On 9 June 2021, ‘Twice’ officially returned to the K-pop race with the MV for the title song "Alcohol-Free" in the 10th mini-album titled "Taste of Love". This is the group's first comeback after nearly 8 months since the 2nd full album "Eyes Wide Open".
One in a million –Twice. Dubbed as 'Nation's Girl Group', Twice is considered one of the finest K-pop girl groups of all time. Like plenty of today’s K-pop acts, ‘Twice’ also debuted on 20 October 2015 under JYP Entertainment with the reality competition show named SIXTEEN. In the show, their skills and personalities were put to the test to create a name that will create waves in the industry. After a series of challenges testing the contestants’ singing, rapping, and dancing abilities as well as charisma, seven individuals were eliminated, with the remaining nine forming a new ensemble named ‘Twice’. The members are; Jihyo, Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu. The moment fans saw their first music video “Like Ooh Ahh” of their debut extended play (EP) “The Story Begins” five years ago, they knew that these nine girls were going to be big hits.
When Park Jinyoung, the founder of JYP Entertainment announced the label’s new girl group, he explained that Twice’s name refers to the act making an impact “once through the ears and once through the eyes.” Quite fittingly, the group’s rise to fame has been propelled by continuous hits that have a vibrant sound delivered through bright, multicolored music videos. Their fandom name is Once. The members explained the meaning of the fandom name by saying, “If you love us once, we will repay your love with twice of our love.” Thoughtful, right?
Twice sets itself apart from other K-pop groups with cheerful tunes and a colorful style. In the members’ fashion, hair and makeup, and a group concept in which everything is unique from other groups. Bold choruses and dance moves are distinct features of the title tracks in Twice’s albums. Even though the initial reception of their debut song “Like Ooh Ahh” was not very good at first, but after about a month the song reached the Top 10 of several South Korean charts. The song was also the first K-pop debut track to reach 100 million views on YouTube. In January of 2016, the EP made its debut on the Billboard Global Albums chart, marking the beginning of Twice's smash success. With their continuous hit songs like “Cheer Up” and “TT” they started to be recognized by the whole world slowly. They've also been honored. In 2017, they even received the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Commendation (MCST) by the Korean government's Creative Content Agency in honor of their contribution, according to K-Pop Herald.
Besides regularly topping charts and winning music awards in South Korea, the nine-member ensemble has seen almost unparalleled success in Japan. They are the first K-pop girl group to hold a dome tour in Japan, attracting an estimated 210,000 attendees across five concerts. While Twice always had a significant international following, 2019 has seen the group make major strides toward establishing itself as a global K-pop leader. Twice embarked on their first U.S. tour in July, marking a new chapter in connecting with audiences outside of Asia.
Although TWICE has started out from the Korean music scene to burst out on the global stage, the group has members of Korean as well as Japanese and Taiwanese heritage. Probably that’s why the group always releases their album in multiple versions, which has definitely had fans love them even more. Along with this, they almost always release a special edition album for their Thai fans. If this does not showcase their global reach, we don’t know what does.
Earlier this May, TWICE’s music video for their Japanese track “Breakthrough” surpassed 100 million views on YouTube, making it their 17th music video to reach the milestone. With this achievement, TWICE has officially set a new world record and become the girl group with the most music videos to have surpassed 100 million views. The previous record belonged to Little Mix, which has hit the 100 million mark with 16 different music videos to date. Not long ago, Twice’s song “Fancy” earned platinum streaming certifications. It’s their fourth platinum streaming single, and it turns out that’s one of the most impressive sums ever. They are now tied with BTS, as both acts have four platinum streaming awards to their credit. Twice counts “Fancy,” “What Is Love?,” “Yes or Yes” and “Dance the Night Away” among their wins, while BTS has seen their international smashes “Boy With Luv”, “Idol”, “Dynamite,” and “Fake Love” earn the same prize.
Recently this talented girl group Twice made their comeback with their 10th mini album’s title song “Alcohol-Free” on 9 June 2021. This song pursues a fresh and dynamic summer concept. The girls danced jubilantly from morning to evening, capturing the visuals of each member. The music video tells the story of the process of making a cocktail with all you love, and the wonderful feeling of drinking it effectively reveals the passionate feelings of love. In particular, the performance with choreography, which has always been TWICE's strength, continues to be focused in this MV. In the evening, the group presented their first “Alcohol-Free” stage on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Today on June 11, the group officially released their 10th mini-album “Taste of Love” with a total of seven songs including “Alcohol-Free”, an English version of their previous song “Cry for Me”. As well as Alcohol-Free, the album features five other brand new songs, each with lyrics written by Twice members. Two songs are written by Dahyun, named as "Scandal" and "SOS". Jihyo and Jade Thirlwall from Little Mix wrote “First time”. “Conversation” is penned by Sana, while Nayeon wrote “Baby Blue Love”.
Make sure to love and support their new album “Taste of Love”. And, listen to more Twice songs so that you can get refreshment in your daily life.
* Rumaiysa M Rahman is a 10th grader at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, Dhaka