K-pop band TWICE basking in global popularity; plans U.S. tour

The exploitation continues.

None of the kids can even compose a sentence let alone lyrics of a song

that is why they are all easily exploited.

I don't understand the younger generation to under how standards have fallen hence

the craving for mediocrity.

Who wants to go to a concert to see scripted dancing and lips singing! Music now days is annoying!

The best on this pic is the cute dog.

Which one ? There are 2.

All dogs are cute, by definition.

As for the bunch of 20-somethings all trying to look like they're 13....

Can't decide if it's cringe-worthy or sad.

Bit of both, probably.

The saddest thing is that this stuff sells.

Invalid CSRF

Market-driven "music"? Songs by committee and "talent" assembled by management companies? The "image" doesn't scream "interesting." It seems like it's all been streamlined and simplified and formulated nowadays for easy promotion on the conveyor belt of production?

*Here you go: "JYP Entertainment Corporation (Korean: JYP 엔터테인먼트) is a South Korean multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate founded in 1997 by J. Y. Park. It is one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea..." (wikipedia)*

There song "Cry For Me" was written by these people: HEIZE (헤이즈), J.Y. Park, Sophiya, Ryan Tedder, Melanie Joy Fontana, Michel “Lindgren” Schulz & A. Wright.

That's a lot of people - especially for these lyrics:

Oh, on the outside I'll be all calm

Baby no more real love

Imma pretend we're going strong

Then at the end, break your heart

Bad boy, bad boy

Yeah, you really make me a mad girl, mad girl

Woah-oh-oh

And to think It only took one person to write "Sound of Silence." Wow!

Never heard of them, guess they are not important, Gang sign culture appropriation

Good on Korea. Im not into this kind of music, however Korea is doing a great job in music and movies as of late.

I too old to really care but I do wonder how this group will fair in the U.S.

K-pop band TWICE basking in global popularity; plans U.S. tour

Twice is quite popular in Asia but the world? Even Blackpink does not say they are basking in global popularity.

Michael MachidaToday  08:28 am JST

Good on Korea. Im not into this kind of music, however Korea is doing a great job in music and movies as of late.

A few years ago I saw and met a K-punk band named '57'.

GBR48Today  11:30 am JST

-How many Americans understand Korean language?

You don't need to understand Korean to enjoy their music,

Nobody understood a word of their Korean lyrics, they rocked the house down! Rock'n'roll is a universal language now.

drluciferToday  11:47 am JST

The exploitation continues.

None of the kids can even compose a sentence let alone lyrics of a song

that is why they are all easily exploited.

I don't understand the younger generation to under how standards have fallen hence

the craving for mediocrity.

Because looks have become more important than talent. It's gotten so corporate now, it's stagnant and sick. Need I mention N'SYNC, pop tarts, Lady Caca, and yes it was 25 years ago that the 'other British invasion' arrived with those stupid Spice Girls. I never liked them, they are a complete JOKE.

@Eppee

The best on this pic is the cute dog.

Which one ? There are 2.

TWICE "The Feels" M/V

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5_wn8mexmM

Not my cup tea, gin and tonic, each to there own.

The Beatles later (after the touring and 'cutesy' image) experimented with studio effects and sonic manipulation and exploration that led to even more innovations. After all, that's what 'psychedelic' is really about. Other acts like the Beach Boys were doing it too and may I mention Pink Floyd? 

Very true.

OK, an oversight. I grew up with Roxy Music and all those 'new wave' and punk bands they inspired incl. the glam metal scene. This 2nd British Invasion went on from 1979 starting with Roxy, Graham Parker and Nick Lowe and other 'pub rockers', and went on even further with Duran Duran, Culture Club, the Clash and more. And some older Brit bands such as Genesis, the Moody Blues and even the Stones also reaped huge success. This Invasion went on thruout the whole decade - i

I agree.

in one week in 1988 there were more British acts on the Top 40 than there were during the 60s Invasion. 

Yes, but it was winding down and fast and the best times of that decade pretty much ended around 1986 and many of those bands came out later were horrible as well as their hits, people were getting tired of the synth scene and the next upcoming musical bands of the time wanted to return to the natural sounds of real instruments.

Video killed the radio star fershure but too many people are focused on the videogenic side and image over the art of music itself and that's sad. 

