While twice is meant for two occasions, the band like TWICE (트와이스) happens only once in a lifetime.
When Park Jin Young (stage name J.Y. Park)— founder of JYP Entertainment declared the formation of TWICE back on 29 April 2015, it was like he had predicted the future. The South Korean singer-songwriter explained the meaning behind TWICE stating:
The team name was chosen today through a meeting. It will be ‘TWICE.’ It means that they will be able to move people twice. Once through the ears and once through the eyes.
Now, the South-Korean all-girl-group band has not only been subjugating the Korean mainstream but has also been able to penetrate the worldwide music stage boasting plenty of fans. Along with that, the year 2019 saw them establish as a global K-pop leader.
Now, let's delve back to history and find out when did TWICE made its debut. Before that, if you want to learn about the origin and the history of KPop, visit:
See This: Why Kpop Music Is Being Popular In The USA? History, Bands, Diet, Fashion, Plastic Surgery
When Did TWICE Make Their Debut?
It was through the 2015 reality show SIXTEEN that TWICE was formed by JYP Entertainment.
Initially, seven members— Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Dahyun, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, and Chaeyoung were planned out of 16 female trainees. But during the finale of the series, J.Y. Park announced he would be adding two additional members.
Tzuyu got selected by the audience vote and Momo, by J.Y. Park himself. The two new additional members completed the nine all-girl-group bands.
However, the decision to make Momo the official member of TWICE remained somehow controversial. Many complained about why did the eliminated contestant join the group. While others kept on pouring the scorn on, J.Y. Park has foreseen how Momo's performance would impact the Korean music charts in the future.
And thus began the journey of TWICE to dominate the music industry.
Find More: Kang Daniel's Breakup With TWICE's Jihyo After Dating For A Year
Soon, TWICE made a debut in Korea with the mini-album The Story Begins on 7 October 2015. The very first music video titled Like Ooh-Ahh was released online on 20 October.
Within five months, TWICE's debut video crossed the threshold of 50 million views, making them one of the most-viewed KPop groups.
All About TWICE (트와이스) Profile— From Oldest To Youngest Members
'One in a million, Annyonghassaeyo, TWICE Imnida!'— It is the greetings of TWICE, which means, 'One in a million, Hello we are TWICE!.'
Time and again, the group has proven with their charisma, dancing, singing, and rapping ability, that is why they claim to be the one in a million.
Their colorful style, dance moves, viral tracks, and the warmth they bring to their fans have made TWICE one of Asia’s top-selling girl groups. Each member has a unique trait that attracts both males and females not only to their songs but to their personality as well.
Meet with the oldest to youngest members of TWICE.
1) Nayeon (나연): Age: 26-Year-Old
Nayeon, whose birth name is Im Na-Yeon, was born to a Christian family in Sangil-dong, Seoul, Korea. Her birth year of 1995 and her birthday on the 22nd of September, make her the oldest member of TWICE. She has a height of 5 feet and 4 inches tall.
(©: Instagram/TWICE NAYEON (나연))
She secretly tried out the audition for JYP Entertainment’s 7th Open Audition in September 2010 without telling her family. Even though her mom was opposed to her modeling choice, Nayeon kept on pushing her limits and kept on training with the agency.
Luckily, JYP Entertainment saw her talent, and she was prepared to be a member of the next girl group 6MIX in 2013.
6MIX was scheduled to debut in KPop world in 2015, but some internal affairs led to their debut got canceled. As for Nayeon, she auditioned at SIXTEEN, and with her talent, it was inevitable for her to be an official member of TWICE.
As for now, Nayeon is TWICE's lead vocalist, lead dancer, and often takes a position of the center while dancing.
2) Jeongyeon (정연): Age: 25-Year-Old
Yoo Jeong-Yeon, the stage name Jeongyeon, hails from Suwon, Gyeonggi, South Korea. Jeongyeon's birth year of 1996 and her birthday on the 1st of November make her the second oldest member of TWICE. The lady with a height of 5 feet and 7 inches trained to become a singer from a young age.
(©: Instagram/TWICE JEONGYEON (정연))
During her childhood, Jeongyeon was often teased for sounding like a boy's name. Due to that, she legally changed her birth name Yoo Kyung-wan to Jeong-Yeon in the third grade.
While she was young, Jeongyeon auditioned for JYP Entertainment but did not get selected. She did not lose hope and auditioned once again for the 6th JYP Entertainment Open Audition in March 2010. She got passed and had high hopes for debuting with 6MIX in 2014.
Unfortunately, when 6MIX got canceled, Jeongyeon was left in anguish and was ready to pick up baking as her career. That's when JYP staff called her to appear in SIXTEEN, and by the end of the reality show, she was confirmed to debut as an official member of TWICE.
Jeongyeon, who can play trumpet and saxophone, took the role of the lead vocalist of TWICE.
