BLΛƆKPIИK
Blackpink (Korean: 블랙핑크; commonly stylized as BLACKPINK or BLΛƆKPIИK) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment, consisting of members Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. The group debuted in August 2016 with their single album Square One, which featured "Whistle" and "Boombayah", their first number-one entries on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart and the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart, respectively.
They were the first Korean girl group to enter and top Billboard's Emerging Artists chart and to top the Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart three times.[4] Blackpink was also the first female Korean act to receive a certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) with their hit single "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" (2018), whose music video is currently the most-viewed by a Korean group on YouTube.
Blackpink is the highest-charting female Korean act on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 13 with "Ice Cream" (2020), and on the Billboard 200, peaking at number two with The Album (2020), the first-ever album by a Korean girl group to sell more than one million copies.
They have the most top 40 hits in the United Kingdom among all Korean artists, and their 2018 song "Kiss and Make Up" was the first-ever song by a Korean group to receive a certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and be certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
Blackpink has broken numerous online records throughout their career. Their music videos for "Kill This Love" (2019) and "How You Like That" (2020) each set records for the most-viewed music video within the first 24 hours of release, with the latter breaking three and setting two Guinness World Records.[
They are also the first music group and Korean act to have three music videos with at least one billion views on YouTube.
Blackpink is currently the most-followed girl group on Spotify and the most-subscribed music group, female act, and Asian act on YouTube.
Blackpink's other accolades include the New Artist of the Year Awards at the 31st Golden Disc Awards and the 26th Seoul Music Awards, Best Female Group at the 2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards, as well as recognition as the most powerful celebrities in South Korea in 2019 and the third most powerful celebrities in 2020 by Forbes Korea, and as the first female Korean group on Forbes' 30 Under 30 Asia. They were also the first K-pop girl group to win an MTV Music Video Award.
2010–2016: Formation and pre-debut activities
Blackpink began forming when YG Entertainment held tryouts worldwide for preteen or teenage recruits to create a new girl group after launching its first major girl group, 2NE1, in 2009. According to the members, joining the label as trainees was similar to enrolling in a full-time pop-star academy, with Jennie calling it "more strict than school" and Rosé comparing it to The X Factor with dorm rooms. For members who had left behind life outside of South Korea, the pace of training alongside the culture shock was tough.[20] Preparations for Blackpink's debut began as early as 2011 when YG Entertainment revealed on November 14, 2011 that the label's new girl group would debut in the early half of 2012 featuring at least seven members.[21] From then, there were numerous news and rumors surrounding the new girl group about their debut being delayed but there was no official information.[22][23] It was only until May 18, 2016 that YG Entertainment confirmed the new girl group, stating that the members were selected through years of stiff competition and confirming that the debut would be in July.[24] The label later confirmed that Jang Hanna and Moon Sua, who were introduced to the public as potential members of the new girl group, were not included in the debut lineup.[25][26]
Jennie was the first member revealed to be in the group on June 1.[27] Jennie joined YG Entertainment as a trainee in 2010 after moving back to South Korea from New Zealand.[28] In 2012, she was introduced to the public for the first time through a photo titled "Who's that girl?" via the official blog of YG Entertainment on April 10.[29] Jennie continued to be promoted as a member of the new girl group with multiple collaborations, such as starring in G-Dragon's 2012 music video "That XX" from One of a Kind EP and featuring in G-Dragon's "Black" from 2013 album Coup d'etat, and Lee Hi's "Special" from 2013 album First Love.[30][31][32] Lisa was revealed to be the second member on June 8, 2016.[33] Lisa was the only individual among 4,000 applicants to pass the 2010 YG Entertainment audition in her native Thailand, becoming the first foreign trainee to join the label in 2011.[28] She was first introduced in 2012 with a video that was posted on YG Entertainment's official YouTube channel titled "Who's That Girl???".[33] Lisa also appeared in the music video for Taeyang's "Ringa Linga" in 2013. She then took on her first modelling job in 2015 for street-wear brand Nona9on, following by modelling for cosmetics brand Moonshot in 2016.[34]