But you have to remember MTV is what made music and defined the 1980's without the majority of it would have been underground or played on stations such as KROQ with Rodney on the Rocks after midnight, so MTV was without a doubt the pioneer in shaping that decade

>

Tour the US? Maybe if promoters can book arenas, otherwise you won't see them at the Indian casinos or Billy Bob's Honkytonk.

So what? Over-rated, IMO.

@Jim

You must be from new generation. Perhaps you don't know how Koreans were influenced by Japanese music, dramas, anime back in the 70s/80s/90s.

If you watch 90s/early 00s Korean movies, you will find out the names of Japanese mentioned there. Many Koreans (esp above 35) still loves X Japan, ever heard of? Well you must be in the circle of teeny meeny idol groups.

Oscar winner doesn't mean it is better than rest of the movies. No Korean movies can catch the level of classic Japanese films. Just one example, The Human Condition Trilogy.

@YuriOtani

While I'm not a huge K-Pop fan I find your logic somewhat strange. There are many people around the world who have no grasp of the English language and yet still consume and enjoy the music. It's not just about lyrical content but the production, melody and image they present through music videos and so on which catches peoples imagination. Look at older songs like "Hit Me Baby One More Time", and "I Want it That Way." The lyrics, written by a Swede didn't make any sense despite being "English" and yet were still massive hits for their respective artists.

The Koreans took the time to listen to what do the masses like in the West and they built on that to expand their fanbase, the Japanese focus more on home talent consumption and the broader Asian market.

Shonen Knife is making a big impression with the cosplayer fanbase in America. And Acid Mother Temple and Boris are also getting critical notice and respect in the US. They are all 'J-rock' but they're making an impact in the US. And then there's Babymetal.

Yes, but it was winding down and fast and the best times of that decade pretty much ended around 1986 and many of those bands came out later were horrible as well as their hits, people were getting tired of the synth scene and the next upcoming musical bands of the time wanted to return to the natural sounds of real instruments.

The glam metal scene was handling that aspect but it was getting formulaic as well. Then an evolutionary next step occured. Grunge is a mix of metal, punk and glam so in retrospect it was going to happen. And yes a lot of 'newer' new wave bands that sprouted after 1986 sucked big time, and so did their big hits. Pop (Top 40) continued on with the synths and drum machines but those newer bands of the 90s knew only how to program, not play them. And by the end of the century there were a lot of godawful grunge bands like Creed ('CRUD'), wretched imitation RATM bands of the 'nu metal' genre and those stupid lip-synching pop tarts and boy bands.

kaimycahlNov. 17  10:54 pm JST

Who wants to go to a concert to see scripted dancing and lips singing! Music now days is annoying!

Apparently some do. Not me. A few years ago I caught what passes for the 'Pointer Sisters' at a free gig at a casino. It's just one surviving Pointer, her daughter and her granddaughter now and they lip-synched for an hour to a CD played in the back room. The audience ate it up as if it were real. After that the house DJ span some cuts and there was more dancing. When 'Good Times' by CHIC came on the women did some sort of 'line dancing' I knew nothing of. I then blew the joint and even in the parking lot I could hear the audience making more noize than all the video screens and gambling machines together. They were partying like it was 1999 and it took a trio of lip-synching (and butt-shaking) phonies to start it up. DAMN.

I hope there are no future suicides or sexual harassments that you read K pop groups doing. These girls are to young for this.

Simian LaneToday 07:12 am JST

Jesus, are they old enough to do anything legal ?

I thought they were kids, but the average age is 24. They do not have many years left for such a band. As the band started in 2015, they might have started their carrier "quite late" actually.

It is not all my type of music and I do not understand why the new generation likes that. Does this generation likes that or is that just the business that is promoting that, a kind of musical brainwashing.

Anyway, yesterday, I was again enjoying watching the early 90's Glastonbury Festival. Another world !

