In an online community, TWICE Jihyo was criticized for her alleged "flop" solo debut and was compared to her co-member Nayeon. ONCEs were quick to jump to the idol's defense.
TWICE Jihyo Solo Debut a 'Flop'? K-Netz Unimpressed With 'Killin' Me Good,' 'ZONE'
About five days since her first mini-album, "ZONE," was released on August 18, TWICE Jihyo has been making a buzz in online communities... but for not a good reason.
K-pop fans claimed that Jihyo's solo debut was an "utter failure," criticizing her performance digitally, physically, and overseas.
People were confused about how it "flopped" intensely that some K-pop fans didn't know that she already released her album. While it received decent support from ONCEs (TWICE fandom), K-Netz emphasized that compared to Nayeon's solo release with "POP!", Jihyo's buzz factor is nowhere near.
According to comments on the forum, some of the reasons TWICE's leader's solo didn't become bigger was due to JYP Entertainment's poor promotions. Others also blamed the idol for her "outdated" concept, and for being "charmless."
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"JIHYO's singing style has been outdated since 2015."
"TWICE's album doesn't show much reaction. What do you mean solo?"
"The song, the music video, and the choreography are so lame. They really don't spend JYP money."
"The song doesn't fit Jihyo and has no impact. That's too bad. The more she sings, the more I get sick of it. It's hard to listen to twice even if you heard it once."
"There is no problem with Jihyo. The song is not a style that the public can listen to. In the case of Nayeon's " POP," it's easy listening and addictive. If you dance with your fingers, everyone knows... But in the case of Jihyo's solo song, I don't know the memorable point choreography, and the song doesn't feel like the public would want to keep listening to it, but Jihyo did her best."
ONCEs Defend TWICE Jihyo, Highlight Idol's Achievements So Far
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When the post in the online community garnered over 100k views, ONCEs took to the comments to defend the idol and highlighted her achievements, five days since her album was released.
On the 22nd, Korean media outlets reported that "TWICE's Jihyo performed brilliantly in the first week of her solo debut."
Upon its release, her first mini-album, "ZONE," reached the top of the iTunes top album chart in 22 regions by the afternoon of the 20th. The "Killin' Me Good" MV also gained popularity from the afternoon of the 18th to the morning of the 21st, ranking No. 1 on the YouTube music video worldwide trends.
In terms of her physical sales, Jihyo even became the 3rd best-selling soloist overall on Hanteo after surpassing 410,000 sales as of the 21st. She also earned the 2nd spot for highest first-day sales among soloists after selling more than 360,000 albums.
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They denied that the album "flopped," and left rave reviews instead.
"Jihyo's album was even recommended by Grammy in the 15 albums to listen to in August. If you're not interested, just don't listen to it. Even foreign ONCEs are showing great reactions."
"JIHYO, who can pull off unrivaled sophistication and hip style, and shows heart-warming vocals and overwhelming dance! Everyone! It sold 360,000 copies on the day of release, so please don't insist that it failed."
"It's disgusting that the leader of one of the world's top girl groups in Korea compares and criticizes the carefully prepared record for fans. I'm always rooting for JIHYO, who created a masterpiece and has prepared a lot for this album."
