Fan or not, you cannot deny the influence of TWICE in the Korean pop industry. From countless awards, various TV show appearances worldwide, and some of the biggest titles in the business, they are unavoidable.  

    Sophomore Jezelle Mejia thinks they completely revolutionized the standard for Korean pop music. “In KPOP, visuals are very important unfortunately. If you aren’t the standard the business wants you to be, you’re not cut out for it, talented or not. And we can see that the girls have struggled with this issue. Jihyo constantly getting body shamed by judges during SIXTEEN was difficult to see, but also shed a light on just how gifted TWICE really is. Despite the struggles put up against them, they mostly write their own music, have powerful vocals live and recorded, and constantly give one hundred and ten percent on stage.”     

    TWICE is a South Korean girl group formed under JYP entertainment. According to Wikipedia, they debuted on October 20th, 2015, with their first EP (extended play) “The Story Begins.” The group consists of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu. TWICE has been named one of the big three girl groups of third generation KPOP which includes two other big names, Red Velvet and BLACKPINK, inspiring countless newer generation girl groups.  

    Their music genre has changed over time, from bubblegum pop to EDM, to countless other styles, but nonetheless, each release was hit after hit completely demolishing the charts. Their debut song “Like Ooh- Ahh” became their first ever top ten single. From there, their popularity only skyrocketed. 

The Beginning 

    TWICE was formed when the members competed on a Korean survival show known as SIXTEEN. On TWICE’s Wikipedia site, it says the show premiered on May 5th, 2015, with sixteen contestants, and ran for fifteen episodes. The show included all nine members of TWICE, as well as other prominent names in the industry, such as ITZY’S Chaeryeong, then member of IZ*ONE and current soloist Chaeyeon, former IOI member and current soloist SOMI, and Kiss of Life member Natty.  

    The show was judged by Park Jin-young, better known as JYP, TWICE’S producer, who made the ultimate decision that the current members of TWICE would make up his new girl group. Initially, member Momo was eliminated from the show, losing to former contestant Natty. But due to her superior dance skills, JYP brought her back to be in the group. Momo is now recognized as the best 3rd generation female KPOP dancer. 

What Sets TWICE Apart? 

    TWICE had debuted with a cute concept that was very familiar in the KPOP world. But eventually, TWICE moved away from the endearing concept and into a more mature yet powerful concept, while still maintaining their bubbly personalities. Although they had a common premise, they still are one of the biggest girl groups the world has seen today. This is simply because of their music and the members.  

    Freshman Brianna Rodriguez believes TWICE made KPOP more “cool.” She said, “TWICE brought something new to the scene, other than the visuals of the members. The upbeat songs and groovy tunes they produced were just so addicting, and still are to this day.”  

    Sophomore Jezelle Meija added, “I really doubt any new KPOP girl groups will be able to recreate what TWICE has accomplished. They literally saved their company from debt and are still so humble and kind to their fans. It’s really unexplainable.” 

What was the Peak of Twice? 

    The “peak” of TWICE is a debatable subject, since a lot of listeners tend to have their own biases, but Brianna Rodriguez and Jezelle Mejia both agree that the best time for TWICE was their Feel Special era.  

    “Although they were going through a lot behind the scenes with Mina’s hiatus and other issues, Feel Special is really when a lot of people began listening to them. The sales were insane, and the songs inside of the album were just different from anything else released at the time,” said Brianna Rodriguez. 

     Fans, also known as “onces,” have a different favorite era of TWICE. For Senior Elizabeth Solar, the best era for TWICE was either “Fancy,” their 7th mini album, or “Feel Special,” their 8th mini album.  

    Jezelle loves “I can’t stop me,” from their “Eyes Wide Open” era. All the songs mentioned are a few of TWICE’S biggest hits, arguably some of the songs that completely skyrocketed their fame and sales.