaMingaYo" is a pop song with elements of bass house. Lyrically, It contains the questions and emotions that one asks himself during the process of becoming an adult. The Japanese version was released on May 17, 2023, as the group's debut single in Japan.^[1]

"GingaMingaYo (The Strange World)"
Japanese version standard cover
Single by Billlie
from the EP The Collective Soul and Unconscious: Chapter One
Language	Korean
B-side	"Everybody's Got a Secret" (Japanese)
Released	February 23, 2022 (2022-02-23)
Genre	K-pop
Length	3:35
Label	Mystic Story Kakao
Composer(s)	Hyuk Shin (153CreatorsClub) MRey (153CreatorsClub) Ashley Alisha (153/Joombas) Le'mon (153/Joombas)
Lyricist(s)	Le'mon
Producer(s)	Han Peacedelic Jungsu
Billlie singles chronology
"Snowy Night" (2021) "GingaMingaYo (The Strange World)" (2022) "Patbingsu" (2022)
Music video
"GingaMingaYo (The Strange World)" on YouTube

"GingaMingaYo (The Strange World)" title card

Composition and lyrics

The title track "GingaMingaYo (The Strange World)" was written by Lemon, composed by Hyuk Shin (153CreatorsClub), MRey (153CreatorsClub), Ashley Alisha (153/Joombas), Le'mon (153/Joombas) and was arranged by MRay (153/Joombas). "Ginga minga" is a Korean expression meaning uncertainty. As the title implies, the song is about being confused with the changes in life as one grows up. The title which is written in Korean and English is composed in the key of B flat minor, with a tempo of 122 beats per minute with a running time of 3 minutes and 35 seconds.^[2]

Background and reception

"GingaMingaYo" was first announced on 11 February 2022, through a track list image released by Mystic Story on different social media platforms.^[3][4] It was first heard on 21 February through the highlight medley and the official track was released alongside the EP on 23 February 2022, accompanied by its music video uploaded on YouTube by Mystic Story.^[5]

Many critics observed "GingaMingaYo" to have more of a lighter, more whimsical feel with catchy deep house beats that's giving a playful and fun mood compared to their debut song "Ring X Ring".^[6][7] Time noted down that Funky synths and Billlie’s animated chants propel the song, creating a fun number that piques a listener’s curiosity as much as it boosts their energy.^[8]

Promotion

3 members were interviewed by The Korea Times to promote the album on February 23, 2022, following the cancellation of their media showcase.^[9] They subsequently premiered the song after 13 days of release on SBS MTV's The Show.^[10][11] The group also performed on M Countdown, Music Bank,^[12] Inkigayo,^[13] Show! Music Core,^[14] Show Champion^[15] and Simply Con-Tour.

Music video

Prior to the release, a teaser was released and the music video was released on February 23, 2022. It was directed by Hong Wonki And Shim Jihyoung from Zanybros, where they portray the girls transcending from their everyday life to a strange world where they explore the deeper layers of their unconsciousness.^[16] This is the second time Zanybros has directed a music video for Billlie with the first one being for "Snowy Night".

Commercial performance

"GingaMingaYo (The Strange World)" did not enter the Gaon Digital Chart, but appeared at number 123 on the component Download Chart and then went on to peak at 92 the following week.^[17] In Japan, the song debuted at number 6 on the Billboard Japan Heatseekers Songs Chart.^[18][19]

Accolades

Mid-year lists

Critic/Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
Time	The Best K-pop Songs and Albums of 2022 So Far (Songs)	—	^[20]
NME	The 15 best K-pop songs of 2022 – So Far	15	^[21]

Personnel

Credits are adopted from Melon.^[22]

Recording and management

• Recorded and digital edited at 153/Joombas Studio (Seoul, South Korea)
• Mixed at Studio89 and Glabudio Studio (Seoul, South Korea)
• Published by 153/Joombas Publishing, EKKO Music Rights (CTGA), EKKO Music Rights Europe (CTGA), JYP Publishing (KOMCA) and NuVibe Music

Personnel

• Billlie – vocals, background vocals
• Hyuk Shin (153CreatorsClub) – composition
• MRey (153CreatorsClub) – composition, arrangement
• Ashley Alisha (153/Joombas) – composition
• Le'mon (153/Joombas) – composition, lyrics
• Kim Jihyun – recording
• Mr.Panda – mixing
• Joe LaPorta – mixing

Visual credits

• Hong Wonki (Zanybros) – music video direction
• Shim Jihyoung (Zanybros) – music video direction
• Lia Kim (1Million Dance Studio) – choreography production
• Dohee (1Million Dance Studio) – choreography
• JJ (1Million Dance Studio) – choreography
• Yeji Kim (1Million Dance Studio) – choreography
• Amy Park (1Million Dance Studio) – choreography
• Renan (1Million Dance Studio) – choreography

Charts

Chart performance for "GingaMingaYo (The Strange World)"

Chart (2022)	Peak position
Japan Heatseekers (Billboard Japan)^[19]	6
South Korea Download (Gaon)^[17]	92

Chart performance for "GingaMingaYo (The Strange World)" (Japanese ver.)

