(Dispatch=Reporter Jeong Tae-yoon) “It contains the friendship and youth of nine people, as well as the love given by Once.” (Momo)

TWICE will release their 13th mini album ‘With YOU-th’ on major music sites at 2 PM on the 23rd. To commemorate the comeback, a Q&A was released.

Twice released its 12th mini album ‘READY TO BE’ in March last year, first unit Misamo’s Japanese debut album ‘Masterpiece’ in July, and Jihyo’s solo debut song ‘Zone’ in August.

It achieved significant results on major global charts, including the U.S. Billboard. As of the morning of the 5th, the original English single ‘I Got You’, which was pre-released prior to this comeback, reached #1 on the iTunes Song Chart in 41 regions around the world.

A collaboration was conducted with pop singer Lauv. Nayeon said, “She is my favorite artist, so I was really happy to hear the news,” and she said, “I was impressed from the moment I heard her recording.”

The 13th mini album ‘With You-s’ is a new work released for the first time in about a year. It depicts the friendship between TWICE and ONCE (fandom name) and the love they received from ONCE.

The title song is ‘One Spark’. Even when the cold wind blows, it always conveys a burning passion. The performance was also completed with the relationships of the nine people in mind.

Dahyun explained, “I like the intro and ending performance. It starts when you first open your eyes and ends when you close them,” adding, “It’s very special because it gives you a feeling of connection.”

The same goes for music videos. Nayeon said, “It reminded me of the time I spent with the members,” and “As I looked at the results, my memories came back and I felt nostalgic.”

Twice performed at large stadiums around the world, including SoFi Stadium in LA and MetLife Stadium in New York, as part of their 5th world tour ‘Ready to Be’ last year. This July, they will be the first foreign girl group to perform at Nissan Stadium in Kanagawa, Japan.

Sana said, “I’m so amazed and grateful that the wishes I made with the members are coming true one by one,” adding, “Achieving a new record makes me more greedy, and we look to higher things together.”

Lastly, I expressed my feelings to ONCEs around the world. Jihyo added, “Thank you for walking TWICE’s long path together. We will continue to work hard, so please support and love us a lot.”

Q. You are releasing a complete album about a year after the mini album ‘READY TO BE’ released in March 2023. Please share your thoughts on the comeback.

Nayeon: I’m really looking forward to this short but happy opportunity to meet our fans. I hope you have fun with ONCE during this activity as well.

Jeongyeon: Thank you for your patience. Please enjoy this album too!

Momo: I’m looking forward to my comeback after a year and I’m excited about being able to meet my fans.

Sana: While preparing the album, we talked a lot among ourselves about whether ONCE would like it. I will do my best to finish this activity in good health.

Jihyo: It feels really good to be able to meet ONCE for the first time in a year. I would like to meet you as soon as possible.

mina: The hiatus was a bit long, but thank you so much for waiting. I hope you enjoy listening to both the new album and the title song.

Dahyun: I am looking forward to their comeback with a new song after a long time from the tour. I hope you support this activity as well.

Chaeyoung: This is an album that ONCE people have been waiting for for a long time, so we worked harder to prepare it. I hope we can spend our precious time together without any regrets.

Tzuyu: I feel good and excited to be able to make a full comeback. I’m looking forward to hearing ONCE’s cheering on music shows.

Q. You said that ‘With YOU-th’ is a new album that talks about the youth that Twice and Once have passed together and the future they will walk together. Please introduce the unique charm of ‘With YOU-th’. Also, what kind of album do you hope the members and Once will remember this new album as?

Jeongyeon: Throughout the new album teasing content, Twice’s youth was expressed through members holding hands or embracing each other as one. I hope that ‘With YOU-th’ remains ‘youth’ for us and our fans.

Momo: It also contains the friendship and youth of 9 people and the love given by Once. I hope this album will be remembered as a place to reminisce about the moments we have created together so far and in the future.

Jihyo: ‘With YOU-th’ contains a lot of our stories. In particular, it has a special meaning because it is an album full of love and care for each other. I think fans will love this album a lot because they love our teamwork and chemistry.

