TWICE, the group that has conquered hearts not only in Korea but also throughout the entire world. With their irresistible charm, mesmerizing music, and an army of dedicated fans, TWICE has skyrocketed to become a global phenomenon. From Seoul to Sydney, Tokyo to the USA, TWICE's influence knows no bounds. Join us as we unravel the story of TWICE's meteoric rise and their journey to becoming one of the biggest K-pop groups of all time, cherished by fans both near and far.
Part 1: Twice Formation - Sixteen
TWICE's story begins in 2015, but to understand the formation of TWICE, we need to rewind a bit. It all started with a reality show called “Sixteen.”
"Sixteen" was a survival reality show produced by JYP Entertainment. The goal? To find the 7 most talented and deserving members for JYP's upcoming girl group.
Over sixteen episodes, the show introduced us to sixteen trainees, each with unique talents and personalities. They faced intense competitions and missions, all while growing as artists and individuals.
Throughout the show, viewers watched these trainees form strong bonds and friendships, even as they competed fiercely for a spot in the group against each other.
And then came the emotional moment we had all been waiting for – the final episode of “Sixteen” where they would choose who debuted in TWICE.
Throughout the show the trainees were divided into two groups a major group and a minor group. The 7 trainees who were left standing at the end in the major group, would go on to be in the official group TWICE.
Now you might be thinking, 7 members? But Twice has 9 members. And of course, you’re right. But what’s a survival show without a twist? Right?
In the final episode on July 7th, of 2015, The 7 decided members of twice were Nayeon, Jeongyeong, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun and Chaeyoung. However, JYP then revealed that Twice would be a 9-member group, shocking everyone. With this huge twist he announced that Tyuzu would join Twice, she was added from the audience's opinion through online voting. He then announced that Momo, who was eliminated from the show in episode 6, would debut in Twice as well. It was said that the A&R team and the trainers chose her because she was, and I quote, “Momo is exceptional in dance and performance. We believed that she will be a great addition to really complete Twice.” And thus, TWICE was formed.
Also, have you ever wondered why they're called TWICE? JYP said the group would be named Twice because "they will be able to move people twice. Once through the ears and once through the eyes." Meaning, you’ll love their music and you’ll love their visuals. A super fitting name because c'mon, you’ve seen them. You know.
Part 2: TWICE Debut
On October 20, 2015, TWICE officially debuted with their catchy and iconic song, and one of my personal favorites, "Like OOH-AHH." The title track's music video hit 50 million views within five months of their debut and became the most-viewed debut music video for any K-pop group, later becoming one of the first K-pop groups to have their debut music video pass 100 million views.
The group burst onto the K-pop scene with their fresh and energetic concept, instantly capturing the hearts of fans worldwide. Twice was loved so much that they would go onto receive the title of “the nations girl group”. Yea, that’s how big of a deal they are.
Also, have you ever been asked if you’re a ONCE?
TWICE would go on to name their fandom, ONCE. This name was given to fans by the members in 2015. They posted on Instagram the reasoning, saying: "If you love us even once, we will repay your love with twice of our love.”
6 months after the release of “Like ooh ahh” and their first mini album, “the story begins”, Twice released their second mini album, page two, which featured the hit song, Cheer Up.
Twice would go on to win their first music program award on May 5, 2016 on M! Countdown. This was incredibly special because it was exactly one year after the initial airing of SIXTEEN.
From there, TWICE's journey was unstoppable. They released hit after hit, from “Cheer Up” to "TT" and "Likey," breaking records and setting new ones in the K-pop industry. TT became TWICE’s 3rd music video to hit 100 million views, becoming the fastest K-pop group music video to do so and it did so by breaking its own record with “Cheer Up”. They would even go on to to win the Billboard Breakthrough artist award at the Billboard Women in Music Awards in 2023. Twice has come such a long way, breaking incredible records and doing amazing things. And it’s all due to the amazing members.