Chart (2023)	Peak position
Japan (Oricon)^[23]	4
Japan Combined Singles (Oricon)^[24]	24
Japan Top Singles Sales (Billboard Japan)^[25]	7

Release history

Release history for "GingaMingaYo (The Strange World)"

Region	Date	Format	Version	Label
Various	February 23, 2022	Digital download streaming	Original (Korean)	Mystic Story Kakao
Various	May 17, 2023		Japanese	Victor
Japan		CD single

References

1. "Billlie、日本デビューシングル「GingaMingaYo（the strange world）」が本日リリース！MVを公開". Kstyle (in Japanese). May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
2. "Key And BPM For "GingaMingaYo (the strange world)"". Tunebat.
3. "빌리, 미니 2집 타이틀은 'GingaMingaYo'(긴가민가요)". Naver News (in Korean). Retrieved February 22, 2022.
4. Park Dong-Jae (February 11, 2022). "≪브레이크뉴스≫ '미스틱스토리 첫 걸그룹' 빌리, 컴백 포스터 공개..23일 새 앨범 발매" ['Mystic Story's first girl group' Billy unveils comeback poster... New album release on the 23rd]. 브레이크뉴스 (BreakNews). from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
5. "빌리 23일 두 번째 미니앨범 발매 웰메이드 신흥콘셉트 멀티세계관 영상". www.wowtv.co.kr (in Korean). February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
6. "Billlie's 'the collective soul and unconscious: chapter one': The Rookie Girl Group Stands Out From The Crowd". www.andasian.com. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
7. "Meet Billlie: The K-pop Group with A Mystical Lore". EnVi Media. March 22, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
8. "The Best K-pop Songs and Albums of 2022 So Far". Time. June 7, 2022.
9. "[INTERVIEW] Meet Billlie, mysterious yet captivating K-pop rookie group". The Korea Times. February 23, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
10. Billlie, GingaMingaYo (the strange world) (빌리, GingaMingaYo (the strange world)) [THE SHOW 220308], retrieved May 20, 2022
11. Jinju, Hee (March 8, 2022). "'더쇼' 빌리, 활동 시작과 동시에 1위 후보" ['The Show' Billlie, nominated for 1st place at the same time as promotions]. MK Sports (in Korean). from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022 – via Naver.
12. So-young, Park (March 11, 2022). "'뮤직뱅크' 1위후보=소녀시대 태연 vs 스테이씨 '신구 女 대결'" ['Music Bank' 1st place nominee = Girls' Generation Taeyeon vs StayC 'New and old female showdown']. Osen (in Korean). from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022 – via Naver.
13. Mi-kyung, Kim (March 13, 2022). "'인기가요' 빌리가 초대한 판타지 월드 'GingaMingaYo'" [GingaMingaYo, A fantasy world invitation by Billlie from Inkigayo]. 싱글리스트 Slist (in Korean). from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
14. Seung-hoon, Lee (March 12, 2022). "'음중' 태연vs스테이씨vsMSG워너비(M.O.M), 1위 후보 등극" ['Umjung' Taeyeon vs StayC vs MSG Wannabe (MOM), nominated for 1st place]. Osen (in Korean). from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022 – via Naver.
15. Woo-young, Jang (March 9, 2022). ['Emerging concept idol' Billie, 'Show Champion' hot comeback... Eye-catching 'GingaMingaYo' performance]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022 – via Naver.
16. ""호기심은 커져가"…빌리의 끊임없는 성장통 '긴가민가요' [6시★살롱]". 스타뉴스 (in Korean). February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
17. 2022년 11주차 Download Chart [Week 11 of 2022 Download Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
18. (see #197). "Circle Global Chart (2022-07-03 ~ 2022-07-09)". Circle Chart. Retrieved July 24, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
19. "【Heatseekers Songs】NMIXX「O.O」2週連続通算3度目の首位 XG／Billlieら新人ガールズグループが上位に" [【Heatseekers Songs】 NMIXX "O.O" tops for the third time in a row for two weeks, with new girl groups such as XG / Billlie at the top]. Billboard Japan. March 28, 2022. from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
20. "The Best K-pop Songs and Albums of 2022 So Far". Time. June 7, 2022.
21. NME (July 20, 2022). "The 15 best K-pop songs of 2022 – so far". NME. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
22. Billlie , Mystic Story. "곡 정보 / GingaMingaYo (the strange world) - Billlie (빌리)" [[Song information / GingaMingaYo]]. Melon (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 8, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
23. Oricon Weekly Single Ranking – 2023-05-29 Oricon News. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
24. "Oricon Top 50 Combined Singles: 2023-05-29" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
25. "Billboard Japan Top Singles Sales – Week of May 24, 2023". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved May 26, 2023.