Still most Americans do not understand Korean, how can they enjoy the songs in Korean? It would be just noise, ok the dancing is cute but still. I myself do not understand Korean at all. During my trip to Seoul had to read the English and the little kanji.

bass4funkToday  01:55 pm JST

Because looks have become more important than talent. It's gotten so corporate now, it's stagnant and sick.

well it’s been corporate for a while actually and you can go as far back as the Beatles, not exactly entirely corporate, but they were groomed informed to have a very clean-cut and prestige image and that lasted a few years about 4 to 5 years and that’s when John Lennon said he had enough and he felt that he wanted to musically The more creative and write more music the way he wanted to in the vision that he had, as well as he felt a little bit more overshadowed by McCartney whose musical and melodic style of writing was really quintessential and helping the Beatles get to where they were, but when I want it more and he invent the Rolling Stones, because they have more of that bad boy image and freedom that he didn’t have and couldn’t have while he was with the Beatles, not fast forward today and the music scene is completely different, young kids in this generation do not care about the talent of the actual musician, they care more about the visual appearance of the artist and this is why these corporate control bands can you generate millions of dollars, because then after I look at an image nowadays it’s all about singing and dancing and nothing more, kids could care less about seeing some guitars on stage playing a three minute solo. That is not with this generation is or cares about. It might be lame and stagnant for you, for the Z generation, it’s everything.

The Beatles later (after the touring and 'cutesy' image) experimented with studio effects and sonic manipulation and exploration that led to even more innovations. After all, that's what 'psychedelic' is really about. Other acts like the Beach Boys were doing it too and may I mention Pink Floyd?

And the Rolling Stones have that gritty edge and feel, and Mick usually snarls his lyrics. That certainly is true to the rebellious side of rock'n'roll and it spawned many genres.

Need I mention N'SYNC, pop tarts, Lady Caca, and yes it was 25 years ago that the 'other British invasion' arrived with those stupid Spice Girls. I never liked them, ****they are a complete JOKE.

Well, a little bit of a correction, the 2nd British invasion pretty much started around 79 going all the way up to 86 at it’s highest point and it started to trickle down after that. The Spice Girls didn’t come on the horizon until 1994 by then we were already pretty much into the grunge scene in the UK was really heavy with house music and Germany with trance at the time.

OK, an oversight. I grew up with Roxy Music and all those 'new wave' and punk bands they inspired incl. the glam metal scene. This 2nd British Invasion went on from 1979 starting with Roxy, Graham Parker and Nick Lowe and other 'pub rockers', and went on even further with Duran Duran, Culture Club, the Clash and more. And some older Brit bands such as Genesis, the Moody Blues and even the Stones also reaped huge success. This Invasion went on thruout the whole decade - in one week in 1988 there were more British acts on the Top 40 than there were during the 60s Invasion.

Video killed the radio star fershure but too many people are focused on the videogenic side and image over the art of music itself and that's sad.

Still most Americans do not understand Korean, how can they enjoy the songs in Korean? It would be just noise, ok the dancing is cute but still. I myself do not understand Korean at all. During my trip to Seoul had to read the English and the little kanji.

Should that matter? I saw the K-punk band '57' and they awed the whole joint, they rocked it GOOD yet none of us could understand the Korean lyrics. In 2019 I saw the Japanese psychedelic powerhouse rockers Acid Mother Temple and none of us knew the lyrics but man, those guys are wild and innovative! Their crazy musicianship is what matters. That same year I saw the Nigerian psychedelic guitarist Mdou Moctar who is getting a lot of media notice lately. Not too many in America know a word of Tuareg either but his shows pack the clubs. He rocks. And the Mongolian hard rock band HU is getting attention in the US too, before lockdown I saw them play to a full house near where I went to college. Mostof us don't know a word of Mongolian but who cares? They rock in a manner that incl. their own cultural 'throat-singing' and they awed everybody. Rock'n'roll is everywhere now, it never was just for English speakers anyway.

Well then @cleo, we definitely should be thankful she didn’t title the song “Dog” !

(*Fellow dog-fan, here) - Regardless, no one’s claimed these girls were geniuses:

“I used to own a cactus, … really,”

Now these are Korean moppets everyone would surely like to get behind.

And has anyone noticed the one in yellow with a 'flower pot' hat? Did she graduate from the DEVO School of Fashion or what?

@BackpackingNepal

Koreans were influenced by Japanese music, dramas, anime back in the 70s/80s/90s.

Now it's the 2020s though. Things might have changed since then, you know...

