TWICE Is Entering a Whole New Era—Are You Ready?

When “Cheer Up” started to play at TWICE’s February concert in Fort Worth, Texas, the crowd immediately erupted in cheers. It’s one of the K-pop powerhouse’s catchiest songs, and its easy-to-follow choreography (at least…easier-to-follow than the dance moves for TWICE’s singles since 2019’s “Fancy”—I would know, I’ve tried learning them all) makes it the perfect track to kick off an encore. On this particular evening at the Dickies Arena, a fan caught the attention of 23-year-old rapper Chaeyoung. “This one man was standing right in front of me and staring at me and dancing to our songs as if he was having a dance-off with me,” she tells Cosmo. “I still remember that moment—it was so much fun.”

The Fort Worth concert was part of TWICE’s historic fourth world tour, III: The nine-member act from JYP Entertainment became the first K-pop girl group to hold a stadium concert in the U.S. when they added two shows at the Banc of California Stadium in May. And although ONCEs—the name of the group’s fans—immediately celebrated this announcement, the news was met with some concern from TWICE. “When we heard that the stadium concert was scheduled in the U.S., some of us really worried whether we could do it or not,” Sana, 25, says. The pandemic was ongoing, and TWICE had never played at a venue of this size in America. But both shows—to the surprise of absolutely no fans—quickly sold out. “In the beginning, we really hoped that one day, we would hold a concert of our own,” she recalls. “But now we are holding concerts in Korea, in the U.S., and all over the world, and that’s really unreal.”

The word “unreal” was repeated a few times as the nine members talked about their career with me in mid-May, before the group took the stage at the Banc of California Stadium. I first interviewed TWICE in 2019, although it was a little different last time—only four of them were present and we spoke over the phone. For this call, cameras were on as the members, in groups of three, sat around a table in comfortable sweatshirts and T-shirts and chatted over Zoom, via a translator. They spoke about their world tour and how they’ve changed from their 2015 debut to now and what it’s really like to experience this level of global fame (including its ups, its downs, and everything in between).

While TWICE is now undeniably a top girl group in the world—to the tune of more than 10 million cumulative album sales, 4 billion streams on Spotify, and three Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 (if you include Nayeon’s solo release, more on that later)—their start felt uncertain, even rocky, to the artists. “When we came out with ‘Like Ooh-Ahh,’ it didn’t do so well at first, so I didn’t think that we were ever going to get big,” the group’s main dancer, Momo, 25, remembers. This is a tad surprising because any ONCE will tell you that “Like Ooh-Ahh”—TWICE’s debut song released on October 20, 2015—is now one of the band’s most iconic bangers. (I mean, just look at the whopping 450 million views the music video has on YouTube.) But Momo wasn’t alone in her thinking. “‘Like Ooh-Ahh’ didn’t top the chart right away,” says group leader Jihyo, 25. “I had no expectations. I didn’t imagine our future.”

Little did they know they were destined for glittery, record-breaking, bona fide greatness.

I could fill a whole book with their mosts and firsts, but this is the internet and I know you have things to do, so I’ll just note a few: Five months after its release, “Like Ooh-Ahh” became the most viewed K-pop group debut music video on YouTube. And then in 2018, TWICE became the K-pop girl group with the most cumulative album sales. In 2021, they surpassed Little Mix to become the girl group with the most music videos with more than 100 million views on YouTube.

And now, TWICE, their dominance secured, is entering a new era. The group has mostly been promoted as one unit—in their musical performances and on social media—since their debut. But to the delight of many fans, all members launched individual Instagram accounts in May. And on June 24, Nayeon, 26, became the first member to launch a solo project. “I hope [my mini album] shows that there is still a lot of room left for TWICE to explore and the endless potential TWICE holds as artists,” she tells Cosmo over email. TWICE posted another date, August 26, in the same tweet that teased Nayeon’s release, so anticipation is running high as the summer creeps on—because if the past is any indication, this next project will no doubt further cement TWICE’s legacy as one of the best girl groups of our generation.

You all have been traveling for your tour since February. What do you do at the hotel between shows?

Nayeon: The topics can vary so widely, but recently we played this game where we give each other two extreme situations and you have to pick one or the other.

Chaeyoung: For example, would you rather have your boyfriend’s underwear in your friend’s house or your friend’s underwear in your boyfriend’s house?

