Ok-Pop Queens TWICE are Again with a New EP and Tour

TWICE are prepared to start out the subsequent chapter of their profession. The 9 members of the Korean woman group are established titans of Ok-pop, however Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu are looking for out new methods to attach with—and shock—their loyal fanbase.

The group debuted in 2015 after the members have been chosen by means of report label JYP Leisure’s competitors survival present, Sixteen. TWICE’s songs “Cheer Up” and “TT” turned international viral hits. The group has launched seven studio albums and 12 EPs, and in South Korea they’ve been dubbed the “Nation’s Lady Group.”

TWICE launched their twelfth EP Able to Be on March 10; the upbeat pop album options seven tracks, two in English. The group is now getting ready to embark on their largest world tour so far, stopping off within the U.S. and Canada from June 10 to July 9 after performing in South Korea, Japan and Australia this spring.

The group tells Newsweek they’re excited to carry out usually in entrance of followers once more after years of disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We at all times thought that assembly followers with our new album was a given,” Jeongyeon says, “however the pandemic made me understand that it isn’t one thing that we are able to take with no consideration. I spotted how treasured our followers are.”

Sana agrees, including that releasing new songs and acting on TV through the pandemic was powerful with out followers. “We did quite a lot of pre-recordings for music exhibits however our followers weren’t allowed to attend. Earlier than, there have been occasions when it was actually onerous to carry out however we have been capable of do it due to our followers. So not having them there was fairly tough through the pandemic.”

In 2020, the group’s “Twicelights” world tour needed to finish early because of the pandemic. Their fourth world tour “III” got here with difficulties of its personal, Chaeyoung says: “At the moment cheering was prohibited. However this time it is totally different, the followers are allowed to cheer, so it will be the primary tour in a extremely very long time that we carry out with that because the backdrop, and I am actually excited.”

The group is eager to forge new recollections with their fandom, who collectively are known as “As soon as.” Nayeon says,”I am actually excited to make up for all these misplaced years because of the pandemic and make it as much as our followers.”

The discharge of Able to Be is step one. The mini album options English pre-release single “Moonlight Dawn,” in addition to “Received the Thrills,” “Blame it on Me,” “Loopy Silly Love,” “Wallflower” and “Set Me Free,” which was recorded in each English in Korean. TWICE made their first English monitor “The Feels” in 2021.

Nayeon says, “The followers actually responded nicely to ‘The Feels.’ They cherished it, so we needed to launch an English single as soon as once more, and we felt that ‘Moonlight Dawn’ sounded higher in English.”

Recording “Set Me Free” in English and Korean offers the track extra common attraction, Jihyo says: “We needed to achieve out to extra international followers with our songs. So, I feel it is our try to achieve out to them.” She provides, “We tried to hold the which means in each languages.”

Dahyun describes “Set Me Free” as “a really progressive track” with “a really highly effective groovy bassline.” She says the group needed to put collectively “a extremely robust and funky efficiency” for the video.

“While you see our music video, the storyline is about how we escape of our shell, out of the mildew, and actually attain out for freedom,” she says. “Our followers are aware of our made-up faces, our actually attractive made-up faces, however within the music video we [don’t wear makeup] and it represents how free we’re.”

Placing all of it collectively wasn’t simple, Mina says. “I’d say the recording half was the most important problem. We needed to report it time and again beneath the route of Mr. JYP [J.Y. Park], our producer, and it was actually not simple to specific our feelings in these songs.”

“I really sang the verse, and the producer needed me to sound somewhat bit horny in that a part of the track,” she says. “However that half can be very low-pitched, so it was actually onerous to attempt to sound horny and likewise deal with my singing on the similar time.”

For Chaeyoung, the most important problem was making the “Set Me Free” video, due to its powerful choreography and the circumstances they needed to carry out in. “After we have been taking pictures the music video,” she says, “there was a gaggle dance scene which was shot outdoors, and it simply occurred to rain that day, and it was additionally very chilly, in order that was essentially the most difficult half for me.”

Tzuyu, although, discovered that exhilarating. “It has been some time since we shot a music video outdoors,” she says, “in order that was each tough and enjoyable, and the ultimate results of the music video was actually good.” The singer, who’s the youngest member of the group, provides, “I additionally love the songs of this album, so I actually hope our followers prefer it as nicely.”

Jihyo says the group hopes As soon as likes the brand new report as a lot as TWICE does: “We tried to cowl as many various genres as doable on this album, so it will be actually enjoyable to pay attention for our followers,” she says. “Dahyun additionally wrote the lyrics for 2 songs, in order that’s one other factor that you would be able to stay up for.”

Dahyun penned the lyrics for “Blame it on Me” and “Loopy Silly Love.” She says, “After I first started writing the lyrics it was not simple, I did not know which phrases and what message to specific. However, to this point, I’ve written 10 plus songs, and it is gotten rather a lot simpler, and I’m very glad with the 2 songs that I wrote this time round.”

The 9 members are relaxed as they converse over Zoom from South Korea, the time distinction and TWICE’s busy schedule means they’re speaking with Newsweek at night time and are dressed casually, having apparently completed a day of rehearsals for his or her new album’s promotions. If they’re drained, they do not present it. After virtually eight years within the business the group are nicely versed in coping with lengthy hours and a demanding schedule and are gracious and heat as they discuss their new report.

One factor they’re hesitant to debate in an excessive amount of element is their forthcoming world tour. Beginning in April, the primary half will take them to 5 nations up by means of July, with extra to be revealed quickly. The members of TWICE say they’d love to talk extra in-depth about their plans, however cannot give an excessive amount of away. Jihyo says, “The followers can be actually shocked, I can promise that, but it surely’s a secret.”

“The dimensions of our tour acquired a lot bigger,” she says “We’ll be performing [in our] largest stadiums but, so we’re actually excited to fulfill such an enormous variety of followers in a single setting.”

Momo says the tour choreography is “fairly contemporary,” and Chaeyoung provides, “We will say that we’re getting ready one thing very difficult for us, but it surely’s additionally a shock so we can’t say something about it proper now. However I assure it will be an incredible shock!”

Due to teams like TWICE, the world is actually tuned into what the Ok-pop business has to supply, however even with the ever rising urge for food for the style, Jihyo says that TWICE aren’t intimidated. “Moderately than feeling strain in these occasions, in these nice lucky occasions, we’re extra grateful and appreciative than something of how lots of people love Ok-pop proper now. In fact, it is necessary to make efforts and to try as artists, however we predict it is extra necessary to share our vitality and who we’re with as many individuals as doable.”

There may be one factor that helps with that, Momo says, “We all know one another so nicely that we needn’t even converse anymore. We simply type of take a look at one another and know precisely what the opposite is considering. We’re at that time proper now the place we simply know what we’re as much as. We find it irresistible, it is easy for us to work as a gaggle.”

The close to future will see TWICE enterprise into new territory, Chaeyoung says, as members of the nine-piece can be making solo music and dividing into subunits for various tasks. The primary can be from the group’s three Japanese members, Mina, Sana and Momo.

“[The three of them] are planning on working as a unit in Japan, in order that’s one thing that is very new in our subsequent chapter,” she says. “For the final seven years we labored as a gaggle, however I feel we are going to present extra unit performances going ahead, and likewise solo tasks, like Nayeon’s album [IM NAYEON], in order that’s one thing we’ll do sooner or later.”