Twice (group)


Twice, is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu. Twice was formed under the television program Sixteen and debuted on October 20, 2015, with the extended play The Story Begins.
Twice rose to domestic fame in 2016 with their single "Cheer Up", which charted at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart, became the best-performing single of the year, and won "Song of the Year" at the Melon Music Awards and Mnet Asian Music Awards. Their next single, "TT", from their third EP ', topped the Gaon charts for four consecutive weeks. The EP was the highest selling K-pop girl group album of 2016. Within 19 months after debut, Twice had already sold over 1.2 million units of their four EPs and special album; in 2019, they became the best-selling Korean girl group of all-time. The group has sold over 9 million albums in South Korea and Japan as of July 2020. In 2020, Twice signed with Republic Records for American promotions as part of a partnership with JYP Entertainment.
The group debuted in Japan on June 28, 2017 under Warner Music Japan, with the release of a compilation album titled #Twice. The album charted at number 2 on the Oricon Albums Chart with the highest first-week album sales by a K-pop artist in Japan in two years. It was followed by the release of Twice's first original Japanese maxi single titled "One More Time" in October. Twice became the first Korean girl group to earn a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan for both an album and CD single in the same year. Twice ranked third in the Top Artist category of ''Billboard Japans 2017 Year-End Rankings. They have been dubbed the next "Nation's Girl Group", and their point choreography—including for "Cheer Up", "TT" and "Signal"—became dance crazes and viral memes imitated by many celebrities.

History

2013–2015: Formation and debut

On December 19, 2013, JYP Entertainment announced that they would debut a new girl group in the first half of 2014, the first female group to come out of the company since the debut of Miss A in 2010. On February 27, 2014, JYPE trainees Lena and Cecilia were confirmed as members of the group tentatively called as 6mix, while other rumoured members included JYPE trainees Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Jihyo and Minyoung. The group's debut plan was eventually canceled when Lena and Cecilia left the company.
On February 11, 2015, J. Y. Park, the founder of JYPE, announced that the lineup of the upcoming seven-member girl group would be decided through Sixteen, a competition survival show that would air on Mnet later that year. The show began on May 5 and ended with Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, and Chaeyoung as the seven Twice members. Park then announced that he would be increasing the size of the group from seven members to nine by adding Tzuyu, who was the "audience's pick" since she was the most popular contestant by the show's end, and Momo, who was added by Park himself since he felt the group needed someone with Momo's performance abilities. The decision was controversial at the time with many people complaining about eliminated contestants being able to join the group. The group's name, Twice, was chosen by Park. He explained, that "he group will touch people's hearts twice, once through the ears, and once again through the eyes." Fans of Twice are known as "Once", illustrated by the members' statement "If you love us even once, we will repay your love with twice of our love" on social media in 2015.
The EP The Story Begins and single "Like Ooh-Ahh" were released in October 2015, with a live showcase to promote it. The music video hit 50 million views on YouTube within five months of their debut and became one of the most-viewed debut music videos for any K-pop group. On December 27, the band performed a remix version of their single "Like Ooh-Ahh" at SBS Gayo Daejeon, Twice's first-ever attendance on a year-end music program.