On June 15, Jisoo was revealed to be the third member. Jisoo joined YG Entertainment as a trainee in July 2011. She appeared in several advertisements and music videos in her pre-debut years, including "Spoiler + Happy Ending" (2014) from Epik High's studio album Shoebox and Hi Suhyun's music video "I'm Different" (2014). She also made a cameo appearance in 2015 drama The Producers.[35] Rosé was revealed to be a member on June 22, 2016. She ranked first among 700 applicants in the 2012 YG Entertainment audition in Australia, which then resulted in a trainee contract with the label and a move to Seoul to begin her training.[28] She was featured in G-Dragon's track "Without You" from One of a Kind EP in 2012, then credited as "? from YG New Girl Group". However, her featuring vocals and identity was kept secret for almost four years until her first official public introduction when it was revealed that she participated in the song.[36]
On June 29, YG Entertainment confirmed that the new girl group would include four members instead of the originally planned nine members, and revealed Blackpink as the group's official name.[37] According to a representative, Blackpink meant "pretty isn't everything" and symbolized that "they are a team that encompasses not only beauty, but also great talent."[38] Jisoo later disclosed in a press conference that they almost debuted as 'Pink Punk', 'Baby Monster' or 'Magnum'.[39] Blackpink released their first dance practice video on July 6 to great attention from viewers.[40] On July 29, YG Entertainment confirmed that Blackpink's debut would be on August 8, 2016.[41]
2016–2017: Debut, rising popularity, and commercial success
Promotions for their debut began in the first week of August 2016 with the release of teaser images, videos, and advertisements.[42][43] The first girl group to debut under YG Entertainment in seven years,[44] Blackpink released their debut single album, Square One, on August 8, 2016, consisting of tracks "Boombayah" and "Whistle".[44] They charted at number one and two on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart, which made Blackpink the fastest act to achieve such feat and the third Korean artist to hold the top two positions simultaneously, after label mates Psy and Big Bang.[45] "Whistle" quickly topped the digital, download, streaming, and mobile charts on Gaon.[46][47] The group also reached number one on the weekly, popularity, music video, and K-pop music video charts of China's biggest music-streaming service, QQ Music.[48] Blackpink's first music show performance was aired on August 14, 2016, on SBS's Inkigayo.[49] They won first place on Inkigayo 13 days after their debut, breaking the record for the shortest time for a girl group to win on a music program after debut. They wrapped up their promotions for Square One on September 11, 2016, with another win on Inkigayo.
Blackpink released their second single album, Square Two, consisting of tracks "Playing with Fire" and "Stay", on November 1, 2016. The group began their promotions on Inkigayo on November 6 and on Mnet's M Countdown on November 10.[50] "Playing with Fire" was Blackpink's second single to reach number one on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart and the first K-pop girl group song to chart on the Canadian Hot 100.[51][52] In South Korea, "Playing with Fire" peaked at number three while "Stay" placed in the top ten.[53] Blackpink's commercial success in their first five months earned them several rookie awards at major Korean year-end music award shows, including the Asia Artist Awards,[54] Melon Music Awards,[55] Golden Disc Awards,[56] Seoul Music Awards,[57] and Gaon Chart Music Awards.[58] Additionally, Billboard named them one of the best new K-pop groups of 2016.[59]
On January 17, 2017, Blackpink revealed the name of their fan club—"Blink", a portmanteau of "black" and "pink."[60] On June 22, the group released their first standalone digital single, "As If It's Your Last". It was described as a "mixed genre of music" and a change of sound from their previous releases.[61] The song debuted at number one on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart one day after release, making it their third number-one hit on the chart.[62] The music video for the song later went on to break the record for the most-liked music video by a Korean girl group on YouTube as well as the most-viewed K-pop group music video in the first 24 hours of release.[63][64] On July 20, 2017, Blackpink held a showcase at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, which was attended by more than 14,000 people, with as many as 200,000 people attempting to purchase tickets.[65][66] The group made their Japanese debut on August 30, 2017, with the release of a self-titled Japanese extended play that included Japanese versions of their previous singles.[67][68] The EP debuted and peaked at the top of the Oricon Albums Chart.[69] Blackpink ranked among YouTube's Global Top 25 Songs of the Summer for 2017 with "As If It's Your Last".[70]
