It takes round half-hour, however finally, TWICE relaxes sufficient of their New York Metropolis lodge room to chitchat and snicker out loud amongst their nine-member huddle — a stark distinction from the professionally guarded and admittedly “nervous” lady group that Billboard spoke with at their first U.S. look in 2016.
Ever the standard professionals, the Okay-pop heroines and their loyal followers have earned the fitting to comfortably settle into a brand new, happier routine after rising for practically 9 years collectively.
Practically instantly following TWICE’s entry into the Okay-pop scene in late 2015, members Jihyo, Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Mina, Sana, Momo, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu grew to become dependable chart-toppers and commanded the business’s consideration with each launch. Not solely did they set the usual for his or her technology of Okay-pop acts with 9 consecutive No. 1 singles on South Korea’s Circle Chart, the nontet replicated their prominence within the Japanese market (with 20 high 10 entries within the Billboard Japan Scorching 100) with a subsequent pure step in cracking the world’s largest business, america.
With a lineup from South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, the U.S. is a trickier and much much less apparent market to embrace TWICE. In Okay-pop’s ongoing world crossover, the place extra acts have fluent English audio system and Billboard-charting lady teams are trending in direction of six or fewer singers, TWICE stays sturdy with all 9 of its authentic members. After taking on Okay-pop with the viral performances and dances accompanying singles like “Cheer Up” and “TT,” and solidifying a deeper reference to tracks like their biographical “Really feel Particular” and the encouragement anthem “Discuss That Discuss,” now could be the second for the group to let the fabric strengthen the bond with U.S. audiences.
“‘I Bought You’ was influenced by TWICE,” chief Jihyo explains of their newest authentic English single that kicked off their new period in early February. “It’s us talking to one another and inspiring one another, which is basically nice that we will do that collectively as a result of there are members who will help me after I’m having a tough time, there are members who see me after I’m in temper — simply being collectively is encouraging…similar to how PD [producer-director J.Y. Park] first made ‘Really feel Particular,’ the album idea itself is placing collectively our story. We needed to showcase how the followers have a look at our teamwork, and that’s why we selected this music.”
The JYP Leisure founder and producer behind TWICE hits like “Sign,” “What Is Love?” and “Alcohol-Free,” Park beforehand instructed Billboard how a teary assembly discussing counting on their crew mates by means of the hardships of Okay-pop idol fame impressed him to write the No. 1 single on the spot in 2019. But when “Really feel Particular” was birthed from TWICE’s hardships and rising pains, “I Bought You” and its quick-selling accompanying mini album EP With YOU-th comes from reaching some extent of glad stability.
“Up ’til now, we’ve by no means achieved a music like this earlier than,” Jihyo provides. “We’ve at all times been singing songs in regards to the theme of affection, and that is extra about our friendship, form of much like ‘Really feel Particular,’ and it was actually comforting to us due to that…It was truly one of many songs on the album that the members reacted to actually properly. I assumed it was new, nevertheless it additionally felt comfy. We favored the lyrics [for] the followers and thought the followers would really like the lyrics as properly.” Momo provides, “Whereas we have been performing this music exterior [in Mexico City] on tour, the climate was good, it went so properly with the music — simply seeing the followers’ expressions was actually nice to see.”
The sentiment extends to their upbeat lead single, “One Spark,” launched alongside With YOU-th on Feb. 23, initially in Korean earlier than the English model dropped days later for optimum world consumption. Lyrics in each variations communicate to a novel, simple ally by means of an effervescent tempo-hopping pop jam: “If I lose my rhythm/ Then your beat goes on and on,” Mina and Tzuyu sing on the pre-chorus, with the English model’s refrain shouting out “My favourite particular person, it’s our golden days/ My coronary heart is burning, burning, burning/ Don’t lose this spark, child.”
“Really, we have been pondering lots about which title music [single] we must always do between ‘One Spark’ and ‘I Bought You,’” explains youngest member Tzuyu, sharing the group’s opinion closely influences their musical path immediately, however joke they’ll take 100% artistic management at 10 years. “We voted between the 2 songs of what needs to be the title monitor single. I believe ‘One Spark’ is definitely an amazing music performance-wise and we will placed on fairly a robust stage efficiency.”
“In comparison with, let’s say, ‘Set Me Free,’ the choreo is a little more sophisticated with much more motion to contemplate with our stage outfits,” Chaeyoung provides about bringing the brand new single to life. “It’s a sooner music. It’s robust, however we labored exhausting on this choreo and felt like we grew, so I’m glad we’re doing it. Even within the music video, as soon as we’re collectively and partying, the temper explodes. In fact, folks can take it on this manner, and others may see it slightly bit otherwise, however general, we simply needed to showcase the great power amongst us and the way a lot synergy we’ve inside the group.”
