SINGAPORE – Ask Tzuyu of K-pop girl group Twice to describe herself as a driver in three words, and the usually soft-spoken star pauses to think.
“Maybe cute, attractive…” she says in English, before settling on her third choice: “Speed.”
The 27-year-old laughs, then adds: “I’m a good ‘speed’ driver.”
Speaking to The Straits Times on Oct 9 at Frasers House hotel, the Taiwanese singer also shares that her calm demeanour does not necessarily carry over when she gets behind the wheel.
“I think I may seem like I have quite a laid-back personality,” she says in Mandarin. “But I don’t drive slowly.”
Tzuyu is in town for the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2026, taking place at Marina Bay Street Circuit from Oct 9 to 11. She is the voice behind the official theme song for a collaboration between Atlassian Williams F1 Team and Japanese anime series Dan Da Dan.
The track and accompanying music video are due in early 2027, ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix in April. The project brings together Williams’ speed with the supernatural world of Dan Da Dan under the concept “speed meets the supernatural”.
“What I find interesting about this collaboration is that F1, K-pop and anime seem to come from very different worlds, but they share something in common,” she says. “What connects us are ambition, passion and courage.”
Tzuyu adds that getting a closer look at F1 has changed her own perception of the sport.
She had previously associated it mainly with highly skilled drivers and speed. But after visiting the Williams paddock and seeing the people working behind the scenes, she gained a new appreciation for the teamwork involved.
“I realised that they really need the power of teamwork to bring everything together,” she says. “I think that’s very impressive.”
(From left) Sayako Niimi, lead global partnership director at Sector Zero; Luke Timmins, merchandise and licensing director at Atlassian Williams F1 Team; K-pop idol Tzuyu; and Tassei Shimoie, manager of TV anime Dan Da Dan at the press conference of the Atlassian Williams x Dan Da Dan collaboration event at Frasers House on Oct 9.
ST PHOTO: HESTER TAN
First launched at the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix, the William-Dan Da Dan tie-up has also spawned merchandise, fan platform Sector Zero and an appearance at Anime Expo in Los Angeles.
For Tzuyu, the supernatural side of the collaboration hits rather close to home – even if she has not personally experienced anything paranormal.
Her mother, however, has told her many stories about such encounters.
“Sometimes I find them quite fascinating,” she adds.
Dan Da Dan, adapted from Yukinobu Tatsu’s manga, centres on teenagers Momo and Okarun. Momo believes in ghosts but not aliens, while Okarun believes in aliens but not ghosts. Their attempts to prove each other wrong plunge them into a world of extraterrestrials, spirits, curses and supernatural powers – alongside an unfolding romance.
Tzuyu has had her own dependable crew for more than a decade. She debuted with Twice in 2015, after the nine-member act was formed through South Korean reality survival show Sixteen.
Besides Tzuyu, Twice comprise Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun and Chaeyoung. Tzuyu made her solo debut with the EP abouTZU in 2024.
When asked what she is still discovering about herself as an artiste after more than 10 years with the group, she says having the other members by her side has long been a source of reassurance.
“In the past, they would go on stage with me, so I felt very supported,” she says. “When I’m solo, I have to face everything by myself, so sometimes I get very nervous. But there are also many new challenges for me, and I find them very interesting.”
Still, when it comes to facing Dan Da Dan’s ghosts and supernatural creatures, she would prefer not to go it alone.
Asked which of her eight Twice bandmates she would want beside her in a haunted house, Tzuyu deliberates before settling on Mina.
“Because I would be very scared too,” she says with a laugh. “Mina would probably be a little calmer, so she wouldn’t let me feel so nervous or afraid.”