2018–2019: International breakthrough and first world tour
On January 6, 2018, Blackpink released the first episode of their first reality show Blackpink House, which were comprised of 12 episodes releasing throughout 2018 following the four members spending 100 days of vacation as they moved into their new dorm, via their official V Live and Youtube channels.[71] On March 28, Blackpink re-released their debut Japanese EP under the name Re:Blackpink. The digital version included the same songs as the original release, while the physical version included a DVD containing all music videos and six songs in the Korean language.[72]
On June 15, 2018, the group released their first Korean-language EP, titled Square Up.[73] The lead single, "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du", debuted at number 17 on the Official Trending Chart in the United Kingdom, making them the first female K-pop group to enter the chart since its launch in 2016.[74] The single also debuted at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100, with 12.4 million U.S. streams and 7,000 downloads in the tracking week ending June 21, 2018, making Blackpink the highest-charting Korean girl group on the chart.[75] The single also debuted at number 39 on the U.S. Streaming Songs chart, making Blackpink became the first K-pop girl group to enter the chart.[75] Square Up also brought the group their first entry and the highest-charting album by an all-female K-pop group at the time of its release on the Billboard 200, debuting at number 40 with 14,000 equivalent units.[76] The EP also topped the Billboard World Albums chart.[75] In South Korea, Square Up debuted at number one on Gaon Albums Chart.[77] "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" peaked at number one on the digital, download, streaming, and mobile charts on Gaon in its second week, while "Forever Young" peaked at number two.[78][79][80][81] YouTube's official tally saw the music video for "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" garner a total of 36.2 million views within 24 hours after its release, making it the most-viewed online video in the first 24 hours by a Korean act and the second most-watched music video of all time in first 24 hours of release at that time.[82]
Blackpink embarked on their sold-out first Japan tour, Blackpink Arena Tour 2018, in Osaka from July 24 to 25 to promote their Japanese EP. The tour was initially composed of 6 shows throughout Osaka, Fukuoka and Chiba, but an additional show in Chiba was added due to overwhelming demand.[83] The final stop of the tour was later added for December 24 at Kyocera Dome Osaka as a Christmas gift for fans, which they later performed to a sold-out crowd of 50,000.[84] On September 12, it was announced that the group would hold their first concert in Seoul titled "Blackpink 2018 Tour [In Your Area] Seoul x BC Card" at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena.[85] The concert led to the In Your Area World Tour, which continued throughout 2019 and early 2020 in North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia. The tour ultimately became the highest-grossing tour by a Korean girl group by the end of its run.[86]
On October 19, English singer Dua Lipa released "Kiss and Make Up" with Blackpink, a new track for the re-released edition of her self-titled debut album.[87] "Kiss and Make Up" debuted at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Blackpink's second entry in the chart and making them the only Korean girl group to score at least two entries on the chart.[88] The song also became their second entry in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 36, and their first top 40 entry. They were the first female Korean group and third Korean act overall to reach the top 40.[89]
In October 2018, the group signed with Interscope Records in a global partnership with YG Entertainment; they were to be represented by Interscope and Universal Music Group outside of Asia.[90] In November 2018, Blackpink announced additional tour dates for their "In Your Area World Tour", which covered thirteen dates across Asia from January to March 2019.[91] Jennie debuted with her single, "Solo", at Blackpink's Seoul concert on November 11; both the song and its official music video were released the following day.[92] Their first Japanese studio album, Blackpink in Your Area, was made available digitally on November 23 and physically on December 5.[93] The album included Japanese versions of all of their previous releases and debuted at number 9 on the Oricon Albums Chart, selling an estimated 13,000 copies in its first week.[94]
Blackpink made their American debut at the Universal Music Group's 2019 Grammy Artist Showcase, an invite-only event at the ROW in Downtown Los Angeles on February 9, 2019.[95] The group appeared on several American television shows following their debut performance, including The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Good Morning America.[96][97][98] In March of the same year, they became the first-ever K-pop girl group to cover Billboard magazine.[99]