Nayeon: We play this game so much, it becomes really absurd at the end. We can play it for six, seven hours straight.

Wow. Who comes up with the most absurd situations?

Chaeyoung: Nayeon.

Nayeon: The most fun and addicting part of this game is that you can add on to make things more complicated and difficult to choose from. That’s why we can play it for hours. And also, what we do a lot [at the hotels] is have little dance-offs. We just play songs and dance as if we are in our private club.

That sounds so fun! Okay, let’s get nostalgic for a sec. TWICE is having its seventh anniversary this year. How do you think you’ve changed from 2015 to now?

Dahyun: I used to be very, very conservative when it came to my outfits. I would button all the way up whenever I wore a shirt, but now I am brave enough to reveal some skin. And that way, I can try many different styling concepts, so it’s good.

Sana: Before, Dahyun used to call the stylist if it’s a more revealing outfit, and the stylist would have to sew it up to cover her skin. But now she’s more open.

Do you think your personalities have changed?

Tzuyu: I was never a talkative person before TWICE, and I can’t say that I’m talkative now. But I definitely talk a lot more and I’m much more outgoing than I was before. And all of this is because of my desire to communicate with our fans.

Mina: I am more talkative now than when I first debuted, and it’s gotten easier for me to express myself. I think that comes from communicating with our fans and also from being with our members. I almost feel like I have more feelings now.

Jeongyeon: My MBTI [Myers-Briggs Type Indicator] used to be ISFJ [introverted, sensing, feeling, judging]. I was very plan-oriented and controlling. But recently, the last letter, J, changed to P, which means I’m more spontaneous and more open-minded.

Jeongyeon, why do you think you changed from a J [judging] to a P [perceiving]?

Jeongyeon: I used to love watching my plans go exactly as I planned. I just loved it. But once I saw things not go as I planned, it was strangely very relaxing. I never turned back.

Momo: For me, the biggest change was in our relationship and dynamics as a band. We really know each other well now and we are more comfortable and relaxed around one another.

Is there a relationship with one member that has changed the most for you?

Jeongyeon: For me, it’s Chaeyoung. She’s one of the youngest ones in our band, and as soon as she became legal to drink, we had a lot of drinking sessions. She really opened up and we got to know each other a lot better.

Dahyun: My relationship with Sana was not close at all when we first had our debut. We were in different [pre-debut] teams and we said hi to each other, but we never had any conversation—like real conversation. But as the years went by, she became the person who cared for me the most. Especially when I’m sick or something, she’s the first to come and hold my hand.

Sana: Once, we were doing a radio show and Dahyun had a stuffy nose—I helped her blow her nose.

TWICE has accomplished so many “firsts.” Which first has been the most meaningful to you?

Jihyo: The most memorable first I have is when we got our first trophy [for a music show in 2016]. It was a live broadcast, and I remember during the time that we were so busy and so tired and almost, like, out of it when we got the trophy. At that time, one of the members was pretty sick and she had to go to the ER. And I remember we hugged each other and we cried almost every day because it was so difficult. But when we topped the chart and got that trophy in our hands, it was a testament that we were doing okay.

Mina: The most memorable first is our first concert just by ourselves. It was not easy as a girl group to have a concert of our own at that time. And because of that start, we are still touring. That was a very meaningful beginning.

You have fans from all over the world. Is this level of fame what you imagined when you debuted?

Tzuyu: Not at all. I didn’t imagine it at all.

Nayeon: We didn’t imagine this. Not just us, but the K-pop market has really expanded over the years. So I think that’s another reason why we have so many global fans now. Because we had our debut in Korea, I think our initial hope was to let ourselves be known to as many people as possible in Korea. We didn’t really expect the global fans.

Chaeyoung: As the market grew, we were given more opportunities to be more famous globally. And now we have fans in countries that we never even visited. That’s really amazing.

I love that. How often do you all talk about the downsides to fame? Are there negative parts of being so famous you think fans might not know?

Sana: I’m really worried about my personal information leaking, especially at the airports. When I’m showing my passport, sometimes people are taking pictures from above.

Jeongyeon: I get random calls these days on my cell phone. Sometimes I worry about that and how that happened.

Jihyo: I don’t want to call it a downside of fame, but I have to say that we are just super busy right now and I don’t have enough individual me-time. I would like to have a little bit more.