However alongside the celebratory temper, a poignant second within the music video comes throughout a flashback when viewers see Dahyun crying within the dance studio with a number of members attempting to cheer her up. Whereas Dahyun admits she had a tear dropper on set simply in case, she finally “actually needed to precise my very own feelings, so I simply cried on my own with none instruments.”
“The music video reveals us of their previous throughout our trainee instances once we have been going by means of a tough time,” Jihyo says. “We needed to showcase how we push one another all through these exhausting instances working as a crew.”
Admitting that the journey down reminiscence lane introduced again “unhappy feelings,” Nayeon provides how “even when this didn’t occur throughout that trainee time precisely, we thought of how, all through our historical past, there have been lots of these sorts of moments.”
Momo says the brand new album course of introduced again her experiences with Sixteen, the 2015 singing competitors present that created the group. “I used to be truly remembering after I was first eradicated on Sixteen and crying,” she shares. “All of the members have been there with me. And once we have been filming, one in every of us needed to go to the emergency room and all of the members have been collectively.”
Exploring a deeper reference to one another and their loyal followers — affectionately referred to as ONCE — is a central theme in With YOU-th.
A teaser video previewing all six new tracks on the EP reveals what one may think a longtime superfan’s room could appear to be, with completely different memorabilia, imagery, and visible references from previous eras accompanying the audio. With YOU-th is not only a message of togetherness however marks them transferring and maturing by means of the years.
“Round our debut, or perhaps a few years in the past, lots of our followers nonetheless went to high school and now go to work. Or there could have been a number of in center faculty and now in highschool,” Sana displays. “We take lots of delight in seeing them and the way they develop. We’re actually grateful that we’ve followers who’ve been with us all through their time as we grew with our profession.” TWICE even know two ONCEs who ended up marrying one another.
TWICE
Courtesy of JYP Leisure
Three B-side tracks on With YOU-th function three TWICE members as sole songwriters sharing their expertise of rising extra mature and fearless of their artistic processes.
“‘Bloom’ is a music about asking somebody to attend,” Jeongyeon shares of the monitor she wrote. “Referencing a flower, the final step could be when the flower blooms, that means I’ll come to seize you then and maintain you.”
Chaeyoung felt impressed by alt-pop star PinkPantheress whereas writing “Rush.” “Whereas I used to be listening, I felt like a Jersey Membership rhythm, form of like PinkPantheress’ music, and thought the sound itself was fairly cute and wonderful, so I needed to convey that within the feelings within the lyrics in a enjoyable manner,” the Seoul native says. “Lyric-wise, it’s about approaching one thing or somebody, so I wrote it in a extra enjoyable manner.”
Bringing the report full circle, With YOU-th closes with the Dahyun-penned “You Get Me” that connects to “I Bought You” by increasing on a relationship extra profound than phrases.
“The lyrics say how ‘even when we don’t say something, you already know me,’” explains Dahyun. “It’s a heat, easy-listening music, and I actually needed to write down the lyrics as quickly as I heard it. I used to be in a position to do this, so I’m actually glad about that and may’t watch for the followers to hear.”
Whereas teasing that “ONCEs are going to be actually busy this 12 months,” there’s definitely a concerted deal with guaranteeing TWICE can and can hold creating.
“The most important factor is that Okay-pop has grow to be so world,” displays Mina, as TWICE strikes into rivalry for his or her first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — an arguably overdue feat as they maintain the most important U.S. gross sales week for a feminine Okay-pop act when Able to Be earned 153,000 equal album models final 12 months. “I believe that groups’ lifespans have typically been prolonged lots and that we’ll be capable of do rather more sooner or later. There have been much more alternatives to reap the benefits of due to the worldwide growth of Okay-pop. If there’s one thing unsuitable, we’ll inform the corporate, however so long as the followers need to meet us, we need to go till the tip.”
“There’s not a lot that means behind setting objectives now; we put an even bigger precedence on selling longer and spending significant time with the followers,” Jihyo provides. “In fact, the corporate may need a objective. However personally, we predict that having a cheerful time with followers is the objective proper now.”
Regardless of the nice and cozy contentment felt inside With YOU-th, and inside the TWICE members’ tight-knit cluster after practically an hour of chatting, there’s one fast glimmer of hesitancy from Jihyo after a point out of their thrilling chart prospects of their newest crossover push into America.
“You understand how you talked about, ‘Isn’t it time for America to deal with TWICE?’” the group chief says quietly however firmly, as their closing phrase. “Please do deal with us.”
