5th World Tour Ready To Be

Twice
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Last Saturday

You make me feel special. So goes the chorus of K-pop girl group Twice’s chart-topper Feel Special (2019) – which would probably also encapsulate how their 9,000 fans felt at their concert on Saturday.

It was the opening night of two sold-out shows at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and part of the nine-member act’s Ready To Be world tour, which kick-started in Seoul in April.

With 42 shows in total, the tour is scheduled to run till February 2024 across cities in Asia, Australia, Europe as well as North and South America.

Twice fans, or “Once” as the group affectionately calls them, in Singapore were arguably luckier than those who attended the earlier legs: They now have bragging rights for being the first to catch leader Jihyo perform Killin’ Me Good live in concert.

The hit dance anthem, which is making waves on music platforms, is from her seven-track debut solo album Zone released in August.

On top of that, member Jeongyeon also chose to cover the number, Can’t Stop The Feeling (2016), originally sung by American pop star Justin Timberlake.

Prior to the Singapore leg, Jihyo entertained concertgoers in other countries with the soulful ballad Nightmare, a teaser track from her then-yet-to-be-released album, while Jeongyeon delivered her rendition of American singer-rapper Lizzo’s Juice (2019).

Other members Chaeyoung, Dahyun, Mina, Momo, Nayeon, Sana and Tzuyu also quipped about the “firsts” that they contributed to the Singapore leg.

To fans’ laughter, Momo said it was her first time performing with short hair on this tour. She cut her shoulder-length tresses and now sports a bob.

They had their solo turns as well, following the standard set list from other concert legs.

Dahyun, for instance, impressed with her piano skills while belting out American singer-songwriter’s Colbie Caillat’s Try (2014). On the other hand, Chaeyoung played an acoustic-electric guitar and sang her original composition My Guitar.

Then there was Momo, who showed off her pole-dancing skills to the beats of American music queen Beyonce’s Move (2022).

But the party atmosphere at the stadium was really ignited by their group performances, from K-pop hits Feel Special and The Feels (2021) to new English numbers released in 2023, Set Me Free and Moonlight Sunrise.

The nine members, who are between the ages of 24 and 27, were formed through South Korean reality survival singing show Sixteen in 2015 and burst onto the K-pop scene with their hit Cheer Up a year later.

They last performed in Singapore at the same venue in 2019.

Nayeon, the first member to release a solo album in 2022, echoed the group’s excitement to be back after four years and promised to deliver a memorable show.

They certainly did.

In a first for their Ready To Be world tour, Twice introduced a four-piece band. It was also a testament to their singing prowess, for they were not drowned out by the drums and bass.

Another highlight of the 160-minute gig was the spectacular LED backdrops accompanying every track.

The satisfying encore was chosen by a spinning wheel, with handwritten titles of their hits indicated on it.

The needle landed on Like Ooh-Ahh (2015) and Shot Clock (2020), both much appreciated by the concertgoers who danced and sang along enthusiastically.

Nayeon then asked them to keep cheering the Twice girls on: “Show us everything you can, okay? You slay.”