Blackpink's third extended play, Kill This Love, led by a single of the same name, was released on April 5, 2019.[100] Kill This Love debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200, while the lead single reached number 41 on the Hot 100, becoming the highest-charting releases by a female Korean act on the two major Billboard charts.[101] "Kill This Love" ranked at number 66 on Billboard's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2019.[102] The song "Forever Young", released as a B-side from the EP Square Up (2018), surpassed 2.5 million downloads in December 2019, making it the group's fifth song overall and their second to achieve a platinum certification for downloads from the Korea Music Content Association, after "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du".[103] Blackpink performed at the 2019 Coachella Festival on April 12 and 19, 2019, making them the first female K-pop group to do so.[104] The group's Coachella set was well received by both critics and fans alike, with Gab Ginsberg of Billboard calling the show "electrifying" and "unforgettable".[105][106]
On October 16, 2019, a Japanese version of Kill This Love was released to the Japanese market, peaking at number 17 on the Oricon Albums Chart.[107] The group embarked to Japan for a variety of promotional activities, including appearances on Japanese music television programs TV Asahi's Music Station and Fuji TV's Love Music.[108] Blackpink were voted PAPER magazine's K-pop Sensation of the Year for the 2019 edition of their annual Break the Internet Awards™ list.[109]
2020: The Album and documentary film
On April 22, it was confirmed the group would be collaborating with Lady Gaga for her sixth studio album, Chromatica, on the track titled "Sour Candy", which was released as a promotional single on May 28, 2020.[110] On the Billboard Hot 100, the song debuted at number 33, giving Gaga her 25th top 40 hit and Blackpink their first, becoming the group's highest-charting song in the United States at the time, as well as the highest-charting song by a K-pop girl group. In Australia, the song debuted at number eight, becoming Blackpink's highest-charting hit in the country.[111] It was also their first top-twenty single in the United Kingdom, debuting at number 17.[112]
On May 18, YG Entertainment announced the group would release a pre-release single in June, followed by an additional single release between July and August, to promote their first Korean studio album.[113][114] On June 2, YG Entertainment confirmed that following the release of the studio album, members Rosé, Lisa, and Jisoo would release individual projects, with Rosé's solo album coming first.[115] In the midst of the group's comeback preparations, YG Entertainment released a prologue of Blackpink's newest reality show, 24/365 with Blackpink, on June 13, ahead of its launch on YouTube. The show documents their 2020 comebacks alongside sharing their daily lives through vlogs.[116] The single "How You Like That" was heavily teased on social media in the lead up to its digital release on June 26.[117][118] The song debuted at number 12 on the Gaon Digital Chart with just one day and 16 hours of tracking, and peaked at number one Gaon's Digital, Download, and Streaming charts in its second week.[119] "How You Like That" became Blackpink's fifth song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 (peaking at number 33) and its music video broke five Guinness World Records.[120] The song ranked first in Youtube Music's Global Top 10 Songs of Summer 2020,[121] and won Song of Summer at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, making Blackpink the first Korean female act to win at the award show.[122] On July 23, YG Entertainment announced that a new single, "Ice Cream", with American singer Selena Gomez, would be released on August 28.[123][124] "Ice Cream" debuted and peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Blackpink's highest-charting song on the chart.[125]
On April 22, it was confirmed the group would be collaborating with Lady Gaga for her sixth studio album, Chromatica, on the track titled "Sour Candy", which was released as a promotional single on May 28, 2020.[110] On the Billboard Hot 100, the song debuted at number 33, giving Gaga her 25th top 40 hit and Blackpink their first, becoming the group's highest-charting song in the United States at the time, as well as the highest-charting song by a K-pop girl group. In Australia, the song debuted at number eight, becoming Blackpink's highest-charting hit in the country.[111] It was also their first top-twenty single in the United Kingdom, debuting at number 17.[112]
