TWICE Open Up On “With YOU-th” Album Growing Up & Beyond K-Pop Themes

It takes about 30 minutes, but eventually, TWICE relaxes enough in their New York hotel room to chat and laugh out loud in between their nine-piece chat – a big departure from the professionally guarded and admittedly “nervous” girl group that Advertising sign spoke to them at their first US show in 2016.

Ever the humble professionals, the K-pop heroines and their loyal fans have earned the right to settle comfortably into a new, happier routine after growing up for nearly nine years together.

Almost immediately after TWICE entered the K-pop scene in late 2015, members Jihyo, Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Mina, Sana, Momo, Dahyun, Chaeyeon and Tzuyu became reliable chart toppers and gained industry attention with each release. . Not only did they set the standard for a generation of K-pop songs with nine consecutive No. 1 singles on South Korea's Circle Chart, nontet reiterated their prominence in the Japanese market (with 20 top 10 entries on the Billboard Japan Hot 100) with a natural next step in the collapse of the world's largest industry, the United States.

With a lineup from South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, the US is a tougher and far less obvious market for TWICE to embrace. In K-pop's ongoing global crossover, where more concerts have fluent English speakers and Advertising sign-Girl groups on the charts tend to have six or fewer female singers, TWICE remains strong with all nine original members. After taking over K-pop with the viral performances and dances that accompany singles like “Cheer up” and “TT”, and establishing a deeper connection with pieces like their resumes “Feel special” and the encouraging hymn “Talk That Talk”, now is the time for the team to let the material strengthen the bond with the US audience.

“'I Got You' was influenced by TWICE,” leader Jihyo explains of their latest original English single that kicked off their new era in early February. “It's us talking to each other and encouraging each other, which is really great that we can do that together because there are members who can help me when I'm struggling, there are members who see me when I'm in a good mood — being together is encouraging… just like PD [producer-director J.Y. Park] we first did “Feel Special”, the very concept of the album makes up our story. We wanted to show how the fans see our teamwork and that's why we chose this song.”

The JYP Entertainment founder and producer behind TWICE hits like “Signal,” “What Is Love?” and “No alcohol,” Park previously said Advertising sign how a tearful reunion discussing relying on their bandmates through the hardships of K-pop idol fame inspired him to write the No. 1 single on the spot in 2019. But if “Feel Special” was born from the hardships and TWICE's growing pains, “I Got You” and its quick accompanying mini-album EP Together with YOU it comes from reaching a point of happy stability.

“Until now, we've never done a song like this before,” adds Jihyo. “We've always sung songs about love, and this one is more about our friendship, something similar to 'Feel Special,' and it was really comforting to us because of that… It was actually one of the songs on the album that the members reacted very well. I thought it was new, but it also felt comfortable. We loved the lyrics [for] the fans and they thought the fans would like the lyrics too.” Momo adds, “While we were playing this song outside [in Mexico City] on tour, the weather was good, he did so well with the song — it was really great to see the fans' expressions.”

The sentiment extends to their upbeat single, “One Spark,” which was released alongside it Together with YOU on February 23, originally in Korean before the english version dropped days later for maximum global consumption. The lyrics on both versions speak of a unique, undeniable ally through an effervescent tempo-hopping pop jam: “If I lost my rhythm/ Then your rhythm goes on and on,” Mina and Tzuyu sing in the pre-chorus, with the English version dance chanting “My dear face, these are our golden days/ My heart's burning, burning, burning/ Don't lose that spark, baby.”

“Actually, we were thinking a lot about what title song [single] have to do between 'One Spark' and 'I Got You,' explains youngest Tzuyu member, sharing the group's opinion greatly influences their musical path today, but jokes that they will have 100% creative control in 10 years. “We voted between the two songs of what should be the title single. I think 'One Spark' is actually a great song performance and we can put on a pretty strong stage performance.”