Part 3: TWICE Members
We’ll start with the oldest, Nayeon. Im Na-Yeon was born or September 22, 1995 in Seoul, South Korea. Nayeon actually got cast when she was young to be a child model for JYP but her mother refused at the time. Years later, Nayeon secretly auditioned and passed JYP Entertainment's 7th Open Audition and became a trainee on September 15, 2010. In 2013, she was cast as a member of 6mix, a JYP girl group that was planned but never debuted. Prior to Sixteen and her debut as a member of TWICE, she appeared in a few television advertisements and in several music videos of her label mates, including Jun. K's "No Love", Got7's "Girls Girls Girls" and miss A's "Only You." She also made a cameo appearance in the second episode of KBS2's 2012 Korean drama Dream High 2.
Fun facts about Nayeon:
She is very good at aegyo and considered the “fake maknae” of TWICE. Her name means elegant and beautiful in Korean, which suits her perfectly. She has writing credits for over 10 songs with TWICE and she’s close friends with BLACKPINK's Jennie and Red Velvets Yeri.
She was also the first member of twice to debut as a solo artist.
Next is Jeongyeon.
Yoo Jeong-Yeon was born on November 1, 1996 in Suwon, South Korea and was given the name Kyung-wan, at birth. However, due to being teased as a child, for this sounding like a boy's name, she legally changed her name to Jeong-yeon in the third grade.
Jeongyeon originally failed her first audition for JYP entertainment, however, she would later pass the audition for JYP Entertainment in JYP Entertainment's 6th Open Audition on March 1, 2010. Like Nayeon, Jihyo and Sana, JYP originally planned her to become a member of a girl group named 6Mix, but their debut was unfortunately cancelled. However, of course, she would go on to be in SIXTEEN and be a member of TWICE.
Fun Facts about Jeongyeon:
She originally failed her first audition for JYP when she was young but when she auditioned again and got accepted, she was also accepted by SM Entertainment on the same day but chose to join JYP. Her older sister is the actress gong Seung Yeon, she loves to play with Legos and has a huge collection and she can play the saxophone and recorder.
Up next is dancing machine, Momo
Hirai Momo was born on November 9, 1996 in Japan and is one of 3 Japanese members of TWICE, making up the TWICE Japanese line, MISAMO.
Momo started dancing at a very young age and decided to become a singer because of Amuro Namie and got into K-pop after watching Rain and Lee Hyori. Throughout her young life, she trained at the Step Out Dance Studio and was scouted by JYP Entertainment after they saw a dance video of her and her older sister. Momo and her sister were invited to the 2011 JYP Japan Audition which were held in Osaka (19/11/2011) and Tokyo (25/11/2011). Momo passed the audition but, sadly her sister did not. Subsequently, she moved to South Korea to start her JYP traineeship on April 13, 2012 together with TWICE's Sana. They actually left together.
In 2014, she appeared in the music video of Got7's "Stop Stop It" and the Japanese MV of Junho's “Feel" and miss A's "Only You.”
Like we mentioned before, Momo was originally eliminated from Sixteen but was brought back in the final episode and announced to be a member of twice. And she is now one of the most iconic idols out there. Good choice JYP.
Fun facts about Momo:
Momo is THE dancer and has been giving the nickname dancing machine Momo. She’s also a great rapper and has been gradually been getting more rap lines. Momo and Sana both entered JYP on the same day and many thought they were twins. Momo can’t ride a bicycle, Momo eats the most out of the members and hates drinking water.
Up next is Minatozaki Sana
Sana was born on December 29, 1996 in Japan. Sana attended the EXPG (Exile Professional Gym) Osaka branch, a dance and vocal studio where many Japanese idols trained, including some members of E-girls, Generations and The Rampage, from 2009 to early 2012. She first got interested in K-pop because of Girls' Generation's and KARA's rising popularity in Japan. At age 14, in her last year of middle school, she was scouted by JYP Entertainment while shopping with friends at a popular underground shopping mall in Osaka Japan. The JYPE scouts invited Sana to the 2011 JYP Japan Audition in Osaka and Tokyo, the same one’s Momo was invited to. After graduating from middle school in March 2012, she moved to South Korea to start her JYP trainee-ship on April 13, 2012 together with TWICE's Momo.
She would appear in got7’s “A” and Junho’s “Feel” and eventually go onto be in sixteen and debut with twice.