On May 18, YG Entertainment announced the group would release a pre-release single in June, followed by an additional single release between July and August, to promote their first Korean studio album.[113][114] On June 2, YG Entertainment confirmed that following the release of the studio album, members Rosé, Lisa, and Jisoo would release individual projects, with Rosé's solo album coming first.[115] In the midst of the group's comeback preparations, YG Entertainment released a prologue of Blackpink's newest reality show, 24/365 with Blackpink, on June 13, ahead of its launch on YouTube. The show documents their 2020 comebacks alongside sharing their daily lives through vlogs.[116] The single "How You Like That" was heavily teased on social media in the lead up to its digital release on June 26.[117][118] The song debuted at number 12 on the Gaon Digital Chart with just one day and 16 hours of tracking, and peaked at number one Gaon's Digital, Download, and Streaming charts in its second week.[119] "How You Like That" became Blackpink's fifth song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 (peaking at number 33) and its music video broke five Guinness World Records.[120] The song ranked first in Youtube Music's Global Top 10 Songs of Summer 2020,[121] and won Song of Summer at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, making Blackpink the first Korean female act to win at the award show.[122] On July 23, YG Entertainment announced that a new single, "Ice Cream", with American singer Selena Gomez, would be released on August 28.[123][124] "Ice Cream" debuted and peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Blackpink's highest-charting song on the chart.[125]
TWICE
Twice (Korean: 트와이스; Japanese: トゥワイス), commonly stylized as TWICE, is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu. Twice was formed under the television program Sixteen (2015) and debuted on October 20, 2015, with the extended play (EP) The Story Begins.[4] In 2019, they became the best-selling Korean girl group of all-time.[5][6]
Twice rose to domestic fame in 2016 with their single "Cheer Up", which charted at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart, became the best-performing single of the year, and won "Song of the Year" at the Melon Music Awards and Mnet Asian Music Awards.[7][8][9] Their next single, "TT", from their third EP Twicecoaster: Lane 1, topped the Gaon charts for four consecutive weeks. The EP was the highest selling K-pop girl group album of 2016.[10][11] Within 19 months after debut, Twice had already sold over 1.2 million units of their four EPs and special album.[12][13] The group has sold over 10 million albums in South Korea and Japan as of December 2020.[14] In 2020, Twice signed with Republic Records for American promotions as part of a partnership with JYP Entertainment.[2]
The group debuted in Japan on June 28, 2017 under Warner Music Japan, with the release of a compilation album titled #Twice. The album charted at number 2 on the Oricon Albums Chart with the highest first-week album sales by a K-pop artist in Japan in two years.[15][16] It was followed by the release of Twice's first original Japanese maxi single titled "One More Time" in October. Twice became the first Korean girl group to earn a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for both an album and CD single in the same year.[17][18] Twice ranked third in the Top Artist category of Billboard Japan's 2017 Year-End Rankings.[19] They have been dubbed the next "Nation's Girl Group",[20] and their point choreography—including for "Cheer Up", "TT" and "Signal"—became dance crazes and viral memes imitated by many celebrities.[21][22][23][24]
2013–2015: Formation and debut
On December 19, 2013, JYP Entertainment ('JYPE') announced that they would debut a new girl group in the first half of 2014, the first female group to come out of the company since the debut of Miss A in 2010.[25] On February 27, 2014, JYPE trainees Lena and Cecilia were confirmed as members of the group tentatively called as 6mix, while other rumoured members included JYPE trainees Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Jihyo (then known as Jisoo) and Minyoung.[26][27] The group's debut plan was eventually canceled when Lena and Cecilia left the company.[28]
On February 11, 2015, J. Y. Park, the founder of JYPE, announced that the lineup of the upcoming seven-member girl group would be decided through Sixteen, a competition survival show that would air on Mnet later that year.[29] The show began on May 5 and ended on July 7 with Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, and Chaeyoung as the seven Twice members. Park then announced that he would increase the size of the group from seven members to nine by adding Tzuyu, who was the "audience's pick" since she was the most popular contestant by the show's end, and Momo, who was added by Park himself since he felt the group needed someone with Momo's performance abilities. The decision was controversial at the time, with many people complaining about eliminated contestants being able to join the group.[30][31][32] The group's name, Twice, was chosen by Park. He explained, that "[t]he group will touch people's hearts twice, once through the ears, and once again through the eyes."[33][34][35] Fans of Twice are known as "Once", commonly stylized as ONCE,[36] illustrated by the members' statement "If you love us even once, we will repay your love with twice of our love" on social media in 2015.[35][37][38]