Q. As the new album contains the keywords ‘youth’, ‘love’, and ‘friendship’, was there anything that felt particularly special or touched you while preparing ‘With YOU-th’?

Nayeon: When filming the trailer and music video for the pre-released song ‘I GOT YOU’, I thought a lot of the times I had spent with the members. As I looked at the result, my memories came back to me and I suddenly became nostalgic without realizing it (laughter).

Sana: When filming jackets or music videos, there were a lot of activities where we held hands with the members. Maybe that’s why it felt ‘natural’ when filming and monitoring, and I think the precious relationship between Twice was clearly visible.

mina: When filming the music video, there was a lot of location filming, so it felt like we were all traveling together. The highlight medley video included a lot of photos we took of each other, and I hope our fans enjoy it as it shows a lot of our natural and fun sides.

Q. What are your favorite parts and points of appreciation for TWICE’s first comeback title song ‘ONE SPARK’ in 2024?

Dahyun: I like the intro and ending performances the most. It’s very special because it feels connected, starting when you first open your eyes and ending when you close your eyes.

Chaeyoung: Mina’s part, “Energy that continues to burn with the warmth of your breath,” goes very well with the performance. I think ‘ONE SPARK’ is a song that is fun to watch and listen to overall, so I hope fans can watch it quickly.

Tzuyu: I really like the last chorus performance. Every part of the ‘ONE SPARK’ choreography is very exciting and attractive.

Q. Members Jeongyeon, Dahyun, and Chaeyoung wrote the exclusive lyrics for the songs ‘BLOOM’, ‘YOU GET ME’, and ‘RUSH’ in the new album, respectively. What message did each of you want to convey? I’m also curious about your work process and what elements you focus on the most.

Jeongyeon: The song ‘BLOOM’ is a song that expresses the growth of a flower as it blooms, and I wrote the lyrics with an emphasis on depicting the flowering process well.

Dahyun: When working on ‘YOU GET ME’, I focused on the lyrics. Since the first track ‘I GOT YOU’ is completed with the last track ‘YOU GET ME’, I wanted to capture the message of “building a perfect world together.” I think it could be a song worth remembering when we look back later.

Chaeyoung: I wanted to work on it because it is the music of the Jersey Club beat, which is the trendy music most heard these days. I wrote it with the desire to write cute, lovely, and fun lyrics, and I hope fans will enjoy listening to it.

Q. You conducted your first collaboration with world-famous artist Lauv through the pre-released song ‘I GOT YOU’. How did Twice and Lauv meet? I’m also curious about your impressions of working together.

Nayeon: He’s an artist I’ve always liked, so I was really happy to hear that he was collaborating on our song. The company gave me a copy of the recording along with news of the collaboration, and I was impressed from the moment the voice came out.

Jihyo: He is an artist with many songs that I personally really like, so it was amazing that he sang our song together. If there is a good opportunity in the future, I would like to work together. In particular, I was very grateful that they actively promoted the song release news and videos through their SNS channels.

Chaeyoung: Unfortunately, we were unable to meet in person because we were performing in South America when the song came out. I really want to meet you someday and say thank you in person for making our songs shine! And I wish we could sing together again.

Q. From the pre-released song ‘I GOT YOU’ to the new album ‘With YOU-th’, you can feel TWICE’s dazzlingly beautiful youth, passion, and excitement. How would you describe the members’ thoughts on ‘youth’ in one word? Also, what was the driving force behind Twice’s youth being so beautiful?

Jeongyeon: If I were to sum up youth in one word, it would be “nothing to be afraid of”! I think the reason Twice’s youth was so beautiful was because we relied on each other and got along well.

Momo: My youth is Twice. I think TWICE’s youth was able to become more beautiful because they received a lot of love from ONCEs.

Sana: To put it in one word, it’s the 9 years we’ve been together! When it comes to our driving force, ONCE cannot be left out, and I think what created Twice’s youth was the desire to show ONCE something.

Q. You can feel the strong bond with Twice’s youth through the album, title song, and music video. Was there a moment in particular when you realized that ‘Twice = One’? I wonder what it means to have members who have built close friendships over a long period of time.

mina: I think I feel it the most while working. When I promoted as a unit, it was different from when I promoted as a whole group. I thought, ‘When the 9 of us are together, there are so many moments where we feel really reassured and can lean on each other.’

