Making history in Chicago with a redefining set at Lollapalooza, TWICE examines their 10 years together, reinventing themselves on their recent release THIS IS FOR and breaking boundaries as the first K-pop girl group to headline the festival.
To witness a girl group as massive as K-pop sensation TWICE take over Lollapalooza was otherworldly. It was truly a phenomenon of fans, also known as ONCEs, braving Chicago’s summer heat to line up for hours in anticipation of the nonet. While the festival was buzzing with energy for all artists on the zeitgeisty lineup, ONCEs were prominently the most passionate. In typical fan fashion, they were armored with merch, replicated bedazzled stage outfits and, perhaps most importantly, the nostalgia of growing up with the group fueling their resolve.
From ruthlessly competing on national TV in order to win spots to be in the group against their labelmates, to now being the first K-pop girl group to headline Lollapalooza, TWICE’s set served not only as a reclamation of their musical preeminence, but — above all else — a reintroduction to who they fundamentally are.
Almost exactly a decade after the group was formed, their headlining set was fully the group in control. The stars (and many of their light-up drones) aligned to celebrate the K-pop marvels as they ascend further into superstardom. As quick as cultural and musical trends tend to move, TWICE’s tenacity is indicative of how they have stood the test of time. It’s rare for a girl group to not only stay together as long as the nine members have, but also evolve into this massive powerhouse they have become. Being one of the most successful girl-groups in the world (not just within the Korean music industry), means that any record TWICE touches becomes musical gold.
Through the years, the members have taken on larger roles in their musical autonomy — with the girls now acquiring often coveted opportunities to write their music and selectively work on projects that authentically represented them. It’s a stark contrast to the start of their career, where they were making palatable tracks with marketed personas that were crafted to appease the general public. The group initially leaned cutesy, waxing poetic about their love life woes.
However, at Lollapalooza, TWICE was completely in control. The group truly came into their own by leaning into their confidence and penchant for celebrating the simple joys of girlhood. In recent years, the members have clearly made a shift to creating empowering anthems encouraging sisterhood and self-assurance, while crafting an image that embolden their ONCEs to practice these tenets — and they are all the better for it. Not only did they perform ebullient tracks off of recently released THIS IS FOR but the group also made sure to pay homage to their older discography and their evolution, delightfully dipping into 2018’s bubblegum earworm “What is Love?”
In many of their previous performances, the group moved like a well-oiled machine — as typically expected of them. The formula usually included MOMO masterfully dancing their complex choreography, JIHYO effortlessly belting out high notes and SANA capturing their comeback’s essence with a signature (often memeable) move. However, Lollapalooza’s performance not only demonstrated their abilities in their most elevated form, but also showcased how they’re now able to be carefree with their audience. Rather than focusing solely on putting on a show, they were prioritizing being themselves and often deviated from tightly rehearsed moves to simply jump around on stage, yelp out new adlibs and purely live in the moment.
“This is for all my ladies who don’t get hyped enough / If you’ve been done wrong, then this is your song, so turn it up!” The group effortlessly declared, emblematic of their own journey to boldly take up space instead of shrinking beneath the crushing pressure. It was abundantly clear there was an ease in not only their intricate moves, but also a breathtaking power behind their vocals that didn’t always appear before. TWICE is now — and has always been — entirely in a league of their own.
Hours before their history-making headlining set at Lollapalooza, TWICE members NAYEON, JEONGYEON, MOMO, SANA, JIHYO, MINA, DAHYUN, CHAEYOUNG, and TZUYU chatted with Wonderland and gave us an exclusive look into their headlining set. Despite their busy press schedule, TWICE was radiant as ever, moving with unspoken precision throughout our interview. They were easily able to communicate with one another with just a glance, handing off the microphone to the appropriate member between questions instantaneously. Below, the nine members examined their decade together as a group, how they built the confidence to expand their artistic repertoire, and their pre-show rituals ahead of their highly-anticipated set.
Read the interview…
Walk me through an average day of getting ready for a TWICE live performance. What are some of your rituals for pre-show?
MOMO: I always put on some perfume before the performance in order to relax myself!
In the 10 years that you all have been working together, how did you help each other grow as people, performers and friends?
SANA: When we first debuted, it took a while for our dance moves to be in sync with each other, but now, we just know how each other moves. Whenever we work on a new dance move, our movement flows extremely naturally among the members. We’re just in sync with each other!
Could you walk me through the creation process for your headlining set? What is the unique TWICE detail about choreography decisions, song choices or costuming that people might not be aware that you all decided on?
CHAEYOUNG: The set-list immensely reflects the opinions of the members. Our costuming also immensely embodies and reflects our preferences.
As the first K-pop girl group to headline Lollapalooza, did you feel any pressure? How do you support each other’s confidence and stay healthy in approaching this performance?
TZUYU: As the first female K-pop group to be performing at Lollapalooza, we certainly feel the pressure! But at the same time, it is such a great honor. We worked especially hard to prepare for this performance and we’re hoping to have a lot of fun onstage.
What are you all most proud of in standing up for yourself creatively during the creation of THIS IS FOR?
DAHYUN: THIS IS FOR is our first full album that includes many solo songs created by our members. For me, this was the first time I took on the challenge of composing my own solo music in English. As a result, this album is especially meaningful to me.
Words – Kelly Nguyen