Twice is pretty big these days, certainly enough to do a global tour. There are easily enough KPop fans/Once living in the states to justify it. I would say they are probably the second biggest girl group in the KPop industry right now, after only Blackpink.

As far as striking it big and releasing a US album, probably not. Pretty much every artist from asia has failed at trying that. It doesn't appeal to the broader US audience, and the KPop fans who already like their music just want their Korean music. Not KPop, but I remember going to an Utada Hikaru concert in the states and everyone just wanted her to play her Japanese music, not stuff from the English album.

@drlucifer

The exploitation continues.

None of the kids can even compose a sentence let alone lyrics of a song

that is why they are all easily exploited.

They do compose though. Not the title tracks, but Jihyo (the leader and main vocalist) has written several of their b-sides. I believe Dahyun, the main rapper, writes some of the raps as well. You will see their names listed frequently on writing credits of songs.

Shonen Knife is making a big impression with the cosplayer fanbase in America. And Acid Mother Temple and Boris are also getting critical notice and respect in the US. They are all 'J-rock' but they're making an impact in the US. And then there's Babymetal. 

Yes, to a slight point, they attract mostly the Avante Garde group of artistic and enigmatic crowds, not enough to fully break into the US market. Shonen Knife and Seiko Matsuda have a slightly bigger following in the US as their music is a bit rougher and they don't hold themselves to the theatrical Piano, orchestral background noise (which can be extremely annoying to a lot of Western ears, unlike Korean music which tends to lock into the rhythmic urban streets sounds, you do that and you will blow up.

-Billboard

That’s according to new stats from industry monitor MRC Data, compiled with Billboard.

In the case of on-demand video streams, the ‘R&B/hip-hop’ category actually claimed over a third of all plays, at 33.9%.

In terms of audio streams, ‘R&B/hip-hop’ claimed 30.7% of all on-demand plays. And across audio and video streams combined, ‘R&B/hip-hop’ claimed 31.1%.

These startling figures meant that the ‘R&B/hip-hop’ category increased its market share of total ‘album-equivalent sales’ in the US in 2020, which take into account physical sales, digital sales, and streaming.

In 2020, says MRC Data (formerly Nielsen Music), ‘R&B/hip-hop’ claimed a 28.2% share of total album-equivalent consumption. That was up on both 2019 (27.4%) and 2018 (25.6%). 

The glam metal scene was handling that aspect but it was getting formulaic as well. Then an evolutionary next step occured. Grunge is a mix of metal, punk and glam so in retrospect it was going to happen.

But most of the Glam metal scene was for the most part done by the early 90s when Grunge was coming along and this was the time period in the 90s where music did more or less directional soul searching as it was doing that, clubs in the UK were palying a lot of house which started making quality beats and was bringing in the crowds, Germany had Trance and the US borrowed from the 2 and now you had the emergence of Hip-Hop/funk (Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Rage against the machine, 24/7 Spyz) and Acid Jazz (Jamiroquai, Incognito, Brand New Heavies ) which ushered in a complete and total music direction and at the same time, Trance in Germany as well as pretty much the majority of nightclubs around the world were playing more Trance music and as drugs started to make a resurgence bands like (Armin Van Buuren, Moby, Tiesto) were the undisputed kings of the club underworld without a doubt and during these important musical evolutionary periods that was taking place throughout most of the Western world Japan continued to stay in its pocket and contined to play the same. The japanese focus heavily on the cute or "kawaii" factor, idol group bands, also the Japanese market focuses primarily on its local market and a lot less on the bigger international market as these talent agencies are trying to promote and grow the industry at home. Korean music or K-pop focuses heavily on strong beats, complex dancing MTV style videos that attract more people internationally. Koreans get a lot of their musical influences from the US and what they have done is nothing short of remarkable, for the first time they found out how to get a foothold into the US market and this is why (and for this Gen Z era) they have done what previously no asian artists on this side of the planet couldn't do and that is conquer the US and eventually the European market.

And yes a lot of 'newer' new wave bands that sprouted after 1986 sucked big time, and so did their big hits. Pop (Top 40) continued on with the synths and drum machines but those newer bands of the 90s knew only how to program, not play them. And by the end of the century there were a lot of godawful grunge bands like Creed ('CRUD'), wretched imitation RATM bands of the 'nu metal' genre and those stupid lip-synching pop tarts and boy bands. 