3) Momo (모모): Age: 25-Year-Old
Momo, birth name Momo Hirai, is originally from Kyotanabe, Kyoto, Japan. Her birth year is 1996, and her birthday falls on the 9th of November. She has a height of 5 feet and 4 inches.
(©: Instagram/TWICE MOMO (모모))
She became interested in KPop after watching South Korean singers like Rain and Lee Hyori. While practicing dance in Osaka, Japan at STEP OUT Dance Studio, she got the opportunity to appear in the music video of Ma People by South Korean singer Lexy.
After that, in 2011, Momo auditioned for the Superstar K3 in Japan, but to her dismay, she didn't get selected. Nonetheless, YouTube turned out to be beneficial for her as JYP Entertainment discovered her dancing talents, and she was called out for the audition.
Momo arrived in South Korea with her sister and got selected for the auditions of SIXTEEN on 13 April 2012. However, she felt bad that her older sister Hana wasn't chosen for the program, and Momo convinced her family she would fulfill her dream in Korea.
See This: Check Out Among TWICE Members, Who Are Dating With Whom
During the final auditions, bad news hit Momo hard when she got eliminated. Heartbroken, she went to the corner only to be in tears. The tears of joy came soon after J.Y. Park betted almost everything on Momo and selected her as an official member of TWICE.
The dancing lineup of TWICE is now far strong under MOMO, where she is a lead dancer, vocalist, and the sub-rapper of the group.
4) Sana (사나): Age: 25-Year-Old
Like Momo, Sana is a Japanese singer- she was born as Minatozaki Sana in Tennoji-Ku, Osaka, Japan, in 1996 as an only child of her parents. Her birthday is on the 29th of December. Her official height is listed 5 feet and 6 inches.
(©: Instagram/TWICE SANA (사나))
She was interested in KPop due to the rise of the Girl's Generation and KARA in Japan. With her keen interest, Sana attended a dance and vocal studio called EXPG in the Osaka branch in 2009, where she practiced dancing for two years.
At the age of 14, JYP Entertainment scout approached her while she was shopping with her friends. However, Sana was still in middle school, and her parents hesitated to send their daughter to a foreign country even after she passed the 2011 JYP Japan Audition.
But that changed when she completed middle school in March 2012 and convinced her family that her dream is to become an idol. By April of that year, she moved to South Korea, edified her dancing and singing with the help of JYP Entertainment and passed the audition on 13 April 2012.
During her training period, Sana became a recognized face of KPop appearing in several music videos including GOT7 'A' MV, Junho‘s 'Feel' MV as well as Junho‘s 'Candy' MV. She was also set to debut with 6MIX, but after the girl group got canceled, she appeared as a contestant of SIXTEEN in 2015.
At the first challenge of SIXTEEN, she demonstrated her live cooking skills rather than dancing, singing, or rapping. Despite her clumsiness, Sana's optimistic personality was widely appreciated, and during the finale of the show, no one was there to stop her from making a debut as an official member of TWICE.
Sana is currently fulfilling the role of the vocalist of TWICE. The motto 'No Sana No Life,' shows how much Sana is beloved among the TWICE fans.
5) Jihyo (지효): Age: 24-Year-Old
Jihyo, birth name Park Ji-soo, legalized her name to Park Ji-Hyo before the SIXTEEN audition. She was born in Guri, Gyeonggi, South Korea, in 1997, and her birthday is on the 1st of February. Jihyo's official height is 5 feet and 3¾ inches.
(©: Instagram/ TWICE JIHYO (지효))
She was a third-grader when her parents enrolled her in the 1st Junior Naver Child Acting Star competition in 2004. Although Jihyo was one step closer to winning the competition securing second place, JYP Entertainment saw her talent, and she was immediately scouted.
Jihyo underwent ten years of hardship with JYP Entertainment from 2005 to 2015 and even modeled for several brands during her training period. She was set to be one of the bright faces of the girl group 6MIX, but their debut got canceled.
After her debut got pushed, she was under great stress that developed her eating habits. As a result, Jihyo got criticized for being chubbier when she appeared on SIXTEEN. Despite that, with her talent and hard work, she made it to the finals and became the official member of TWICE. Later, she had a dramatic weight loss, and now her official weight records are just 56 kg.
Currently, Jihyo is the main vocalist as well as a reliable leader of TWICE.
It is to be noted that it was not J.Y. Park who appointed her as the leader of the group. All of the TWICE members anonymously voted in favor of Jihyo. It shows a matter of their trust and reliability with her.
6) Mina (미나): Age: 24-Year-Old
Mina is the only member of TWICE who was born in the US in San Antonio, Texas, in 1997. Her parents are Japanese, and she carries her family surname Myoui. Myoui Mina's birthday is on the 24th of March. Her height is 5 feet and 4 inches.
(©: Instagram/ 트와이스 미나)
The Japanese-American singer had moved to Japan from the US when she was a child. She trained as a ballet dancer in Japan's school and became interested in KPop during middle school. She trained ballet for 11 years before signing up for URIZIP Dance School.
