Why Momoland's Yummy Yummy Love Became a K-Pop & Latin Music Sensation

"Are you ready for yummy, yummy love?" This catchy line marked Momoland's bold venture into cross-cultural music territory with their collaboration single "Yummy Yummy Love" featuring Latin star Natti Natasha. Released on January 14, 2022, this track would unexpectedly become the K-pop group's final release before they left MLD Entertainment and went on an indefinite hiatus.

The song certainly stands out in Momoland's discography, touching upon the fluffy novelty that characterized their strongest work while anchoring itself with a breezy hook over celebratory brass. Unlike typical K-pop collaborations, the "Momoland Yummy Yummy Love" lyrics blend Korean and Spanish elements seamlessly, with Natti Natasha integrating naturally with the group's established sound. This partnership represents more than just another album track—it showcases how K-pop continues to expand its global influence through strategic collaborations. From Nancy Momoland's standout visuals to the song's chart performance, "Yummy Yummy Love" demonstrates why cross-cultural musical experiments often yield the most interesting results in today's interconnected music landscape.

The story behind the MOMOLAND and Natti Natasha collaboration

The unexpected pairing of MOMOLAND and Latin star Natti Natasha began when the K-pop group traveled to Miami in November 2021, making a surprise appearance at Natasha's "Everybody Loves Natti" Amazon Original Series premiere party. This initial meeting laid the groundwork for what would eventually become one of the most interesting cross-cultural collaborations in recent K-pop history.

How the collaboration came to be

What makes the "Momoland Yummy Yummy Love" project unique is that Natti Natasha didn't simply record her parts separately. Instead, she participated in the entire album production process alongside the group. As Hyebin explained, "Collaborating with Natti Natasha was a precious experience that I will never forget. She was really part of the whole process". The group even flew to Miami specifically to shoot the music video with her, where they performed the choreography together.

Why this pairing was unexpected yet strategic

Initially, many found this collaboration surprising. For Natti Natasha, "Yummy Yummy Love" marked her first return to English-language music in nearly a decade since her debut electropop record "All About Me". For MOMOLAND, this represented their second collaboration with an international artist, following their February 2021 release "Wrap Me In Plastic" with Chromance.

Furthermore, this strategic partnership connected two powerful fan bases. Natti Natasha brought her impressive credentials—over 2.3 billion YouTube views for "Criminal" and approximately 34 million social media followers. Consequently, even before the song's release, anticipation was building throughout Mexico and South America.

Initial fan reactions to the announcement

Following the announcement, fans expressed considerable excitement across social media platforms. Many celebrated the funky collaboration and praised both artists involved. As one Twitter user enthusiastically noted: "I'm really proud of you girls, you really gave us an incredible song". Notably, fans particularly responded to seeing Natti dancing alongside the K-pop group—a visual that generated significant online buzz.

What makes 'Yummy Yummy Love' stand out musically

From the first notes, "Yummy Yummy Love" establishes itself as a musical fusion unlike anything in MOMOLAND's previous releases. The track embraces a bright, catchy sound that's deliberately crafted not to be taken too seriously.

Fusion of K-pop and Latin pop elements

MOMOLAND ushers in the glory of disco-funk with this English single, opening with a classic Eighties-inspired disco soundscape. The lively synth and groovy guitar brew creates a youthful atmosphere that supports the song's theme of blooming first love. This bilingual collaboration demonstrates MOMOLAND's strategic approach to reaching Latin American fans, as Tim Kim, the group's manager noted: "It's an honor that fans in Latin America listen to our music in our language, but I feel that we need to get closer to them by tapping into their local music and the language".

The role of brass and upbeat tempo

The chorus serves as a strong anchor, casting a breezy hook over celebratory brass elements. This upbeat production moves forward without fatigue and remains focused throughout, creating an earworm effect that grows with repeated listens. The strength of the melody echoes through the instrumental flourishes, maintaining the disco feel with neon tones that perfectly complement the skating rink setting of the music video.

