Jamie Heal - Twice

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First published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2020

FIRST EDITION

Text Jamie Heal 2020

Cover design by Caroline Young HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2020

Cover photographs Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images (headshots), Han Myung-Gu/Wire Image/Getty Images (Mina), Aflo Co. Ltd./Alamy Stock Photo (group photo), Shutterstock.com (Polaroid)

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Source ISBN: 9780008404772

Ebook Edition October 2020 ISBN: 9780008404789

Version: 2020-09-10

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Korean pop music K-pop is a broad term that covers a huge number of solo artists and groups. They are diverse in terms of musical genre encompassing RnB, dance, hip-hop, ballads, rock and indie and vary in style, size of group and, increasingly, nationality, with many groups having members from Japan, China and other countries. What nearly all these groups including Twice share is the culture of K-pop. This culture has grown over the last 20 years or so to produce and promote not only the music of these artists, but also their dance skills, their looks and their personalities. The following is a brief guide to some of the landmarks, concepts and events that may help anyone who is new to this fascinating genre to understand K-pop.

ENTERTAINMENT COMPANIES

Like Western record labels, entertainment companies are agencies that manage and fund the recordings and promotion of K-pop acts. There are many such companies, but for over ten years the so-called Big Three SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment have dominated K-pop, although recently BTSs company Big Hit Entertainment has become a major player. These companies manage groups, solo artists and actors, often under strict contracts which restrict activities such as diets, dating and social interactions.

TRAINEES

The entertainment companies are constantly scouting and auditioning for new talent. Often signed as young teenagers, those who are selected can spend many years intensively learning vocal, dance and other useful skills, such as languages, as well as attending school for their education. Being a trainee can be gruelling work, with monthly evaluations that can lead to many failing to make the grade and being rejected. Those who remain do so in the hope that they will be chosen by the company to debut (see below).

GROUP ROLES AND LINES

K-pop groups commonly have four or more members. Although all will sing and dance, each will be given a specific role within the group. There will be singers, dancers and visuals (those whose looks alone get them noticed). Each group will have a leader (often, though not always, the oldest member) and a maknae, the youngest member, who is treated as the baby of the group and expected to be super-cute. Often, fans will also pick out sub-groups or lines, which can be based on their roles, such as the vocal line, being the same age and so sharing a birth year as in the 98 line their nationality as seen in Twices Japanese, or J-line or any characteristics that link them.

DEBUT

The company its producers, choreographers, stylists, vocal tutors and other experts work with the selected members towards a launch date known as the debut. This debut is often make or break; a big chance to make an impression in a crowded market. Many companies will spend months preparing the ground for a debut. They will release teaser photos and videos of each member of the group in advance, or even clips or whole pre-debut videos. On debut day the act will perform at a special showcase, with media appearances and performances on music shows following over the next month.

IDOL

An idol is a mainstream K-pop star, as opposed to a hip-hop artist, rock musician or acts from other outsider genres. Idols are expected to be multi-talented, able to act, sing, dance and look good. They are also expected to interact with fans, in person and on social media, and participate in variety shows.

AEGYO

Aegyo, pronounced egg-yo, is the use of cute voices, facial expressions and gestures to show affection or to flirt. Female (and some male) idols are expected to perform aegyo on variety shows, at fan meetings and in concerts. It can often take the form of baby voices, using hands to make symbols such as hearts or kisses, or creating a super-cute face by making pretend dimples or forming a V-shaped chin.

GIRL CRUSH

Girl groups traditionally had a cute and innocent image, and often dressed in schoolgirl-style uniforms or girly, candy-coloured outfits. However, the 2010s groups, such as Miss A, f(x) and 2NE1, took on a more hard-edged, confident, individual and sexy image, more akin to that of Western artists. This vibe became known as girl crush. As the decade progressed, some groups, such as Red Velvet and Girls Generation, portrayed both cutesy and girl-crush concepts.

MUSIC SHOWS

There are music shows on national and cable South Korean television nearly every day. They have different formats, but all enable the groups to perform their latest release and sometimes other songs, too. They show music videos, but performances (even if groups often lip sync) in front of a live audience are an essential element. Each show also presents a prize to the most popular act to win a music show is the first ambition of any K-pop idol. Many shows often have Christmas or other seasonal specials in which groups can perform covers of hits or join other artists in one-off performances.

VARIETY SHOWS

Idols can show off their personalities and sense of fun by appearing on one of South Koreas numerous variety shows. These can be straightforward chat shows, but more often they involve challenges, games, pranks and opportunities for idols to demonstrate their skills. Shows such as Weekly Idol, Running Man and Knowing Bros feature popular dance games in which idols dance to other groups choreography or speeded-up versions or randomly selected parts of their own songs.

V LIVE

Launched in 2015, this app provides a streaming service for K-pop fans. Artists are able to post videos or recordings and talk live to fans, who can themselves post comments which are sometimes read aloud in the stream. These livestreams can be advertised in advance or they may be impromptu broadcasts flagged by phone notifications. Twice are frequent users of the service. They often stream from their dorm, but also from concert dressing rooms, backstage at TV shows, from airports and even during taxi journeys. Many of the broadcasts are subtitled for international fans.