Tzuyu: For me, it’s very similar. I’m just so thankful for the love that we’ve received. And it would be great if we can have a little bit more time to care for ourselves so that we can recuperate.

Yes, definitely. On that note, how do you take care of your mental health these days?

Dahyun: [To relax while I’m touring,] I eat. Our staff always prepares really healthy and delicious foods, so that’s the most important part after the concerts. And personally, I take a bath and I nap. And sometimes I look up funny clips on YouTube.

Momo: When we’re working, there are certain members who are more energetic than others. When I’m tired and not at my best, they really make me laugh, and just by talking to them, I get more energy. And when they’re tired, I make them laugh.

Mina: I’m a person who spends a lot of time alone, and it really helps me [cope with difficulties] when other members ask me to do things I would not do on my own. For example, because of other members, I got to experience waterskiing and they invited me to eat great food.

Nayeon: Because we work together, we experience similar hardships. But I learn from other members when they don’t complain about those hardships. It even energizes me to watch other members do that.

For my last question—it’s kind of a big one. Fifty years from now, how do you want TWICE to be remembered?

Chaeyoung: When I look up our own videos, a lot of the comments are about how our songs take them back to their favorite memories and the moment in their lives when they first heard that song. And for me too, when I listen to certain songs, it takes me back. It would be really great if in 50 years, our songs or a video clip can trigger those memories.

Tzuyu: I want to be remembered as the legendary band of our time.

Stylist/fashion director: Cassie Anderson. Creative director: Abby Silverman. Entertainment director: Maxwell Losgar. Visual director: Kristin Giametta. Art director: Katie Buckleitner. Producer: Ruben Chamorro. Hair: Eunhee Son. Makeup: Sangki Jo and Jungyo Won. Executive producer: Abbey Adkison. Senior producer: Liesl Lar. Cinematographer: Jonathan Cortizo. Editor: Heather Weyrick. Audio: Andrew Salomone. Second camera: Kevin Kim. Production assistant: Sebastian Treviño. Story editor: Emma Baty. Tailor: Susan Balcunas. Props: Bubble NYC. Translated to Korean by Jenny An.

On TWICE: Pink look: On Sana: Versace top and skirt. Patricia von Musulin earrings. Alexis Bittar bracelets. Uncommon Matters ring. On Dahyun: Carolina Herrera dress. Valentino heels. Patricia von Musulin earrings. Alexis Bittar ring. On Jeongyeon: Michael Kors Collection coat and dress. Giuseppe Zanotti heels. Patricia von Musulin earrings. Alexis Bittar ring.

Green/red look: On Jihyo: Gucci jacket and jumpsuit. Gedebe heels. Wempe necklace. Eriness ring. On Tzuyu: Gucci dress and tiara. Mateo earrings. Pomellato bracelet. On Momo: Gucci top, pants, heels, necklace, and gloves. Wempe earrings.

Red/purple look: On Chaeyoung: Altuzarra dress. Cult Gaia sandals. Patricia von Musulin earrings and ring. On Nayeon: Stella McCartney jacket, bodysuit, and pants. Cult Gaia sandals. Patricia von Musulin earrings and ring (middle). Chaumet rings (index and ring). On Mina: TL 180 top and skirt. Acne Studios sandals. Patricia von Musulin earrings, bracelet, and ring (index).

Group look: On Jeongyeon: Stella McCartney sweater, pants, and sandals. Liza Echeverry earrings. On Nayeon: Diesel dress. Valentino heels. Patricia von Musulin earrings and cuff. Young Frankk ring. On Chaeyoung: Ganni dress. Stuart Weitzman heels. Alexis Bittar bracelet. Eriness ring. On Dahyun: Rejina Pyo dress. Aquazzura heels. Patricia von Musulin earrings. Alexis Bittar bracelets. On Mina: Rejina Pyo dress. Aquazzura heels. Liza Echeverry earrings. Wempe ring. On Tzuyu: Rejina Pyo dress. Gianvito Rossi heels. Laura Lombardi earrings. Patricia von Musulin bracelet. On Momo: Nanushka top and pants. Simon Miller slides. Briony Raymond necklace. Eriness ring. On Jihyo: Off-White dress. Gedebe heels. Laura Lombardi earrings. Patricia von Musulin bracelet. On Sana: Clio Peppiatt top and skirt. Roger Vivier heels. Patricia von Musulin bracelets.