Consider This a 101 Course on the K-Pop Group TWICE

In 2015, girl groups weren’t exactly the epicenter of pop music, despite acts like the Spice Girls and Destiny’s Child dominating the ’90s and ’00s. But in South Korea, girl groups were far more common, and names like Girls Generation and Wonder Girls were gaining traction. That’s when nine members came together to form TWICE, under JYP Entertainment, and as the say, the rest is history.

Now, seven years in, the group has toured the world side by side, collectively sold over 100 million albums worldwide, and earned the privilege of being known as one of the biggest names in contemporary pop music. Their ability to trend on the internet daily, inspire countless fancams, and generate hits makes them a name you need to get familiar with. Luckily, we’ve made it as easy as possible.

Who is TWICE?

TWICE debuted in 2015 with nine members, all of whom have remained in the group (a rarity) under JYP Entertainment, the company responsible for K-pop juggernauts like Stray Kids and Itzy. While many aspiring artists in K-pop are generally able to audition for a company with the hopes of getting placed in a group, every TWICE member participated in a reality show called Sixteen, where they proved their talent through vocal and dance challenges as requirements to make the lineup. By the time the season concluded, seven members were chosen, and two others were unexpectedly added due to popularity to complete the group. The band’s name, TWICE, represents how they hope to impact people “twice,” through both appearance and sound.

The Members

Jihyo:

Jihyo is the leader of TWICE, having found herself in the role after training for more than a decade. She’s one of the prominent vocalists in the group, and her bandmates unanimously voted to make her the leader.

Nayeon:

TWICE’s eldest member Nayeon is lead dancer, lead vocalist, and center (impressive). Currently, Nayeon is the first of the group to receive a highly anticipated solo endeavor, which will give us a major taste of what the rest of the TWICE solo careers could look like.

Jeongyeon:

TWICE’s Jeongyeon is the epitome of the popular “girl crush” persona in K-pop, and she also has a killer YouTube presence (don’t even get us started on how badly we want to go camping with her). On top of her work in TWICE, she cohosted Inkigayo, a South Korean music show.

Momo:

Momo, from Japan, is a name you probably constantly see trending. Her dance skills have amassed millions of views and earned her a reputation as one of TWICE’s best dancers, and she’s known for being a really good friend. (See: Momo and Sana’s unforgettable VLive at 3 a.m. to show off dance covers, makeup experiments, and impromptu photo shoots as an example.)

Sana:

Sana (also from Japan) is a sub-vocalist of TWICE and generally recognized as having one of the most welcoming personalities in the group. She’s landed multiple endorsements with fashion brands, which isn’t surprising considering her airport fashion is 10/10.

Mina:

The Texas-born member of TWICE is the third Japanese addition to the group and another large part of the coalescence between Japanese and Korean pop music. Like many of her fellow members, Mina is also getting into representing rising luxury brands in South Korea like Metrocity. She’s also candid about the importance of mental health, which is amazing.

Dahyun:

Dahyun is one of TWICE’s rappers, which makes her stand out a bit from the rest of the group. And she went viral with her eagle dance at church before she even debuted in the band. Dahyun supremacy!

Chaeyoung:

TWICE’s main rapper Chaeyoung is arguably the edgiest member of the group, giving them a well-rounded collection of personalities. Her complete fire verses throughout their discography have become an important component of the group’s sound.

Tzuyu:

Twenty-three-year-old Tzuyu spent her childhood dedicated to dance before relocating to South Korea from Taiwan to fully pursue music. After joining TWICE and becoming the youngest member of the group (or the ‘maknae’), she began to thrive both in music and out of it, working with brands like LG, Crocs, Coach, and probably more to come.

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