Blog Post
2/25/22
A Quick Overview About My Favorite Music Group: Twice
Introduction
Despite my face, I swear I had a lot of fun đŸ˜…
Just recently I attended my first ever concert! If you've seen the title, I'm sure you can surmise who that group was...
For context, I was never interested in concerts whether that was always due to being on the "performers' side" in the past from my time in band (first chair clarinet for anyone curious)! I originally missed an opportunity in May of 2019 to see Bruno Major in San Francisco which I have come to regret. In regards to Twice, I also remember being unable to go to their Twicelights tour since nobody had known about my interest at the time but in 2022 (well, 2021 if you mean when I got the tickets) I would make sure this wasn't the case!
My History With Twice
My Twice listening journey began in March of 2016 with React's (previously named TheFineBros) innocuously named "Youtubers React to K-Pop 4". My history with k-pop goes much further than this however with my unknowingly listening to Wonder Girls's "Nobody" somewhere around 2010.Back to Twice however, Like-Ooh-Ahh was a song that was equal parts weird, catchy, and interesting. There was something about its unapologetically energetic nature which became infectious.
The Video in Question!
I soon found myself listening to it quite often after school whenever I was feeling down, and I would continue to follow their releases and randomly picking other songs (not even bothering to listen to full albums, which I never did at the time haha). At this point, I mostly listened to their music casually yet while interests in other artists came and went, they always found their way onto my playlists!
Here's an example of Twice being added all the way back in 2018 to my Spotify playlists
A Renewed Interest
However, in around November of 2020 when the pandemic's impact affected my mental health personally, I found myself listening to them a lot once again. There was something equal parts satisfying, comforting, and nostalgic when listening to them and at this point, their music had expanded beyond bubblegum pop into something much more diverse.
I also grew to realize that k-pop was an entire industry predicated on content outside of the music itself, which I found interesting. While the industry is problematic in many aspects, I also found it similarly comforting at a point in time and catching up on all of the hardships seen throughout Twice's journey as artists. Whether it was things like performance anxiety, listeners mocking their live performances, etc. I found it all interesting to follow especially as I was a completely unaware listener from 2016-2020.
In doing so, I developed a newfound appreciation for the group alongside their music and I can't wait to see what occurs for them in the future!
Photograph of Me Listening to Twice (2022, Colorized)
The Concert Itself
As for the concert itself, it was funny because the seats were right in front of a huge horizontal structure (see Pic ), covering the big screen. Despite them looking like tiny smudges on my camera, it was still a great experience and I hope I get to see them perform again in the future (but maybe a little closer next time), especially with contract renewals coming up.
I understand their music may not be everyone's cup of tea or that it just seems like some girl group that guys listen to because girls but their music will always be something important to me during difficult points (at least enough to write a long and cringy blog post).
What Now?
Although I admit the nearly hyperbolic statements in the next few sentences, Twice has truly been impactful on my life! Regardless of what happens to them this year with contract renewals, I will always be thankful for what they've done for me when times have been difficult! Below, I've included a list of some of my favorites as well as some quick descriptions!
My Favorite Twice album!
Song Recommendations
Disclaimer: Listening to K-Pop (in my opinion) is equal parts choreography and equal parts music
Why Should I Listen to: 100% Success Ratio in Terms of "That is a Good Song" with my Friends!
My favorite of their "cutesy" songs, something about the music video and its references to movies, as well as discussing the romanticization of love is very interesting to me personally!
A song about dealing with insomnia, one of my favorite "b-sides" (a song that's not a title track)
Seen as one of their best b-sidese
If You Prefer English...