TWICE Opens Up About Finding Balance Between K-Pop Stardom & Mental Health

A lot rests on the nine pairs of shoulders that make up TWICE.

As one of K-pop‘s leading girl groups, the members have worked for years to juggle their personal lives, full-band activities and, in the case of a few of them, solo careers — all of which Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu opened up about in their new Teen Vogue cover.

Named one of the publication’s top girl bands of all time, TWICE got candid in the cover story published Tuesday (May 21) about finding balance between stardom and mental health in the years since their 2015 debut. “We’re completely different [from our idol selves],” said Nayeon. “Idols do have to use a lot of energy, and there is kind of a limit to how much a person can use their energy. We push all of that [away] while being an idol.”

“During our debut era, it was really busy,” Sana shared. “When people ask, ‘Are you tired?’ we’ll say, ‘Oh no, we’re not tired.’ ‘Are you busy?’ ‘Oh, we’re not busy.’ Now I express myself better when I’m tired. When I look back on it, I think, Did I really have to say the opposite of what I was feeling all these years?”

“During concerts, I give my all,” added Momo. “But when I come back down the stage, I [take it easy] and relax right after.”

“I’m trying to be more generous to myself,” Jeongyeon chimed in. “Although that’s not always working, I’m trying really hard.”

A spectrum of public scrutiny bookended by overzealous fans and harsh critics also comes with the territory of international stardom, something the girls of TWICE know all too well. But that’s where having nine members comes in handy, according to Jihyo, as it allows the bandmates to share the burden amongst themselves.

“We’re really thankful [that we have] nine members,” she explained. “For one person, one member can be their favorite and they might not like the rest, but because we push our team of nine together, the team vibes are really good. We’re really thankful because of that. And because of that, we actually get a lot closer.”

TWICE recently scored its first-ever No. 1 entry on the Billboard 200 with With YOU-th, which debuted in the top spot earlier this month. The six-track EP features the songs “I Got You,” “One Spark,” “Rush,” “New New,” “Bloom” and “You Get Me.”

Earlier this year, the group also returned for one last show in the U.S. for the Ready to Be Tour at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, performing songs from their own discography as well as covers of Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” and Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings.” 

See the members of TWICE on the cover of Teen Vogue, plus photos from the shoot, below.