South Korea hottest girl group TWICE, comprises of Jihyo, Nayeon, Jungyeon, Chaeyeon, Dahyun, Momo, Sana, Mina and Tzuyu, was finally in Singapore on 29 April 2017 to meet Singapore ONCE (official club name) at TWICE 1st World Tour 'TWICELAND'. Debuted with hit single 'Like OOH-AHH' in October 2015, the nine membered group topped the charts with their catchy hits like "Cheer Up", "TT" and "Knock Knock". This was their first concert in Singapore and 5,000 tickets were sold.
Held at The Star Performance Arts Centre, the 3 hours show was impressive from start to end. TWICE delivered a perfect and adorable-filled performance that made ONCE go insane. Enthusiastic ONCE cheered for the girls, chanted fan chant, sang and danced along to every lyric throughout the show. The venue filled with Candy Bongs was another testament to how well-loved the girls are here.
Screams from the excited fans can be heard the very moment the lights dimmed and intro video was shown. Dressed in white military uniform, the girls appeared on stage and kicked off the highly anticipated show with "Touch Down" and "I'm Gonna Be A Star". The atmosphere became heated up with loud fan chant during their third song "Cheer Up".
Immediately after the third song, the girls did an introduction of themselves. Leader Jihyo, who was unable to join in the dance choreographies and did the performance while seated because of her knee injury, expressed her apologies for unable to perform her best. Youngest member Tzuyu got ONCE hype by saying, "ONCE, I love you" in Mandarin.
After the introduction segment, the girls went on to perform series of songs including "I Think I'm Crazy", "Like OOH-AHH", "Like A Fool". As promised during the press conference, ONCE was treated to special sub-unit stages that showed the unique sides of the members. Jihyo, Mina and Jeongyeon started the special stages with Madonna's "4 Minutes". Chaeyoung, Sana, Momo and Nayeon demonstrated their elegance and sexiness while performing Beyonce's 'Yonce'. Talented Dayhyun serenaded the crowd with a piano solo followed by a cutesy dance cover of Turbo's "The Black Cat Nero" with Tzuyu. The special stage continued with "Card Captor Sakura" and "Sailor Moon" by all the members. The group also did an energy-filled cover of EXO'S "Overdose" and Seventeen's "Pretty U". Succeeding their special stage, the group moved on to perform "Precious Love" and "Jelly Jelly" before they finished their performance with the recent comeback "Knock Knock".
After they said their goodbyes, the fans kept cheering for "ENCORE", a convention way for the audience to request for additional performance. However, this time apart from "ENCORE", chosen fans will need to complete some mission such as taking a group picture with TWICE, doing a 'TT' dance and answering a question relating to TWICE correctly before they can see their idols back on stage. Though extra efforts were required, fans enjoyed every minute of it as if they were interacting directly with TWICE.
Not long, TWICE came back on stage and performed their favourite song meant for all their fans "One In A Million". Before the final encore performance, all the members expressed their heartfelt gratitude for the love and support even though it was their first visit and promise they will come back again with better show.
Just when TWICE was getting ready take a group picture with all the fans, a fan video showing clips of TWICE since debut till now was unexpectedly screened to congratulate TWICE on their first tour in Singapore. Immediately after the video, the venue was filled with banners that had a message "We will support TWICE". TWICE was clearly touched with this heartwarming surprise that Singapore ONCE had prepared.
The night came to a high when the group finished their final encore performance with "Like OOH-AHH", "Cheer Up" and "TT". The girls took the chance to go around the stage, waved and tried to make eye contact with as many fans as possible.
The winning formula for TWICE's success is that it is a multinational group with pretty fresh faces, super catchy and relatively easy to follow songs. TWICE won over the hearts of those in the audience with their lovely personalities and vibrant performances that night. We can see them try to connect with fans by trying their best to use different languages. With the speed by which TWICE is ascending to stardom, it will not be long before they dominate the K-Pop music scene. We look forward to see them back again in Singapore. TWICE is preparing for a comeback with "Signal" which is set to release on May 15 at 6 pm K.S.T.
Special thanks to ONE PRODUCTION for inviting KpopStarz.com to cover TWICE first World Tour 'TWICELAND' - The Opening in Singapore.
Writer: Ong Melin | Photo Credits: ONE Production
