The K-POP industry has been around for decades, but in recent years its popularity has been increasing exponentially. With famous and adored household names, like BTS, Blackpink, Girls’ Generation, and Twice, these South-Korean groups have expanded their influence and music throughout the Western world. Twice is just one of a few examples of girl groups that have completely shifted the narrative when it comes to K-POP music. Known for their colorful and fun concepts, catchy songs, and choreographies, Twice has been paving the way for K-POP music in the mainstream, empowering women all over the world to embrace their creativity.
With their 2019 single release “Fancy”, Twice have also proven to be chameleons in their artistry, showing for the first time a more mature concept that has been widely welcomed by their fans. Considering their solid and powerful debut, and with each subsequent release being incredibly innovative, it is no wonder Twice’s following has been growing by the second. In case this group’s name has caught your eye once or twice, here is all of the information you need regarding the members.
Nayeon
Born in Seoul on September 22, 1995, Nayeon is 26 years old. Nayeon is part of the vocal line as the lead vocalist of the group as a result of her sweet, energetic, and bright voice. The oldest member of Twice is also known for being the face of the group, oftentimes positioned at the center, not only due to her age but also for her good looks that emulate Korean beauty standards. Bubbly and even labeled as one of the cutest members, Nayeon’s striking looks paired with her charisma have landed her a role in the TV drama Dream High 2. This triple-threat is surely a force to be reckoned with, as she has also just made her first solo debut with the mini-album titled Im Nayeon, on June 24th.
Jeongyeon
Jeongyeon was born on November 1, 1996, in Suwon-Si, and she is 25 years old. Also a vocalist in Twice, Jeongyeon’s journey was a bit turbulent. Training from a young age to become an idol, even learning several instruments in the process, it wouldn’t be until 2010 that she would finally pass JYP Entertainment’s demanding auditions and get her breakthrough in the industry by joining Twice in 2015. The singer’s voice creates a perfect synergy among the members, as the raspy tone perfectly complements the wide spectrum of voice tones in the group. Her distinctive voice perfectly supplements their more recent songs, adding a husky undertone to their more sophisticated concepts. In addition to being an incredible artist and performer, Jeongyeon has also opened up more than once regarding her mental health, even taking breaks due to her anxiety, which is impressive, considering how mental health is a particularly taboo subject in Korea, especially among idols.
Momo
Hirai Momo (also known as just Momo) is 25 years old and was born on November 9, 1996, in Kyoto, Japan. As one of the Japanese members of the group, Momo had a peculiar journey into stardom. Unlike her oldest members, Momo was actually recruited by her current company, JYP Entertainment, which immediately got into contact with Momo and her sister upon finding a video of them dancing, scouting them for the 2011 JYP Japan Audition. Momo passed the audition, and would later participate in Sixteen, a reality girl group survival show created by JYP Entertainment and MNET where girls are pitted against each other for a place in the next big K-POP group. Unfortunately, she would not make it into the final stage. However, due to her dancing skills, Momo would be recruited, yet again, by JYP, who then placed her in Twice as the main dancer.
Sana
Also a Japanese member, Minatozaki Sana (known as Sana) was born in Osaka, Japan on December 26, 1996, and she is 25 years old. Similar to Momo, Sana was scouted in Japan by JYP, who encouraged her to audition for the 2011 JYP Japan Audition. After working tirelessly to achieve her dream of becoming an idol, Sana took the opportunity, and much to her surprise, she passed the audition and took part in Sixteen. At the end of the show, Sana would officially become a member of Twice, taking the role of vocalist. Known for her incredibly sweet and melodic voice, Sana is also considered to be the unofficial visual of the group, due to her light skin tone, a revered and desired feature in Korean society.
Jihyo
Park Ji Soo, also known by her stage name Jihyo, was born in Guri-Si on February 1, 1997, and she is 25 years old. At only 8 years old, Jihyo took part in the Junior Naver talent contest for a child role, in which she ended up in second place. After her participation, it didn’t take long for the singer and dancer to gain more recognition. In 2005, Jihyo auditioned for JYP and remained a trainee at the company for 10 years. During that time, she was supposed to debut as a vocalist on the group 6mix, alongside some of her Twice members, but that project would be soon let go by the company. After the disappointment of her expected debut, Jihyo got the opportunity to participate in Sixteen, and thus, she would take on the venture of becoming one of the most powerful voices in Twice, in addition to becoming their leader for a unanimous vote.
Mina
The third Japanese member in Twice is 25-year-old Myoui Mina, known as Mina. She was born on March 24, 1996, in San Antonio, Texas, however, when she was a toddler her family moved back to Japan, and in 2019 Mina even revoked her dual citizenship card, only remaining an official Japanese citizen. While shopping with her mother, Mina was scouted to audition for the JYP Japan Audition in 2014. Among the members, Mina had the shortest time between becoming a trainee and debuting, becoming one of the lead dancers of Twice only one year after joining the company. Mina studied ballet for over 11 years and has since expanded her dancing abilities to fit Twice’s choreographies, making her one of the most versatile dancers in the group, as well as an incredibly well-versed musician from her days in the church choir and has perfect pitch.
Dahyun
From Seongnam-si in South Korea, Kim Da-Hyun (or just Dahyun) was born on May 28, 1998, and is 24 years old. Dahyun rose in popularity well before joining JYP Entertainment’s Twice. Only a sixth-grader at the time, Dahyun’s talents were immediately noticed after a video of her dancing to Hillsong’s “The Power of Your Love” at church went viral. She would later take part in a youth dance festival, where she was noticed by JYP Entertainment, and promptly asked to audition. At the same time, Dahyun was auditioning for SM Entertainment and YG, however, after successfully winning over JYP’s hearts in 2012, Dahyun became a trainee at the company. Later she participated in Sixteen and was chosen to be the lead rapper of Twice.
Chaeyoung
Son Chae-young, mostly known by her first name Chaeyoung, was born on April 23, 1999. At only 23 years old, Chaeyoung has proven to be one of the most dynamic artists in K-POP. Auditioning for JYP in 2012, the rapper trained under their wing for nearly three years before she could take part in Sixteen. At only 16 years old, the second-youngest member debuted alongside her friends and members of Twice, completely changing the life of the teenager. Known for being as good of a singer as she is a rapper, Chaeyoung is also a great dancer and songwriter for Twice, oftentimes writing the rap bits for their songs. In addition to her musical endeavors, the rapper has also designed the group’s limited edition Page Two album cover, as well as several pairs of shoes with the brand SPRIS, proving to be an incredibly well-rounded artist who aims at learning about any creative art to use it alongside her first passion, music.
Tzuyu
Born on June 14, 1999, in East District, Taiwan, Tzuyu is the only Taiwanese member in Twice. During a performing arts workshop held in Taiwan, Tzuyu was scouted at only 13 years old after the agents took notice of her potential as well as her youthful looks. In that same year, the teenager would head to South Korea and begin her training for JYP Entertainment. After 4 arduous years of constantly improving and learning to become a better performer, Tzuyu was then a participant in the show Sixteen, alongside all the other members, and granted a team for the debut of Twice. The maknae (youngest member) of the group, Tzuyu took on the roles of lead rapper, sub-vocalist, and visual, as her looks certainly matched the Korean and Taiwanese beauty standards.
For anyone looking to learn about the members of Twice and their music, this information about the members paired alongside their lengthy repertoire which consists of seven studio albums that are available on any platform might prove to be helpful during your introduction to the group. In case you’re a new fan of Twice, the girls have recently announced a new mini-album titled Between 1&2, slated to arrive in late summer, bringing a gift for all fans waiting for their latest release.