Which this younger generation loves to death. The point is, bands are pretty much done at least for the younger generation of today, being cute and dancing cool is the genre that kids like. This is why Ariana Grande is a smash success and for her generation already somewhat of a Diva. If Japan really wants to grab a share of the international music market it needs to change in a big way, if they want to continue to play the soft melodic typical J-pop songs that is perfectly alright, but don't expect to ever catch up to Korea or even get 1/3 of its fanbase. Koreans chose to think outside of the box and reach for the stars and beyond, the Japanese haven't.

For those unfamiliar with Kpop, Twice is definitely popular. So much so that they can do global tours, not just the U.S. They've already done multiple concerts at the Tokyo Dome and Osaka Dome... sadly I couldn't get tickets because it sold out!

Twice and Kpop in general recruit non-Korean members because interest in Kpop now goes well beyond Korea. Plus more non-Koreans talents are attracted to Kpop because of its global audience. You can take a look at Planet 999 where a lot of Japanese and Chinese talents went to test their skills in a survival show. Another good example is Sakura Miyawaki (one of the most popular member of AKB) recently left the group to join the world of Kpop.

Of course, you don't have to like Kpop if it's not your thing.... but if you're curious and want to give Kpop a shot, Twice just recently released their new single called 'Scientist'. It's a BOP (in my opinion) and it's been on repeat on my shower play list.

-How many Americans understand Korean language?

You don't need to understand Korean to enjoy their music, although the popularity of Kpop and Kdrama has seen a rise in Westerners learning the language. I usually get the Korean releases of Twice's CDs rather than the JP ones. Korean ones usually come with substantial photo books and assorted extras. JP CDs have fewer extras but can come with DVDs. Twice have always had a particularly strong JP focus.

They would do well pretty much anywhere, as other KR and JP bands have done, with no English lyrics required (although it's nice that they are acknowledging foreign fans). Blackpink, Japan's Band-Maid and other groups have had international success off the back of YouTube. JP band BiSH would be great at Glastonbury.

I'm not aware of many JP groups releasing their tracks in Korean. The Japanese market may be quite lucrative, hence the Kpop bands doing JP releases. Incidentally, there were a few English language versions of AKB tracks, slipped in as extras on some early JKT48 releases.

Opera fans never worry too much about the language an opera is in, so why should pop fans?

Because looks have become more important than talent. It's gotten so corporate now, it's stagnant and sick.

well it’s been corporate for a while actually and you can go as far back as the Beatles, not exactly entirely corporate, but they were groomed informed to have a very clean-cut and prestige image and that lasted a few years about 4 to 5 years and that’s when John Lennon said he had enough and he felt that he wanted to musically The more creative and write more music the way he wanted to in the vision that he had, as well as he felt a little bit more overshadowed by McCartney whose musical and melodic style of writing was really quintessential and helping the Beatles get to where they were, but when I want it more and he invent the Rolling Stones, because they have more of that bad boy image and freedom that he didn’t have and couldn’t have while he was with the Beatles, not fast forward today and the music scene is completely different, young kids in this generation do not care about the talent of the actual musician, they care more about the visual appearance of the artist and this is why these corporate control bands can you generate millions of dollars, because then after I look at an image nowadays it’s all about singing and dancing and nothing more, kids could care less about seeing some guitars on stage playing a three minute solo. That is not with this generation is or cares about. It might be lame and stagnant for you, for the Z generation, it’s everything.

*Need I mention N'SYNC, pop tarts, Lady Caca, and yes it was 25 years ago that the 'other British invasion' arrived with those stupid Spice Girls. I never liked them, *they are a complete JOKE.

Well, a little bit of a correction, the 2nd British invasion pretty much started around 79 going all the way up to 86 at it’s highest point and it started to trickle down after that. The Spice Girls didn’t come on the horizon until 1994 by then we were already pretty much into the grunge scene in the UK was really heavy with house music and Germany with trance at the time.

@YuriOtani

Still most Americans do not understand Korean, how can they enjoy the songs in Korean?

Ask Americans why they enjoyed Gangnam Style then.

@didou

As the band started in 2015, they might have started their carrier "quite late" actually.

