Foolish was I to underestimate BoA and her power to lure the masses to a typically sub-par LA club last night! BoA’s official record listening party, held at LA’s Ritual club, was packed wall to wall with both fans and non-fans alike. On any other given night, this is hardly the case for this particular club.

Last night proved to be a special night as a fashionably late BoA arrived and was ushered to the club’s stage with her security guard entourage at midnight. Upon my first glimpse of BoA, I was rather shocked at how she appeared both larger than life AND physically small. I could probably sneeze on her and that would mean death for her. And for me—for sneezing on her. She briefly thanked the crowd for their support and announced two tracks from her upcoming self-titled release and exited the stage as quickly as she entered it. The crowd went wild, and the tracks played. Which tracks, you say? “I Did It For Love” and “Energetic.”

“I Did It For Love,” in it’s entirety, is just as catchy as I expected from first listening to the leaked preview clip a few weeks ago. “Energetic” is also destined for the dance floor with it’s synthy dance pop sounds interlaced with fierce hip hop beats. The song’s chorus explicitly states its ownership of the dance floor with the repetition of, “Hit me up-hit me up-hit me up, we’re going to the dance floor!” Both songs also do not deny the ubiquity of auto-tune in today’s pop songs. I foresee (forehear?) a BoA album that’s auto-tune-friendly. I dig the songs, regardless. With masterminds behind Rihanna, Madonna and Ciara hits as album producers, one couldn’t expect it to get any better.

Overall, BoA’s self-titled album is something to look forward to. It will be released on March 17, but you can pre-order it now!