2016–2017: Rising popularity, first concert tour, and Japanese debut

Twice's second EP, Page Two, was released on April 25, 2016. The album includes the single "Cheer Up", "Precious Love", and "I'm Gonna Be a Star", which served as the theme song for Sixteen. Twice won their first music program award with "Cheer Up" on May 5, on M Countdown, exactly one year after the initial airing of Sixteen. This was soon followed by wins on Music Bank and Inkigayo. By August, Page Two had sold over 150,000 copies, making Twice the first girl group having a sales record of more than 100,000 units that year.
In celebration of Twice's first anniversary since debut on October 20, the group unveiled their new song "One in a Million" from their upcoming third EP, ', through a live broadcast on V Live. Twicecoaster: Lane 1 and the music video of pop dance song "TT" were released online on October 24. "TT" became the first music video by a K-pop female act to surpass 200 million views on May 25, 2017.
On November 11, the music video for "Like Ooh-Ahh" hit 100 million views on YouTube, making Twice the fourth K-pop girl group to reach 100 million views, as well as the first K-pop group to reach this milestone with a debut music video. On November 19, Twice's "Cheer Up" won Song of the Year at the 8th Melon Music Awards. It was then followed by another Song of the Year award at the 18th Mnet Asian Music Awards on December 2.
On January 10, JYPE announced Twice's first solo concert tour within just a year and four months after debuting in October 2015. The three-day sold-out concert titled was held on February 17–19 at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium. A tour across Thailand and Singapore was also held after the first stop in Seoul. After the Korean leg of the concert tour, Twice released a special album on February 20 titled ', along with its lead single, "Knock Knock". It is the reissue of Twicecoaster: Lane 1.
Twice launched their Japanese website and social media channels in early February. On February 24, they officially announced their Japanese debut with a compilation album titled #Twice on June 28, 2017. On May 15, Twice released their fourth EP titled Signal with the lead track of the same name, produced by Park Jin-young. This marked their first collaboration with Park. The EP contains six tracks, including "Eye Eye Eyes" co-written by members Jihyo and Chaeyoung, and "Only You" written by former Wonder Girls' member Ha:tfelt.
On June 14, Twice digitally released "Signal ", along with the short version of its music video as a preview and countdown to their Japanese debut album release. One week later, they released the full music video of the Japanese version of "TT". They officially debuted in Japan with the release of #Twice on June 28. It consists of ten songs, including both Korean and Japanese-language versions of their first five singles. On July 2, Twice held their two-part debut showcase titled "Touchdown in Japan" at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, attended by a total of 15,000 people. #Twice debuted at number 2 on Oricon Albums Chart with 136,157 copies sold within seven days since its release. On October 18, the group released their first Japanese single, "One More Time". The single achieved the biggest first-day sales and became the fastest-selling release of any South Korean girl group in Japan. Both #Twice and "One More Time" earned platinum certifications from the Recording Industry Association of Japan. "TT ", was one of digital single from #Twice, also earned an RIAJ gold certification for selling 100,000 downloads. #Twice and "TT " won Album of the Year and Song of the Year by Download for Asia Region at the 32nd Japan Gold Disc Awards.
Twice released their first full-length Korean album, Twicetagram, on October 30 with its lead single titled "Likey". The music video for the song was filmed in Canada in early September. "Likey" was composed by Black Eyed Pilseung and Jeon Gun and was the group's fourth collaboration with Black Eyed Pilseung. Several composers and songwriters participated in the album, including the Korean members of Twice as lyricists and former Wonder Girls' member Hyerim, who co-composed the eighth track titled "Look at Me". The album and its lead single debuted atop both Billboards World Albums and World Digital Song Sales respectively—the group's first number one, making Twice the first female K-pop act to top both charts. They also rose on the Heatseekers Albums as the album debuted at number 10, one position higher than Signals peak at number 11. The Christmas-inspired reissue of Twicetagram, titled Merry & Happy, along with its lead single "Heart Shaker" was released on December 11, 2017.
Twice performed at 68th Kōhaku Uta Gassen, the top-rated annual year-end musical show in Japan produced by NHK.