The EP The Story Begins and single "Like Ooh-Ahh" were released on October 20, 2015, with a live showcase to promote it.[39][40][41] The music video hit 50 million views on YouTube within five months of their debut and became one of the most-viewed debut music videos for any K-pop group.[42][43][44] On December 27, the band performed a remix version of their single "Like Ooh-Ahh" at SBS Gayo Daejeon, Twice's first-ever attendance on a year-end music program.[45][46]
2016–2017: Rising popularity, first concert tour, and Japanese debut
Twice's second EP, Page Two, was released on April 25, 2016. The album includes the single "Cheer Up", "Precious Love" (a remake of Park Ji-yoon's 1998 hit), and "I'm Gonna Be a Star", which served as the theme song for Sixteen.[47] Twice won their first music program award with "Cheer Up" on May 5, on M Countdown, exactly one year after the initial airing of Sixteen. This was soon followed by wins on Music Bank and Inkigayo.[48][49] By August, Page Two had sold over 150,000 copies, making Twice the first girl group having a sales record of more than 100,000 units that year.[50]
In celebration of Twice's first anniversary since debut on October 20, the group unveiled their new song "One in a Million" from their upcoming third EP, Twicecoaster: Lane 1, through a live broadcast on V Live.[51] Twicecoaster: Lane 1 and the music video of pop dance song "TT" were released online on October 24.[52][53][54] "TT" became the first music video by a K-pop female act to surpass 200 million views on May 25, 2017.[55]
On November 11, the music video for "Like Ooh-Ahh" hit 100 million views on YouTube, making Twice the fourth K-pop girl group to reach 100 million views, as well as the first K-pop group to reach this milestone with a debut music video.[56] On November 19, Twice's "Cheer Up" won Song of the Year at the 8th Melon Music Awards. It was then followed by another Song of the Year award at the 18th Mnet Asian Music Awards on December 2.[8][9]
On January 10, JYPE announced Twice's first solo concert tour within just a year and four months after debuting in October 2015. The three-day sold-out concert titled "Twice 1st Tour: Twiceland – The Opening" was held on February 17–19 at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium. A tour across Thailand and Singapore was also held after the first stop in Seoul.[57][58][59][60] After the Korean leg of the concert tour, Twice released a special album on February 20 titled Twicecoaster: Lane 2, along with its lead single, "Knock Knock". The album was a reissue of Twicecoaster: Lane 1.[61][62][63]
Twice launched their Japanese website and social media channels in early February.[64][65] On February 24, they officially announced their Japanese debut with a compilation album titled #Twice on June 28, 2017.[66][67] On May 15, Twice released their fourth EP titled Signal with the lead track of the same name, produced by Park Jin-young. This marked their first collaboration with Park. The EP contains six tracks, including "Eye Eye Eyes" co-written by members Jihyo and Chaeyoung, and "Only You" written by former Wonder Girls member
On June 14, Twice digitally released "Signal (Japanese ver.)", along with the short version of its music video as a preview and countdown to their Japanese debut album release. One week later, they released the full music video of the Japanese version of "TT".[71][72] They officially debuted in Japan with the release of #Twice on June 28. It consists of ten songs, including both Korean and Japanese-language versions of their first five singles.[73] On July 2, Twice held their two-part debut showcase titled "Touchdown in Japan" at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, attended by a total of 15,000 people.[74][75][76][77] #Twice debuted at number 2 on Oricon Albums Chart with 136,157 copies sold within seven days since its release.[15] On October 18, the group released their first Japanese single, "One More Time".[78][79][80] The single achieved the biggest first-day sales and became the fastest-selling release of any South Korean girl group in Japan.[81][82] Both #Twice and "One More Time" earned platinum certifications from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).[83] "TT (Japanese ver.)", the digital single from #Twice, also earned an RIAJ gold certification for selling 100,000 downloads.[84] #Twice and "TT (Japanese ver.)" won Album of the Year and Song of the Year by Download for the Asian Region at the 32nd Japan Gold Disc Awards.[85][86]