Fun facts about Sana:
She left Japan on the same day as Momo and with Momo actually, from there they would room together as well. San once said on a vlive that she can’t remember a single time where her and Momo fought. Once when she was a trainee she got caught sneaking food into the dorms, but she pretended she couldn’t understand them and started saying things in Japanese. Clever girl. She sleepwalks a lot and has woken up standing many times. Sana is clumsy and always hurting herself, but in the cutest way.
Next is TWICE’s leader, god Jihyo.
Jihyo is the leader of twice and an absolute vocal powerhouse. Jihyo was born on February 1, 1997 in Gyeonggi, South Korea with her birth name, Park Ji-soo. She legally changed her given name to Ji-hyo when she was 18 years old.
She was scouted by JYP Entertainment in 2005 after winning second place in a child role on Junior Naver when she was in third grade. She trained for over 10 years before debuting as a member of TWICE in 2015 through the survival show SIXTEEN. That’s a really long time to train! She was also set to debut in the girl group 6mix along with future group mate Nayeon, Jeongyeon and Sana. On August 18, 2023, Jihyo released her first debut album, Zone. She received her first music show win for 'Killin' Me Good' on August 25.
Fun facts about Jihyo:
Jihyo said that if she were a man she would date mina because she’s very lady like and takes care of others, she loves reading web comics, jeonyeong said that jihyo used to be so timid that Jihyo couldn’t even order food in a restaurant early on. And look at our Goddess now.
Next up, is Ballerina Mina
Myoui Mina was born on March 24, 1997, in San Antonio, Texas, in the United States. That’s right, Mina was born in America, but moved to Kobe, Japan when she was just a toddler. Mina studied ballet for eleven years before joining Urizip Dance School for more modern dance training. And yes, she trained in Ballet which is why she’s ballerina Mina. In 2013, she was scouted by a JYP Entertainment staff member while shopping with her mother and was invited to join JYP Entertainment Global. She auditioned in a JYP audition in Japan and joined the trainee program in South Korea on January 2, 2014. In 2014–2015, she appeared in the music videos of Got7's "Stop Stop It", Junho's "Feel", Wooyoung's "R.O.S.E", and Miss A's "Only You”.
Fun Facts about Mina:
Her English name is Sharon, and this is Sharon (Clip). Mina likes to play games (clip). She has the shortest period of time training before debuting than any other twice member. Mina loves laying in her bed.
Next is Dubu Dubu Dubu. Kim Da-hyun.
Dahyun or Dubu as she’s nicknamed, was born on May 28, 1998 in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea and is apart of TWICE’s rap line.
Before making her official debut, Dahyun used to be a member of her church's choir group. Where she became known for her famous eagle dance that went viral on YouTube in 2011 and earned her the moniker "Eagle Dance Church Sister.” She also did this on the show sixteen and the dance would go on to be added to Fortnite. Besides performing in church, she also used to participate in dance festivals which was where she was scouted by a JYP Entertainment staff. After the passing the audition, she became an official trainee. She would also go on to appear in Got7's "Stop Stop It" as the main story character and Wooyoung's "R.O.S.E". She graduated from Hanlim Multi Art School in February 2017. Dahyun also has many writing credits for TWICE.
Fun facts aboiut Dahyun:
Jihyo said that Dahyun showers for a very long time and she has her personal concert in the bathroom. One day, when Dahyun came out from the bathroom, she saw the members were sitting on the floor and clapping for her. Dahyun's nickname is "Dubu" Korean for Tofu, because her skin is white and soft like tofu. Dahyun was accepted into the Big 3 companies: JYP, YG, and SM. She chose JYP because they were the first to accept her. Good job on acting fast JYP.
Next is Chaeyoung, another member of the rap line of TWICE.
Son Chae-young was born on April 23, 1999 in Seoul, South Korea. She attended Hanlim Multi Art School for her secondary education and graduated alongside with Tzuyu on February 11, 2019.