The controversial use of scatting

Nevertheless, not all musical choices received universal praise. The scatting technique that first appears during the pre-chorus—specifically the "Ski-pi-di-bap, bi-pap, bi-pap, boo" sequence—proved divisive among listeners. As one reviewer noted, this element feels "too cute and too repetitive" despite not playing a huge role in the arrangement. Still, these same hooks eventually caught on with some listeners, making the song "fun in its own way".

Natti Natasha's vocal contribution

Remarkably, Natti Natasha melds seamlessly with the group despite coming from a different musical background. Her verse elevates the pop quotient with playful references, including a nod to Disney's Lion King with "Livin' for the motto, Hakuna Matata". The collaboration represents her first return to English-language hits in a decade, bringing what she described as a "positive vibe; it's feisty, fire, and feels sexy".

Visuals, performance, and the MOMOLAND signature

The vibrant visuals of "Yummy Yummy Love" perfectly complement its bubblegum pop sound, creating a feast for the eyes as well as the ears. The collaboration brings together two distinct visual worlds in a colorful celebration of first love.

Music video aesthetics and choreography

Shot across two continents in South Korea and Miami, the music video embraces a campy aesthetic that aligns with the song's playful energy. At the heart of the visual concept is a roller skating rink—a deliberately trendy setting that symbolizes young romance. Throughout the video, MOMOLAND members showcase their signature synchronized choreography before Natti Natasha joins them for the celebration. Moreover, MLD Entertainment released multiple dance practice videos, allowing fans to appreciate the detailed movements without the distracting (albeit charming) visual effects.

Nancy's standout moments in the video

As with previous MOMOLAND releases, member Nancy received particular attention from fans. Her individual fan cam from Music Bank on January 21, 2022, highlights her charismatic performance. Additionally, the visual teasers leading up to the release featured individual member shots that generated significant anticipation.

Behind-the-scenes content and fan events

Following the release, MOMOLAND shared extensive behind-the-scenes content, including a special fan event. Simultaneously, the group's first performance on "It's Live" showed them excitedly introducing the song, with members expressing both nervousness and enthusiasm about their debut on the program.

How the visuals support the song's theme

The bright, colorful aesthetics perfectly support the song's lyrical theme of blossoming first love. As the lyrics suggest—"Are you ready for love like this? Are you ready for your first kiss?"—the rollerskating setting provides an ideal backdrop for a young couple's date. In fact, Natti herself described the visuals as having "absolutely everything you need to feel sexy especially when you're about to give your first kiss".

Reception, chart performance, and cultural impact

"Yummy Yummy Love" hit the digital world with impressive momentum, quickly establishing itself as a successful cross-cultural experiment for both MOMOLAND and Natti Natasha. The song's performance exceeded many expectations, particularly in its first week of release.

How the song performed on charts

"Yummy Yummy Love" achieved notable success on various iTunes charts worldwide, claiming the top spot in Bahrain, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, and Thailand. In the Philippines, it ranked 5th on the iTunes chart. First-week streaming numbers proved equally impressive, with the music video reaching 10 million YouTube views within its first day and surpassing 20 million views after just five days.

Fan and critic reviews

Critic reception remained generally positive, with reviewers describing it as "a solid straight ahead pop song" and "a really good dance song". Fans expressed enthusiasm across social media platforms, with one Twitter user noting: "I'm really proud of you girls, you really gave us an incredible song". The TikTok challenge featuring Natti and MOMOLAND generated millions of views and thousands of fan-created videos.

Impact on MOMOLAND's global reach

Beyond mere numbers, the collaboration opened doors to new markets. Subsequently, MOMOLAND visited Puerto Rico in July 2022, where they presented an award to CNCO alongside Puerto Rican artist Guaynaa at the 2022 Premios Juventud. Indeed, "Yummy Yummy Love" earned MOMOLAND the distinction of becoming the first Korean act to receive a nomination at the Latin American Juventud Awards.

The song's place in MOMOLAND's discography

"Yummy Yummy Love" holds a bittersweet position in MOMOLAND's catalog as their final release before departing MLD Entertainment and entering an indefinite hiatus. Overall, it joined their impressive collection of global hits alongside "Bboom Bboom" (500+ million views) and "BAAM" (200+ million views).