Twice hopes to become Korea's top girl band

Members of Twice pose during a debut showcase at Ax-Korea, Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of JYP Entertainment

Jihyo

Dahyun

By Kim Jae-heun

JYP Entertainment’s new girl band Twice revealed its ambition to become the country’s top girl group during its debut showcase at Ax-Korea in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, Tuesday.

“We want to become a girl group that many people acknowledge as exciting team,” said Jihyo, the leader of the group. “We want to become a respected group.”

Twice released its debut album “The Story Begins” that day, which is comprised of six R&B and rock music songs, including their first single “Like Ooh-Ahh,” produced by popular songwriter Black Eyed Pilseung, who also produced Miss A’s recent single “Only You.” “Like Ooh-Aah” is a “color pop” music, which the production team says is a new genre that mixes hip-hop, R&B and rock music.

JYP Entertainment has launched its first new girl band in five years with high anticipation that Twice will revive the craze when its popular girl bands Wonder Girls and Miss A swept the music charts. The entertainment company previously grouped the Twice members in its own reality girl band survival show “Sixteen” to promote the group. The episodes depicted the whole process of 16 candidates competing for seven spots in JYP’s new band.

“We did not have the chance to sing and dance on a big stage when we were trainees,” Nayeon said. “But we were able to stage our performance in front of the crowds through Sixteen.”

Twice started out with seven members, but Park added two more candidates Momo and Tzuyu to complete the team of nine members.

The girl band comprises of five Korean members Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Jihyo, Dahyun and Chaeyoung and three Japanese members Momo, Sana and Mina, and one Taiwanese member, Tzuyu.

“It applies to any country that people communicate through music. I think we can benefit from having international audiences listening to our songs,” said Jihyo when asked how having international members in the group will influence the audience.

“Sometimes I feel bad that I can’t speak Korean well and that there is a communication barrier. But my colleagues help me out a lot,” Tzuyu said.

Jihyo drew attention in the survival show for her nickname “a trainee in JYP for 10 years.” Jeongyeon and Nayeon also made their debut after six years of training at the JYP Entertainment.

“Just because I went through a training period for 10 years, doesn’t mean I am good at everything. I need to work harder. Also I want to become a good leader who can mediate diverse opinions from the group members,” Jihyo said.

The girl band’s teaser video already hit 100,000 views on country’s leading portal site Naver TV Cast only three-and-half hours after its release on Oct. 15.