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This K-pop dance is so ‘magnetic’ it’s been used in almost a million dang TikToks

‘This time I want you…’

Photo of Charlotte Colombo

Charlotte Colombo

cast of The Bear dancing (l) woman showing dance moves (c) couple dancing (r)
That One Sound is a column from internet culture reporter Charlotte Colombo that explores the origin of popular sounds heard on TikTok.
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If there was ever a match made in Heaven, it’s TikTok and K-Pop. A lot of what we see on the app, like fancams, stan accounts, and the whole fandom industrial complex has its origins in South Korea. 

Equally, it has been a while since we’ve seen a good old-fashioned TikTok dance. And that’s probably what makes this “Magnetic” trend so… well… magnetic. It might be from Korea, but the appeal of this dance has gone worldwide, with the sound being used in almost a million TikToks. 

So, allow us to introduce you to ILLIT’s “Magnetic.”

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@ibukiii.cos @Angel.Cos #insideout ♬ Magnetic – ILLIT

The sound

Like a lot of K-Pop songs, “Magnetic”’s lyrics are a combination of English and Korean. The specific part of the song people are dancing to is a repetition of the line: “This time I want you, you, you, you…” and so on. At the end of each line, after the last “you,” the girl group says “super 이끌림”. This translates into “super attraction.” 

It’s not rocket science. The singer is attracted to someone and “wants” them, obviously. We just didn’t expect it to be quite as catchy. 

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@boymeetsale Replying to @lex. mirrored breakdown of the hand point choreo! skip to the end for 50%, 75%, and full speed :) song: Magnetic – ILLIT original choreographer: RENAN #kpopdance #kpopdancetutorial #kpopdancer #illit #magnetic #dancetutorial #kpopdancecover ♬ Magnetic – ILLIT

Where’s it from?

As mentioned, the sound comes from the song “Magnetic”’ It’s sung by the Korean girl group ILLIT and comes from their first studio album, SUPER REAL ME. The song charted in dozens of countries and became No. 1 in South Korea. 

It also has wide international appeal, with the music video amassing 135 million views on YouTube.

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@ayoedebiri

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♬ Magnetic – ILLIT

Sound off

But the thing TikTokers really love is the dance routine that accompanies the song. The hundreds of thousands of TikToks made with this song all feature the same dance routine ILLIT do in the music video.

While the choreography looks complex, it’s pretty simple. Tapping the space between your fingers and then moving your hands in a “magnet” motion are all it takes to be the next K-pop idols—or, if you need a more thorough walkthrough, you can follow one of the many, many dance tutorials that have cropped up on TikTok. 

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If you follow these tutorials and do the dance yourself, you’ll certainly be in good company. Ayo Edebri, for instance, even got The Bear‘s cast involved as she TikToked her own rendition.

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