2018–2019: Continued success and touring

Twice's second Japanese single titled "Candy Pop" was released on February 7, 2018. The group also embarked on their first concert tour in Japan titled Twice Showcase Live Tour 2018 "Candy Pop", starting on January 19, 2018 in Aichi Prefecture. On April 9, 2018, they released their fifth EP, What Is Love?, with the single of the same name produced by Park Jin-young. The EP sold 335,235 copies in first month and made Twice became the first female artist—and the fifth act—to earn a platinum certification by the Korea Music Content Association, for selling over 250,000 copies. Twice's third Japanese single, "Wake Me Up", was released on May 16, 2018 and was certified Double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan. The single became the first physical single by a foreign female artist to be certified double platinum by the RIAJ. Their second headline tour began in Seoul on May 18–20, 2018. The concert tour attracted over 90,000 fans in six cities across Asia.
Twice performed a cover of The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" as the theme song to the Japanese film adaptation of Sensei Kunshu. The song was released as a digital single on June 15, 2018 along with the music video. A second version of the music video featuring the cast of the film was released on June 26, 2018. On July 9, 2018, an expanded reissue of What Is Love? named Summer Nights, along with its lead single "Dance the Night Away", was released. The single surpassed 100 million streams and sold 2,500,000 downloads on Gaon Music Chart, earning group's very first platinum certification's single both streaming and download and making Twice the second act to earn a platinum certification for streaming, download and album by the KMCA since certifications were introduced in April 2018.
On September 12, 2018, Twice released their first Japanese studio album, BDZ. Its lead single of the same name was pre-released as a digital single on August 17, 2018. It was followed with their concert tour named Twice 1st Arena Tour 2018 "BDZ", beginning in Chiba on September 29, 2018. The studio album was certified platinum by the RIAJ; it was group's fifth consecutive platinum certification in Japan. Twice released their sixth EP, Yes or Yes, on November 5, 2018 with the lead single of the same name. The music video of "Yes or Yes" achieved 31.4 million views on YouTube within the first 24 hours, becoming the seventh biggest 24-hour YouTube debut of all time.
Twice released a special album titled The Year of "Yes" on December 12, 2018, along with its lead single "The Best Thing I Ever Did", as a reissue of Yes or Yes. The group also released a repackage of BDZ with "Stay by My Side", the theme song of the Japanese television drama Shinya no Dame Koi Zukan, on December 26, 2018. "Stay by My Side" was released as a digital single on October 22, 2018 along with a behind-the-scenes video showing Twice recording the song. On March 6, 2019, they released their second Japanese compilation album #Twice2.
Twice became the first female K-pop act to hold a Japanese dome tour, named Twice Dome Tour 2019 "#Dreamday". The tour garnered a total audience of 220,000 during five shows in Osaka, Tokyo and Nagoya, and was held from March to April 2019. All tickets sold out within one minute. On April 22, 2019, they released their seventh EP Fancy You. The music video for "Fancy", which garnered over 42.1 million views in a single day, also reached the seventh position in the list of YouTube's biggest debuts during the first 24 hours. The release of Fancy You made Twice the best-selling Korean girl group of all-time with a total of 3,750,000 copies sold from their twelve Korean releases, surpassing the twenty-year-old record of S.E.S.
On June 12, 2019, Twice released two digital singles, "Happy Happy" and "Breakthrough". On July 17, 2019, JYP Entertainment announced the additional Japanese tour leg after reaching tens of thousands of fans on Southeast Asia and North America legs of the Twicelights Tour. They staged twelve concerts in seven Japanese cities from October to February 2020. On the same date, "Happy Happy" was released physically, followed by "Breakthrough" the following week. Both singles were received platinum certificates from the RIAJ.
Twice released their eighth EP, Feel Special, on September 23, 2019, along with the music video for the lead single of the same name produced by Park Jin-young. The single scored group's second number one on the Billboard's World Digital Song Sales. "Feel Special" also increased the group's popularity across North America as the single debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 at number 82—the group's first entry on the chart—making Twice the third K-pop girl group and ninth K-pop act to appear on the chart. On September 30, 2019, Twice broke their own first week album sales record with Feel Special. Twice released their second Japanese studio album &Twice on November 20, 2019. Its lead single "Fake & True" was pre-released as a digital single on October 18, 2019.
In 2019, Twice sold over one million albums on Gaon, achieving this feat for the third consecutive year. In Japan, Twice surpassed 5 billion yen worth of record sales in 2019. The group was the best-selling foreign artist and ranked fourth overall in the Artist Sales category of the 52nd Oricon Annual Ranking. On Billboard Japan, Twice ranked fifth in the Top Artist category of the 2019 year-end rankings. They ranked top five for three consecutive years. The group also became the fifth most streamed act on Spotify in the country.

2020: United States promotions, ''Twice: Seize the Light'', and ''More & More''

In October 2019, the group added two stops to their world tour "Twicelights" at the Tokyo Dome. An encore of the tour called the "Twicelights World Tour Finale" was initially to be held in Seoul on March 7 and 8, 2020 at the KSPO Dome but was eventually cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On February 24, it was announced that the group had signed with Republic Records for promotion in the United States as part of JYP Entertainment's partnership with the label.
The documentary series Twice: Seize the Light follows the members throughout their journey as trainees to their first world tour "Twicelights". The series includes nine episodes and premiered April 29 on YouTube Originals. On April 20, it was reported that the group was preparing to release a new Korean album in June. The group's ninth Korean EP, More & More, was released on June 1 with a lead single of the same name. The EP recorded over 550,000 sales on Gaon, making it not only Twice's best selling album to date but also the best-selling girl group album in South Korea in 20 years. The EP debuted at number 200 on the Billboard 200, making Twice the fourth South Korean girl group to enter the chart, after Girls' Generation, 2NE1 and Blackpink. Twice also entered the Billboard Artist 100 for the first time, debuting at number 96.

