It takes round half-hour, however ultimately, TWICE relaxes sufficient of their New York Metropolis lodge room to chitchat and chortle out loud amongst their nine-member huddle — a stark distinction from the professionally guarded and admittedly “nervous” woman group that Billboard spoke with at their first U.S. look in 2016.
Ever the common-or-garden professionals, the Okay-pop heroines and their loyal followers have earned the precise 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, Chaeyeon and Tzuyu turned dependable chart-toppers and commanded the trade’s consideration with each launch. Not solely did they set the usual for his or her era 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 prime 10 entries within the Billboard Japan Sizzling 100) with a subsequent pure step in cracking the world’s largest trade, 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 woman teams are trending in direction of six or fewer singers, TWICE stays robust with all 9 of its unique members. After taking up 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 “Speak That Speak,” now could be the second for the group to let the fabric strengthen the bond with U.S. audiences.
“‘I Obtained You’ was influenced by TWICE,” chief Jihyo explains of their newest unique English single that kicked off their new period in early February. “It’s us talking to one another and inspiring one another, which is absolutely nice that we are able to do that collectively as a result of there are members who may help me after I’m having a tough time, there are members who see me after I’m in a superb 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 wished to showcase how the followers have a look at our teamwork, and that’s why we selected this track.”
The JYP Leisure founder and producer behind TWICE hits like “Sign,” “What Is Love?” and “Alcohol-Free,” Park beforehand advised Billboard how a teary assembly discussing counting on their group mates by 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 Obtained You” and its quick-selling accompanying mini album EP With YOU-th comes from reaching some extent of completely satisfied stability.
“Up ’til now, we’ve by no means carried out a track like this earlier than,” Jihyo provides. “We’ve all the time been singing songs concerning the theme of affection, and that is extra about our friendship, form of just like ‘Really feel Particular,’ and it was actually comforting to us due to that…It was really one of many songs on the album that the members reacted to essentially nicely. I believed it was new, nevertheless it additionally felt snug. We appreciated the lyrics [for] the followers and thought the followers would really like the lyrics as nicely.” Momo provides, “Whereas we have been performing this track outdoors [in Mexico City] on tour, the climate was good, it went so nicely with the track — 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 converse to a singular, plain ally by 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 rather a lot about which title track [single] we must always do between ‘One Spark’ and ‘I Obtained You,’” explains youngest member Tzuyu, sharing the group’s opinion closely influences their musical path at present, however joke they’ll take 100% artistic management at 10 years. “We voted between the 2 songs of what ought to be the title monitor single. I believe ‘One Spark’ is definitely an awesome track performance-wise and we are able to placed on fairly a strong stage efficiency.”
“In comparison with, let’s say, ‘Set Me Free,’ the choreo is a little more difficult with much more motion to contemplate with our stage outfits,” Chaeyoung provides about bringing the brand new single to life. “It’s a sooner track. It’s robust, however we labored laborious 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 method, and others would possibly see it just a little bit in a different way, however general, we simply wished to showcase the great power amongst us and the way a lot synergy we now have throughout 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 wished to specific my very own feelings, so I simply cried on my own with none instruments.”
“The music video exhibits us of their previous throughout our trainee occasions once we have been going by a tough time,” Jihyo says. “We wished to showcase how we push one another all through these laborious occasions working as a group.”
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 really 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 generally known as ONCE — is a central theme in With YOU-th.
A teaser video previewing all six new tracks on the EP exhibits what one may think a longtime superfan’s room could appear to be, with totally different memorabilia, imagery, and visible references from previous eras accompanying the audio. With YOU-th isn’t just a message of togetherness however marks them shifting and maturing by the years.
“Round our debut, or perhaps a few years in the past, a lot of our followers nonetheless went to highschool and now go to work. Or there could have been just a few in center college and now in highschool,” Sana displays. “We take lots of satisfaction in seeing them and the way they develop. We’re actually grateful that we now have 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.
Three B-side tracks on With YOU-th characteristic three TWICE members as sole songwriters sharing their expertise of rising extra mature and fearless of their artistic processes.
“‘Bloom’ is a track about asking somebody to attend,” Jeongyeon shares of the monitor she wrote. “Referencing a flower, the final step can be when the flower blooms, which 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 beautiful, so I wished to carry that within the feelings within the lyrics in a enjoyable method,” the Seoul native says. “Lyric-wise, it’s about approaching one thing or somebody, so I wrote it in a extra enjoyable method.”
Bringing the file full circle, With YOU-th closes with the Dahyun-penned “You Get Me” that connects to “I Obtained 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 track, and I actually wished to write down the lyrics as quickly as I heard it. I used to be ready to do this, so I’m actually completely satisfied about that and might’t watch for the followers to hear.”
Whereas teasing that “ONCEs are going to be actually busy this 12 months,” there may be definitely a concerted concentrate on guaranteeing TWICE can and can maintain growing.
“The most important factor is that Okay-pop has develop into so world,” displays Mina, as TWICE strikes into competition 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 items final 12 months. “I believe that groups’ lifespans have usually been prolonged rather a lot and that we’ll have the ability to do far more sooner or later. There have been much more alternatives to make the most of due to the worldwide enlargement of Okay-pop. If there’s one thing incorrect, we’ll inform the corporate, however so long as the followers need to meet us, we need to go till the top.”
“There’s not a lot which means behind setting targets now; we put a much bigger precedence on selling longer and spending significant time with the followers,” Jihyo provides. “In fact, the corporate may need a purpose. However personally, we predict that having a contented time with followers is the purpose proper now.”
Regardless of the nice and cozy contentment felt inside With YOU-th, and throughout 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 know the way you talked about, ‘Isn’t it time for America to concentrate on TWICE?’” the group chief says quietly however firmly, as their ultimate phrase. “Please do concentrate on us.”
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