“Compared to, say, 'Set Me Free,' the chorus is a bit more complicated with a lot more movement that we have to take into account with our stage outfits,” adds Chaeyoung about the life of the new single. “It's a faster song. It's hard, but we worked hard on this dance and we felt like we grew, so I'm glad we're doing it. Even in the music video, once we're together and partying, the mood is high. Of course, people can take it that way and others might see it a little differently, but overall, we just wanted to show the good energy between us and how much synergy we have within the team.”

But alongside the festive mood, a poignant moment in the music video comes during a flashback when viewers see Dahyun crying in the dance studio with several members trying to cheer her up. While Dahyun admits that she had an eyedropper on set just in case, in the end she “really wanted me to express my own feelings, so I cried by myself without any tools.”

“Our music video shows their past during our apprenticeships when we were going through hard times,” says Jihyo. “We wanted to show how we push each other through these tough times working as a team.”

Admitting that the trip down memory lane brought “sad feelings,” Nayeon adds how “even if it wasn't exactly during the training period, we thought about how, throughout our history, there were many moments like this. ”

Momo says the new album process brought back her experiences Sixteen, the 2015 singing competition that created the group. “I actually remember when I got kicked out for the first time Sixteen and crying,” she shares. “All the members were there with me. And when we were filming, one of us had to go to the emergency room and all the members were together.”

Exploring a deeper relationship between them and their loyal fans – affectionately known as ONCE – is a central theme in Together with YOU.

A teaser video previewing all six new EP tracks shows how one might imagine a long-time superfan's room, with different memorabilia, images and visual references from bygone eras to accompany the sound. Together with YOU it is not just a message of fellowship, but signals them to move and mature over the years.

“Around our debut, or even a few years ago, a lot of our fans were still going to school and now they're going to work. Or there might have been a few in middle school and now in high school,” Sana muses. “We are very proud to see them and how they are growing. We are truly grateful to have fans who have been with us throughout their time as we have grown with our career.” TWICE they even know two ONCE they ended up marrying each other.

Three B-side tracks on Together with YOU features three members of TWICE as unique songwriters who share their experience of becoming more mature and fearless in their creative processes.

“'Blossom' it's a song that asks someone to wait,” Jeongyeon shares about the track she wrote. “Referring to a flower, the last step would be when the flower blooms, meaning I will come to grab you then and hold you.”

Chaeyoung was inspired by alt-pop star PinkPantheress while writing “Rush.” “As I was listening, it felt like a Jersey Club beat, like PinkPantheress music, and I thought the sound was really cute and great, so I wanted to bring that emotion to the lyrics in a fun way.” says the Seoul native. “Lyrically, it's about approaching something or someone, so I wrote it in a more fun way.”

Bringing the disk round, Together with YOU closes with Dahyun-written “You understand me” that connects to “I Got You” by extending a relationship deeper than words.

“The lyrics say 'even if we don't say anything, you already know me,'” Dahyun explains. “It's a warm, easy-listening song and I really wanted to write the lyrics as soon as I heard it. I was able to do that, so I'm really happy about that and I can't wait for the fans to hear.”

While teasing that “ONCE will be very busy this year,” there is definitely a concerted focus on making sure TWICE can and will continue to grow.

“The biggest thing is that K-pop has become so global,” reflects Mina, as TWICE moves into contention for their first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — a decidedly overdue achievement as they have the longest US sales week for a female K. -pop act when Ready to be earned 153,000 equivalent album units last year. “I think the lifespan of teams in general has been greatly extended and we'll be able to do a lot more in the future. There have been many more opportunities to take advantage of because of K-pop's global expansion. If something is not right, we will tell the company, but as long as the fans want to meet us, we want to go all the way.”

“There's not as much meaning behind setting goals now. we place a higher priority on promoting more and meaningful time with fans,” adds Jihyo. “Of course, the company may have a goal. But personally, we think the goal right now is to have a good time with the fans.”

Despite the warm satisfaction he felt inside Together with YOUand within the tight-knit cluster of TWICE members after nearly an hour of conversation, there's a quick flash of hesitation from Jihyo after a mention of the exciting chart prospects of their latest crossover promotion in America.

“You know how you said, 'Isn't it time America focused on TWICE?' says the team leader quietly but firmly, as their last word. “Please focus on us.”