TWICE

Seoul-based K-pop girl group Twice features members from Korea, Japan, and Taiwan performing bright, catchy pop tunes. Their debut album, Twicetagram, topped the Korean, Taiwanese, and U.S. World charts upon release in 2017. In 2020, they made their first appearance on the Billboard 200 with their ninth EP, More & More. Months later, they bested that showing with their sophomore full-length, Eyes Wide Open. They have reached the Top Five of the Oricon chart with each of their Japanese studio albums and again landed on the Billboard 200, hitting number three with 2022′s Formula of Love: O+T=<3. More Top Five Korean EPs arrived with 2022′s Between 1&2 and 2023′s Ready to Be. Formed by JYP Entertainment in 2015 on the reality show Sixteen, Twice is comprised of leader and main vocalist Jihyo Park, Nayeon Im, Jeongyeon Yoo, Dahyun Kim, and Chaeyoung Son from South Korea; Momo Hirai, Sana Minatozaki, and Mina Myoui from Japan; and Tzuyu Chou from Tainan, Taiwan. The nine women made their debut in late 2015 with the mini-album The Story Begins, which featured the single “Like Ooh-Ahh.” Months later, they issued Page Two, which saw Twice continue to climb the charts in their three home countries and the United States. In late 2016, the group’s third mini-album, Twicecoaster: Lane 1, was released, followed by a quick reissue titled Twicecoaster: Lane 2, which peaked in the Top Five of the Korean, Taiwanese, and Billboard World charts upon release in early 2017. The Twicecoaster releases spawned the hit singles “TT” and “Knock Knock.” Twice’s fourth mini-album, Signal, arrived that spring. It became their third Korean and fourth Taiwanese chart-topper, peaking at number three on the Billboard World chart. Later that summer, they followed the success of Signal with a push into the Japanese-language market. #Twice included Japanese re-recordings of their biggest singles and was the first time Twice charted in New Zealand. Led by the single “Likey,” they released their debut full-length, Twicetagram, in October of that year, topping a number of charts including Korea, Taiwan, and the U.S. World Albums. The single “Candy Pop” followed in February 2018. The chart-topping hit landed on their sophomore full-length — and first Japanese-language effort — BDZ, which was released in September. In the Korean market, the group also issued their fifth mini-album, What Is Love? (and its subsequent reissue, Summer Nights), and the chart-topping sixth mini-album Yes or Yes. Twice kicked off 2019 with several Japanese releases, including the studio album &Twice, which topped the Oricon chart, and a companion compilation, #Twice2. A seventh mini-album, Fancy You, also arrived that April, hitting the Top Five in Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. The platinum-certified Fancy You made Twice the best-selling Korean girl group to date. Soon after, they scored another chart-topper on home soil with their eighth mini-album, Feel Special. Continuing to crank out short releases in 2020, they made their debut on the main U.S. album chart with ninth mini-album More & More. In September 2020, the group charted even higher with their second LP, Eyes Wide Open, which was boosted by the ’80s synth pop-indebted single “I Can’t Stop Me.” The song helped them secure their debut U.S. television appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In October, half of the group guested on K/DA’s All Out EP, joining Bekuh Boom and Annika Wells on the single “I’ll Show You.” Twice’s tenth mini-album, Taste of Love, arrived in June 2021 and offered a bright, summery set of romantic anthems. Following this romantic theme, the group issued their first English-language single, “The Feels,” which debuted at number 12 on the Billboard Global 200 — their highest placement thus far. A month later, they reached number two on the Oricon Albums chart with their third Japanese studio album, Perfect World. The group’s third Korean-language studio album, Formula of Love: O+T=<3, arrived that November, a love-driven set that became their highest-selling LP to date. Celebrate, their fourth Japanese studio album, appeared in July 2022 and reached number two on the Oricon Albums chart. That August, they delivered the EP Between 1&2, which featured the single “Talk That Talk.” Another EP, Ready to Be, arrived in March 2023, heralded by the singles “Set Me Free” and “Moonlight Sunrise.” The EP topped the Korean charts and reached number two on the Billboard 200. The group’s tenth Japanese single arrived in May’s “Hare Hare,” before they closed out the year with the remainder of the Ready to Be tour. In 2024, “I Got You” was issued as the lead single for mini-album WITH YOU-th, which arrived that February. ~ Neil Z. Yeung