8. [OOMFH] Twice: A quick history of these iconic Kpop girlies
Twice is a South Korean kpop girl-group that was formed through the MNet survival entertainment reality TV show 'Sixteen'. The OT9 consists of Korean members, Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Jihyo, Dahyun, and Chaeyoung, and 4 international talents of Sana, Momo, Mina, the 3 Japanese members, and Tzuyu the 1 Taiwanese member.
2015: Debut of the iconic group, Twice
Twice debuted with the song "Like OOH-AHH", with the members in 2015 and have been rising to fame ever since. Their first title track song isn't really classified as a "cute" or "girl crush" concept, nor is it bevy of other general kpop concepts. To me, it seems like a color-pop, wild and edgy type concept, which is an interesting and spunky idea to drop during the current mainstream kpop scene at the time (2015). "Like OOH-AHH" shows the members in a zombie-apocalypse kind of environment, brushed with a teen crush, sexy-kind of vibe. The amazing vocal runs and the popping visuals in the MV really captures the truth behind their name, Twice. They explained the meaning behind their name as "we touch people's hearts twice: once through the ears, and once again through the eyes."
2016: This song put them on the map- Cheer Up, babeyyy
Their second track, "Cheer Up" that was released in 2016, literally jettisoned them into stardom. This upbeat catchy song that made them viral with the iconic "shy shy shy" lyrics from the bubbly and loveable Sana (this is my bias lol). Honestly, everything was on the line when they released "Cheer Up", I heard from the grapevine (obviously not a reliable source so I don't actually have a link for this info) Mina was supposed go to university if this track didn't hit right (but this song was such a hit on the charts... and the rest is history). This is their first ever Song of the Year award and I'm very impressed.
2019: Fancy flipped the script
The rest of their discography from 2015-2018 were very cutesy, bubbly, teeny concepts (See: TT, Likey, Heartshaker, What is Love, Dance the Night Away, etc.) But "Fancy", released in 2019, changed the whole game. "Fancy" became their transition, a career-defining moment, for it let them change their image/concept to a more "chic girl-crush" vibe opposed to their "bubbly pastel" image they were so famous for.
Everyone loves to talk about how "Fancy" was the Twice reset, and I see their argument. This song was heralded as a turning point, mostly because visually, it strayed from the usual Twice stuff. However, sonically, the song still held their classic Twice sound and charm most of their songs had. This totally didn't sit well with some fans, but it was such a sudden switch! If you put it into perspective, the last title track was released in November 2018 and they flipped the script with "Fancy" in April 2019 (I am talking about "Yes or Yes", I am not counting "Best Thing I Ever Did" because personally, as a Once, I think that it's a Christmas concept and I don't want to count it as part of their A-side title track). I personally see that track as a 'transition' stage in their career. Musically speaking, the song still had the cute vibe but the MV's visuals and aesthetics adopted more of a 'mature' style. It was such a good move on them, career-wise. The girls were getting older and they want to sing about more mature things, come on.
Twice's Legacy
I'm literally moved to tears whenever I see something really full of passion and heart-pulling. Right now, I'm watching this video of a K-pop cover competition show called Stage K. This team was introduced as the first K-pop cover group of Twice from Sweden and had a charming male member named Philip. They looked a little nervous on stage, but showed off their perfect teamwork once “Yes or Yes” played on the speakers.
It made me cry happy tears when I saw the passion and hard work they put into their dance performance; my heart was so struck. Philip was in charge of Tzuyu’s part and Tzuyu herself said that his facial expressions were better than hers because he was so full of energy. Oh my god... they were so cute. I teared up once all of them were on stage together and performed "Cheer Up"
I am such a Once.
~ the tote bag that comes with the fragrance as a gift with purchase but you give it to your little sister,
<3 K