K-pop girl group goes Twice as big for second Singapore concert

South Korean girl group Twice at a press conference at the Grand Hyatt hotel on June 16, 2018. ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

SINGAPORE - Back in Singapore to perform for the second time, South Korean girl group Twice are doubling down with twice the number of fans at a venue twice as large.

The nine-member outfit drew a sold-out audience of 5,000 at their debut Singapore concert at The Star Theatre last year. This time, they will be performing at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, which has a capacity of 12,000.

Speaking at a press conference at the Grand Hyatt hotel on Saturday (June 16), the group said they were grateful to be able to return to Singapore so soon.

"I am thankful that we have double the fans we had last year," said group leader Jihyo, 21, through an interpreter. "I am looking forward to meeting double the number of people tomorrow night."

Twice made their debut in 2015, formed by JYP Entertainment from the Survivor-style reality television series Sixteen. Their hits such as Cheer Up and TT (both 2016) swiftly dominated Korean music charts.

Last year, they became the first K-pop girl group to earn platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan for both an album and CD single in the same year.

Earlier this month, they became the first foreign female act to have a single album certified double platinum in Japan, having sold more than 500,000 copies of their third Japanese single Wake Me Up.

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Singapore is the first South-east Asia stop on their sophomore tour Twiceland Zone 2: Fantasy Park.

"We have a lot more songs than last year, and this year we also have more unique stages for you to look forward to," said Chaeyoung, 19.

Only pre-approved questions submitted in advance were asked during the 18-minute session.

The band said they are fans of Singapore's chilli and black pepper crab, as well as the mantou buns that accompany it, and hope to taste it one more time before they leave.

  • BOOK IT / TWICELAND ZONE 2: FANTASY PARK

  • WHERE: Singapore Indoor Stadium, 2 Stadium Walk MRT: Stadium

    WHEN: Sunday (June 17), 5pm

    ADMISSION: From $168 to Sports Hub Tix ticketing channels (call 3158-7888 or go to www.sportshubtix.sg)

They like to have fun behind the scenes of their popular music videos, which can score more than 100 million hits each on YouTube. They play guessing games such as Mafia while waiting to go on set, said Tzuyu, 19, the group's Taiwanese member.

Said Jeongyeon, 21: "For the music video of What Is Love, we had to dress up like men. That was very memorable for me."

The band shared their must-haves for travel, from bathbombs for Tzuyu to snacks for Momo, 21, and two or three sleeping masks for Nayeon, 22, who cannot sleep unless it is totally dark.

They hope their new songs such as What Is Love can help people learn Korean. "It has very simple words which you would use in everyday life," said Jihyo.

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