Twice released their first full-length Korean album, Twicetagram, on October 30 with its lead single titled "Likey". The music video for the song was filmed in Canada in early September.[87][88][89] "Likey" was composed by Black Eyed Pilseung and Jeon Gun. It was the group's fourth collaboration with Black Eyed Pilseung. Several composers and songwriters participated in the making of this album, including the Korean members of Twice as lyricists and former Wonder Girls member Hyerim, who co-composed the eighth track titled "Look at Me".[90][91][92] The album and its lead single debuted atop both Billboard's World Albums and World Digital Song Sales respectively—the group's first number one, making Twice the first female K-pop act to top both charts. They also rose on the Heatseekers Albums charts as the album debuted at number 10, one position higher than Signal's peak at number 11.[93] The Christmas-inspired reissue of Twicetagram, titled Merry & Happy, along with its lead single "Heart Shaker" was released on December 11, 2017.[94][95][96][97]
Twice performed at 68th Kōhaku Uta Gassen, the top-rated annual year-end musical show in Japan produced by NHK.[98]
2018–2019: Continued success and touring
Twice's second Japanese single titled "Candy Pop" was released on February 7, 2018. The group also embarked on their first concert tour in Japan titled Twice Showcase Live Tour 2018 "Candy Pop", starting on January 19, 2018, in the Aichi Prefecture.[99][100][101] On April 9, 2018, they released their fifth EP, What Is Love?, with the single of the same name produced by Park Jin-young.[102] The EP sold 335,235 copies in the first month and made Twice become the first female artist and the fifth act to earn a platinum certification by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA), for selling over 250,000 copies.[103][104] Twice's third Japanese single, "Wake Me Up", was released on May 16, 2018, and was certified Double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).[105][83][106] The single became the first physical single by a foreign female artist to be certified double platinum by the RIAJ.[107][108] Their second headline tour titled "Twice 2nd Tour: Twiceland Zone 2 – Fantasy Park" began in Seoul on May 18–20, 2018.[109][110] The concert tour attracted over 90,000 fans in six cities across Asia.[111]
Twice performed a cover of The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" as the theme song to the Japanese film adaptation of Sensei Kunshu. The song was released as a digital single on June 15, 2018, along with the music video.[112][113][114] A second version of the music video featuring the cast of the film was released on June 26, 2018.[115] On July 9, 2018, an expanded reissue of What Is Love? named Summer Nights, along with its lead single "Dance the Night Away", was released.[116] The single surpassed 100 million streams and sold 2,500,000 downloads on Gaon Music Chart, earning the group its very first platinum single certification for both streaming and download, and made Twice the second act to earn a platinum certification for streaming, download and album by the KMCA since certifications were introduced in April 2018.[117][118][104]
On September 12, 2018, Twice released their first Japanese studio album, BDZ. Its lead single of the same name was pre-released as a digital single on August 17, 2018.[119][120] It was followed with their concert tour named Twice 1st Arena Tour 2018 "BDZ", beginning in Chiba on September 29, 2018.[121] The studio album was certified platinum by the RIAJ, making it the group's fifth consecutive platinum certification in Japan.[122] Twice released their sixth EP, Yes or Yes, on November 5, 2018, with the lead single of the same name.[123][124][125] The music video of "Yes or Yes" achieved 31.4 million views on YouTube within the first 24 hours, becoming the seventh-biggest 24-hour YouTube debut of all time.[126][127][128]
On December 12, 2018, Twice released a special album titled The Year of "Yes", along with its lead single "The Best Thing I Ever Did", as a reissue of Yes or Yes.[129] The group also released a repackage of BDZ with "Stay by My Side", the theme song of the Japanese television drama Shinya no Dame Koi Zukan, on December 26, 2018. "Stay by My Side" was released as a digital single on October 22, 2018, along with a behind-the-scenes video showing Twice recording the song.[130] On March 6, 2019, they released their second Japanese compilation album #Twice2.[131]
Twice became the first female K-pop act to hold a Japanese dome tour. The tour Twice Dome Tour 2019 "#Dreamday" garnered a total audience of 220,000 during five shows in Osaka, Tokyo and Nagoya, and was held from March to April 2019. All tickets sold out within one minute.[132][133][134]
On April 22, 2019, they released their seventh EP Fancy You.[135][136] The music video for "Fancy", which garnered over 42.1 million views in a single day, also reached the seventh position in the list of YouTube's biggest debuts during the first 24 hours.[137] The release of Fancy You made Twice the best-selling Korean girl group of all-time with a total of 3,750,000 copies sold from their twelve Korean releases, surpassing the twenty-year-old record of S.E.S.[5]
On June 12, 2019, Twice released two digital singles, "Happy Happy" and "Breakthrough".[138][139] On July 17, 2019, JYP Entertainment announced an additional Japanese tour leg after reaching tens of thousands of fans on the Southeast Asia and North America legs of the Twicelights Tour.[140][141][142] They staged twelve concerts in seven Japanese cities from October 2019 to February 2020.[143] On the release day of the digital singles "Happy Happy" was also released physically, followed by "Breakthrough" a week later.[138] Both singles received platinum certificates from the RIAJ.[83][144]