It was in 2013 when JYP staff scouted her while she was on a shopping spree in Osaka with her mom. Mina then auditioned at JYP Global Audition and moved to South Korea, joining the trainee program in January 2014. Between 2014 to 2015, Mina appeared in several KPop music videos such as Miss A's 'Only You' and Got7's 'Stop Stop It.'
After training for 16 months and gathering experiences at JYP Entertainment, she auditioned at SIXTEEN. Despite such a short training period, the dancing prodigy carved her way out as an official member of TWICE.
As a trained ballet for a decade, it's no surprise that Mina is doing a pretty much decent job as the main dancer as well as the vocalist of TWICE.
7) Dahyun (다현): Age: 23-Year-Old
Remember the cute Asian girl who did an 'Eagle Dance' flapping her arms at the church on Hillsong's 'The Power of Your Love.' Yes, she is Dahyun, who was just a sixth-grader at that time. Her eagle dance went so much viral over the internet that the eagle emotes on the popular game 'Fortnite' adopted Dahyun's dance in its franchise. The eagle emote can be purchased on Fortnite from the item shop with 500 V-Bucks.
Dahyun, real name Kim Da-Hyun, was born in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, in 1998, and her birthday is on the 28th of May. She has a height of 5 feet and 5 inches.
(©: Instagram/ DAHYUN 김다현 TWICE 트와이스)
She was on dancing from a young age, but it was not until her middle school that JYP discovered her talent during a dance competition. She auditioned and passed for all three entertainment companies SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and JYP entertainment.
Dahyun chose JYP among all becoming its official trainee on 7 July 2012. During the trainee period, she appeared in several music videos like GOT7's 'Stop Stop It' and 2PM's Wooyoung's 'R.O.S.E.'
You Might Like: All About K-pop Group TWICE Net Worth And Their Tour Dates
Later, she participated in SIXTEEN and showed her eagle dance during the first episode that gaining the attention of many viewers. Her improvised dancing, as well as goofy nature, attracted many, and she was able to secure the position as the official member of TWICE.
The seventh oldest member of TWICE, Dahyun is representing the group as the lead rapper and the vocalist.
8) Chaeyoung (챼영): Age: 22-Year-Old
Chaeyoung, real name Son Chae Young, was born in Seoul, South Korea. Her birth year of 1999, and birthday on 23rd of April, make her the 2nd youngest member of TWICE. Her height is 5 feet 4 inches.
(©: Instagram/ TWICE CHAEYOUNG (채영))
She was in the sixth grade when she applied for the dance class in 2011 and later auditioned for PLEDIS Entertainment that has produced popular KPop groups like Seventeen, NU'EST, After School, and more. After signing up for JYP, Chaeyoung passed the audition on 6 June 2012, becoming a trainee.
During her training period, she appeared in music videos of GOT 7's 'Stop Stop It' and Miss A's 'Only You.' She continued to hone her skills, and after three years of training, Chaeyoung auditioned for SIXTEEN in 2015. Her playful energy garnered a substantial fan base, and during the finale, she was elected as an official member of TWICE.
Not only Chaeyoung is the vocalist and main rapper of TWICE, but she is also an avid artist. She has sketched the picture of fellow TWICE members and has also designed the cover of TWICE’s limited edition Page Two album.
9) Tzuyu (쯔위): Age: 22-Year-Old
Among all TWICE members, Tzuyu is 'maknae'- the term used in Kpop for the youngest member. The #1 of 'Most Beautiful Faces of 2019,' Tzuyu was born as Chou Tzuyu in Tainan, Taiwan, in 1999. Her birthday is on the 14th of June. She is the tallest member of TWICE with a height of 5 feet and 7 inches.
(©: Instagram/ TWICE TZUYU (주자유))
JYP Entertainment took a great interest in Tzuyu in 2012 after the dance school filmed her dancing and uploaded to YouTube. Acknowledging her rare talent, JYP associate flew in Tainan, and she was discovered at MUSE Performing Arts Workshop in 2012.
Tzuyu then arrived in South Korea in November 2012 and started training at JYP. At first, it was tough for her as she did not know any Korean language and felt lonely because she was miles away from her family. She got even scolded by the company's president as she couldn't order food properly due to her accent.
However, she made wide progress and eventually made it to SIXTEEN in 2015. During the first episode, J.Y. Park criticizes Tzuyu for the lack of her charm. Like Momo, Tzuyu was not chosen to be the final seven lineups of TWICE members.
But Tzuyu had immense potential, and J.Y. Park decided to go for a shot. The call proved to be right as she made it to the final episode through the online polls of the viewers. At the age of 16, Tzuyu debuted to the KPop as an official member of TWICE.
Since then, Tzuyu has been showing her maturity, adding her charm as being the lead dancer, vocalist, visual, and maknae of TWICE.