Public image and reception

Twice have been well received in South Korea, ranking second in the top ten artists of the Gallup Korea survey for three consecutive years. Since 2016, members regularly have placed in the top 20 of Gallup Korea's annual poll of the nation's favorite idols. In 2017, Twice was included in Forbes Korea Power Celebrity at third overall and first among recording artists. Twice's domestic popularity was key in the rise of JYP Entertainment's stock, which increased in value by a factor of seven in less than three years; since the group's debut in 2015, prices rose from ₩4,500 to ₩31,400 in 2018. During the 2017 South Korean presidential election, then-candidate Moon Jae-in from the Democratic party and candidate Yoo Seong-min from the Bareun party both used Twice's song "Cheer Up" with modified lyrics as their campaign jingles. In Japan, the group's positive reputation and relatability amongst fans were attributed by local media to the presence of Japanese members Momo, Sana, and Mina and gained Twice fame in the country even before their debut. NHK News credited the group's commercial success with helping mend relations between Japan and South Korea. Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun called Twice the "new protagonist in the dominance of Japan's Korean wave content market", while Korean press remarked that the group is "reigniting the heat of K-pop in Japan".

Members

Twice received its first award at the 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards as Best New Female Artist, followed by another New Artist Award at the 2016 Golden Disc Awards.
In 2016, Twice won its first music program award with "Cheer Up" on the May 5 episode of M Countdown. The group also won several main and grand prize awards including Song of the Year with "Cheer Up" in two major music awards shows, Melon Music Awards and Mnet Asian Music Awards. Their second EP was the fifth-highest-selling K-pop album of 2016. In 2017, "Signal" from their fourth extended play of the same name achieved Twice's second Song of the Year award at the 2017 Mnet Asian Music Awards, making them the first artist to consecutively win the grand prize. With a total of 36 music program trophies in 2017, Twice recorded the most wins received in a single year. Twice ranked second on Oricon's Breakout Artists of 2017 and became the first overseas female act to achieve a rookie triple crown on the 50th Oricon Annual Ranking. Twice placed first in rookie artist total sales in 2017, with sales reaching 1.54 billion yen, as well as first-place among albums and singles for #Twice and "One More Time" respectively. By May the following year, they became the first artist to win seven consecutive Triple Crowns on Inkigayo. Twice received their third consecutive Song of the Year award at the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards with "What Is Love?" from their fifth extended play of the same name, making them the first group to win the award for three consecutive years. Twice topped the list of Korea's most popular music video on YouTube for two consecutive years with "Cheer Up" and "Knock Knock".
Twice were included in Varietys Youth Impact Report 2016—an annual list of young entertainers who have made an impact in the industry over the past year—at number 54 as the only K-pop group on the list. In 2017, Twice received the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Commendation at the Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards. They were the only Asian act on Billboards 21 Under 21 2017: Music's Next Generation, an annual ranking that highlights some of the world's most powerful young voices across various music genres.

Endorsements

Even before the official debut of Twice, the nine members had signed contracts as exclusive models for school uniform brand Skoolooks, alongside J. Y. Park. By December 2015, Twice had signed ten CF contracts, totaling earnings of KRW1.8 billion. By February 2017, they had one of the fastest growths in the advertising industry as the group's rate charged for endorsement hit 200 million won for 6 months and 300 million won for a year.
Twice is one of the celebrity endorsers of Lotte Duty Free. They also collaborated with shoe company Spris and created their own shoe brand called "Twice by Spris". In early 2017, Twice was selected by beverage maker Donga Otsuka to promote the company's flagship sports drink Pocari Sweat on its 30th anniversary. They became the first idol group to model for the brand. Pocari Sweat recorded 100 billion won sales for the first half of the year, a 10% increase over 2016's sales.
As of 2017, Twice has represented about 30 different brands including cosmetics, clothing, online and mobile games, food and beverages, credit cards, and more. Twice's first TV commercial in Japan for Ymobile was aired nationwide starting February 2, 2018, incorporating a pop arrangement of "Y.M.C.A." and Twice's signature "TT pose". In 2019, Twice was selected as South Korean ambassador of Estée Lauder. The group also become "Global Benchsetters" for Philippine clothing brand Bench.

Discography

Korean albums

Filmography

Film

Reality shows

DVDs