Twice released their eighth EP, Feel Special, on September 23, 2019, along with the music video for the lead single of the same name produced by Park Jin-young.[145][146] The single scored the group's second number one entry on the Billboard's World Digital Song Sales. "Feel Special" also increased Twice's popularity across North America, as the single debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 at number 82. The group's first entry made Twice the third K-pop girl group and ninth K-pop act to appear on this chart.[147] On September 30, 2019, Twice broke their own first-week album sales record with Feel Special.[148]
Twice released their second Japanese studio album &Twice on November 20, 2019. Its lead single "Fake & True" was pre-released as a digital single on October 18, 2019.[149][150][151]
In 2019, Twice sold over one million albums on Gaon, achieving this feat for the third consecutive year.[152][153] In Japan, Twice surpassed 5 billion yen worth of record sales in 2019.[154] The group was the best-selling foreign artist and ranked fourth overall in the Artist Sales category of the 52nd Oricon Annual Ranking.[154] On Billboard Japan, Twice ranked fifth in the Top Artist category of the 2019 year-end rankings.[155] They ranked top five for three consecutive years.[156][19] The group also became the fifth-most-streamed act on Spotify in the country.[157][158]
2020: US promotions, new EPs and singles, second Korean studio album and K/DA collaboration
In October 2019, the group added two stops to their world tour "Twicelights" at the Tokyo Dome.[159][160][161] An encore of the tour called the "Twicelights World Tour Finale" was initially to be held in Seoul on March 7 and 8, 2020 at the KSPO Dome[162] but was eventually canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[163] On February 24, it was announced that the group had signed with Republic Records for promotion in the United States as part of JYP Entertainment's partnership with the label.[164]
The documentary series Twice: Seize the Light follows the members throughout their journey as trainees to their first world tour "Twicelights". The series includes nine episodes and premiered April 29 on YouTube Originals.[165]
On April 20, it was reported that the group was preparing to release a new Korean album in June.[166] The group's ninth Korean EP, More & More, was released on June 1 with a lead single of the same name.[167] The EP recorded over 550,000 sales on Gaon, making it not only Twice's best selling album to date but also the best-selling girl group album in South Korea in 20 years.[168] The EP debuted at number 200 on the Billboard 200, making Twice the fourth South Korean girl group to enter the chart, after Girls' Generation, 2NE1 and Blackpink. Twice also entered the Billboard Artist 100 for the first time, debuting at number 96.[169][170]
On September 25, it was reported that Twice was preparing to release a new Korean studio album in October.[171] The group's second Korean studio album, Eyes Wide Open, was released on October 26 with the lead single titled "I Can't Stop Me".[172] Two months later after the release of Eyes Wide Open, the album debuted at number 72 on the US Billboard 200, marking the group's highest entry on the chart surpassing More & More, as well as making Twice only the third K-pop girl group to break within the top 100 of the chart, after 2NE1 and Blackpink.[173]
On October 16, Riot Games confirmed that K/DA and Twice will have a collaboration. K/DA released an official EP roster featuring Twice on the upcoming track "I'll Show You".[174] A Riot Games representative also confirmed that only four members of the group will appear and perform the song, which are Nayeon, Sana, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung.[175] On November 6, League of Legends' K/DA officially released their All Out EP track "I'll Show You" featuring Twice's four members along with Bekuh Boom and Annika Wells.[176][177]
On November 11, Twice released their seventh Japanese single titled "Better" for digital download and streaming, featuring "Scorpion" as a B-side, and was then released physically on November 18.[178] The single debuted at number 3 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 recording 93,548 unit sales from November 16-22.[179]
The group then made their US television debut with their appearance on the "#PlayAtHome" series of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on November 30, performing their song "I Can't Stop Me".[180]
During their appearance at the 2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards on December 6, Twice gave a surprise performance of their unreleased track titled "Cry For Me" which was described by the group as a present for their fans, and after high demand, the song was officially released as a digital single on December 18.[181]