Dahyun: In a small way, it’s when the members say what I’m thinking in words or when they do the same thing at the same time. For example, while practicing choreography, I looked in the mirror and there were moments when we all brushed our hair at the same time. (Laughs) At those times, I thought, ‘Wow! I realize, ‘We really are of one mind!’

Tzuyu: We’ve been together for such a long time that we almost think of ourselves as family. I think we especially feel like we are ‘one’ as the members stand by each other and give strength to each other during difficult times and on stage.

Q. With your fifth world tour ‘READY TO BE’, you must have felt a new emotion as you set ‘first’ and ‘best’ records at large stadiums around the world, including SoFi Stadium in LA and MetLife Stadium in New York. In July of this year, they are scheduled to perform at the Nissan Stadium in Kanagawa, Japan, a first for an overseas girl group. Please introduce the secret to TWICE, which is gaining global popularity even 10 years after its debut.

Nayeon: I think performance on stage is important professionally, and all members are sincere about this, so they put a lot of thought into it and work passionately on it. Thankfully, I think the fact that the members are working together and passionately, which fans recognize, is the secret to their global popularity.

Jeongyeon: I think the secret is that we get along well together. And because everyone in the company supports TWICE so hard, I think we work harder too.

Sana: It’s so amazing and thankful that the wishes that the members have expressed for a long time are coming true one by one. Seeing them achieve new records while working for a long time makes me more ambitious, and I think the secret is to aim for higher things together.

Q. When you look back on the world tour ‘READY TO BE’ conducted so far, what is the most memorable moment? Also, is there a message of support that gave you the most strength during the long tour?

Momo: I remember the energy of the audience at recent stadium concerts in Mexico and Brazil. I also remembered and felt sorry that fans from overseas who were visiting for the first time in a long time told us that they had waited a long time and missed us.

Jihyo: I am planning to go to Nissan Stadium in Kanagawa, Japan in July. It is a concert hall that we have dreamed of going to since our debut, and as a singer, it is an honor to be able to perform at that venue.

mina: During the last world tour ‘TWICE WORLD TOUR 2019 ‘TWICELIGHTS”, I heard from the members that ‘the Mexican ONCEs’ cheering was no joke’, but this time I was able to feel it myself, so it was fun and meaningful.

Q. Please say a word to ONCEs around the world who have always been with TWICE.

Nayeon: ONCE has always been my strong support, and having been with me for a long time, I am able to carry out my activities with real strength. Thank you very much. We look forward to your continued support.

Jeongyeon: It’s amazing and I’m always grateful that we were able to become one through music even though we spoke different languages. We hope that ONCE and TWICE are really, really happy while they are together, and we will work harder so that you can have fun.

Momo: Thank you for always supporting us. We hope to be able to meet more local ONCEs in the future, and we will do our best to show you the diverse side of TWICE.

Sana: Thank you for sharing all our moments. If ONCE follows along as we have done so far, I think we can create our own path together. I don’t think there’s anything happier than that!

Jihyo: Thank you for always walking with us on the path that TWICE takes. We will continue to work hard, so I hope ONCE will also support and love us.

mina: Thank you for spending every moment with us and making every moment meaningful. I hope we can continue to make precious memories together in the future.

Dahyun: I think ‘READY TO BE’ is the first tour that visited many overseas locations for a long period of time. There were places I visited for the first time and places I returned to after a long time, and I was touched by the great welcome I received. It would be nice to be able to go to places that we couldn’t visit during this tour later, and we will visit the ONCEs we met on this tour again, so it would be nice to make good memories. And I hope this will be a comeback activity that ONCEs can enjoy together.

Chaeyoung: Thank you for your constant support, support, and energy, and for being the driving force behind our new album. We will work hard anytime, anywhere to show you better albums and images in the future.

Tzuyu: To ONCE, who has always given me warm love, words of gratitude may not be enough, but I am grateful. We will continue to work hard to share good energy in the future. I love you♡