Koreans are notorious for their 7 year training system, so they start training at 10 and debut at 17 on the average. Some are in this training hell for 9~10 years.

They do not have many years left for such a band.

There are many 30 something female idols in Korea. So age is not an issue in Korea.

@yoshisan88

Even Blackpink does not say they are basking in global popularity.

BlackPink is fully mainstream in the US. Ie, their members model for Calvin Klein and Tiffany in New York.

This is what made YG go ahead with their version of SNSD in 2022, after BlackPink's success in the US

https://twitter.com/CalvinKlein/status/1441840378722783233?s=20

BlackPink Jennie's Calvin Klein campaign

https://www.elle.com/fashion/a36187269/rose-blackpink-tiffany-and-co-ambassador/

BlackPink Rose's Tiffany campaign

Never heard of them, guess they are not important

Considering the content of this article, your conclusion that they are unimportant due to your not having heard of them, seems less probably than you just being out of touch with the current music scene.

I've seen them Twice

@Simian Lane

Jesus, are they old enough to do anything legal ?

The youngest member is 22.

 I do wonder how this group will fair in the U.S.

Nobody knows until someone tries. All prior attempts failed including SNSD(aka Girls' Generation)'s US launch which shocked the K-pop industry as SNSD is considered the greatest female idol team of all time in Korea and none comes close to them, not even Twice and Black Pink.

HIVE(aka BTS agency) is launching a female version of BTS produced by the SNSD producer who jumped ship because SM no longer had the ability to produce female teams(SM is basically like Johnny's now focusing on male idols only), but it would be in common interest of K-pop industry for someone else to succeed before HIVE's SNSD and YG's SNSD(aka 9 member Black Pink) launch in 2022.

SNSD in this context means 7~9 member team consisting of each agency's best trainees(A-team). Ironically, SNSD wasn't SM's A-team, but B-team, but SNSD's success shifted the formula upside down.

Korea using Japanese talent and from other Asian talent (Taiwanese, Thai etc) to profit their market and gaining global status. 

Can they ever do on their own with their own Original concept? Still a boasting smart move though.

What are you smoking there! Seriously dude, your obsession with Japan is just mind blowing! Anyone with a good brain knows that Korean music, movies and entertainment as a whole is miles in front of Japan! That’s why so many Japanese people ( yes so many!!! ) also appreciate Korean music, movies and especially the TV series! Korean movies even won at the Oscars! Stop living in your bubble!

Still most Americans do not understand Korean, how can they enjoy the songs in Korean? It would be just noise, ok the dancing is cute but still. I myself do not understand Korean at all. During my trip to Seoul had to read the English and the little kanji.

Well, as much as I despise that kind of music, Korean pop music sounds way better than J-pop, for one thing, Koreans write better beats similar to West Coast Rap/Dub and elements of House and the rhythm takes over, you really don't need to understand the lyrics, for the most part, both countries have had a very difficult time to break into the overseas market, J-pop struggled for years and still does because the musical arrangements are just not that captivating for the majority Westerners unless you are a deep-hearted Otaku, but if you are a deeper and in-depth musical listener and critique aficionado you will probably pass on it. The Koreans took the time to listen to what do the masses like in the West and they built on that to expand their fanbase, the Japanese focus more on home talent consumption and the broader Asian market.

Too cute! Perhaps we should be thankful the song is not titled “Cat” ?

- “Jihyo, said she’d taken inspiration from real-life events, including the death of a houseplant. “I used to own a cactus, really,” “I totally forgot, and a few months later, I realized that it’d died,” she said. “I felt so bad. I even named it.”

- “She said the song, “Cactus,” was written from the plant’s perspective, seeing its owner walking in and out of the room and ignoring it.”

The best on this pic is the cute dog.

Sorry, it was a oversight: “Japanese” moppets as well! - Wasn’t intentionally being exclusionary nor discriminatory:

@7:43am: “Three of the group members are from Japan.”

Korea using Japanese talent and from other Asian talent (Taiwanese, Thai etc) to profit their market and gaining global status.

Can they ever do on their own with their own Original concept? Still a boasting smart move though.

How many Americans understand Korean language?

Who cares? Surely there's entertainment news from countries other than Korea? Why Korea? Japan's obsession?