After a successful audition to JYP Entertainment which took place on June 6, 2012, Chaeyoung trained nearly three years before becoming a contestant on the 2015 show, Sixteen. During her trainee years, Chaeyoung appeared in the music videos of GOT7's song, "Stop Stop It" and Miss A's "Only You”.
Chaeyoung became the first member to receive writing
credits when she wrote the rap verse for Twice's version of JYP’s Precious Love, as part of their 2016 release ”Page Two.” Chaeyoung even designed the group's limited edition Page Two album cover and has many writing credits for the group.
Fun facts about Chaeyoung:
Chae is known for being the tatted member of twice, having many awesome tattoos. She also loves art and loves to draw. Chaeyoung liked strawberries a lot when she was young and that's how she got her nickname "Strawberry Princess.” Chaeyoung was asked "Only for a day, who you do want to live as?" and she replied, Jeongyeon, because she is envious of Jeongyeon's height and short hair.
Last but not least is our Taiwanese maknae, Tyuzu.
Chou Tzuyu or chou zi yu which is mandarin pronunciation of her name, is the youngest member or maknae, of TWICE. She was born on June 14, 1999 in Tainan, Taiwan. In 2013, she was seen by talent scouts at the MUSE Performing Arts Workshop in Tainan and traveled to South Korea in November that year to become a K-pop trainee. She joined JYPE in November 15, 2012. After more than two years of training, she appeared on Sixteen where she would be added as a member of twice by the audience. Tyuzu attended Hanlim Multi Art School in Seoul with Chaeyoung and they both graduated in on February 11, 2019.
Tzuyu captured the hearts of fans worldwide with her captivating visuals, impressive vocals, and graceful presence. And the members and fans say her contributions to the group have played a significant role in their rise to stardom and continuous success.
Fun facts about Tyuzu:
As mentioned before, she wasn’t originally part of the original 7 member twice group but was added in by the fans when JYP announced twice would be 9 members, because she got the most fan votes on sixteen. Tyuzu is the tallest member of twice. Tzuyu's nicknames are "Chewy" because that is how her name is pronounced. She is also called ''Evil Maknae'' because she is often very direct and can be mean sometimes. Tzuyu shared pre-debut that she wanted to be recognize for her vocal and dance skills, not just her visuals.
Part 4: TWICE Now
TWICE has come a long way since their first debut. Breaking records, winning awards and winning hearts of millions of fans, girls and boys, men and women worldwide.
Twice started off with a very cute, bubble pop vibe but over the years the group and the members have matured in their music and of course, personally. While the older TWICE songs are still deeply cherished, it is really great seeing how they have matured, grown and evolved over the years. And they did it in a very great way, gradually. We’ve all seen groups try to “grow up” way too fast, but twice did it at their own pace, but never forgetting their past. In fact, during their last tour they did a medley of many of their older songs, and still of course perform their huge hits, while still showcasing their newer songs. Twice has grown to become one of the biggest kpop groups of all time. Going from the cute and talented girls from sixteen, to the absolutely stunning, beautiful, elegant, sexy and respected women that we know today.
And their journey isn’t over. Twice members a couple of years ago renewed their contracts with JYP to remain TWICE, together. And now, their solo careers have launched. Nayeon, the oldest, was the first to launch her solo career with Pop, a song that was perfectly fitting for our Nayeon, in which she won multiple awards for. A second solo mini-album for Nayeon has just been announced as well and will be released June 14, 2024. Jihyo, the leader, followed next, with her very recently released single, Killin Me Good, go stream that right now to help out our God Jihyo! And congrats to her as she just won her first award for it as well! Also, TWICE’s Japanese line, MISAMO, Mina, Sana and Momo, just debut as a sub unit and absolutely crushed it with their album and song, “do not touch.” A song about consent that was still made incredibly elegant and sexy, showcasing the girls as works of art, or masterpieces, which is the name of their album, masterpiece. And again, very fitting for them. And we assume that Jeongyeon, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tyuzu will be following up with their solo debuts in the future soon!
From trainees, to sixteen, to breaking records and winning awards, to 5 world tours where they sold out arenas across the globe, to their continued album making and solo careers, TWICE sure has come a long way and we can’t wait to see them go even further in the future. We love you twice!