Twice sends ‘Signal’ with fourth EP

Nine K-pop darlings came back with a powerful “Signal” that another Twice sensation would hit the country and the world hard. 

Twice, the K-pop girl group that has taken Asia by storm, dropped its fourth EP “Signal” Monday, with a lead track also titled “Signal.” The song marked the first collaboration with Park Jin-young, the founder and head producer of their label JYP Entertainment. 

“If there is a big difference from our previous projects, it is that we attempted powerful choreography for the lead track,” said Nayeon at the press showcase held at Blue Square Samsung Card Hall in Seoul on Monday.

“We emphasized our high-energy choreography, which is something we haven’t chosen to do before. I hope people can recognize that.”

The members said there were several highlights in the new choreography, such as the so-called “heart dance” which was a brainchild of Park, who walked the group through the process of developing the choreography. 

The lead track, Twice’s first song produced by Park, features a groovy electropop melody paired with heavy bass sounds. With the chorus “I send you a sign, send you a signal” peppered throughout, the song talks about sending signals to the person you’re interested in and feeling the disappointment of them not getting the message. 

The intergalactic music video is set against the backdrop of a school where the members, who appear as students wearing uniforms, encounter a blue-faced alien. They try to send signals to win the alien’s heart by using their on-screen superpowers, such as hypnosis and the ability to freeze time, but somehow fail to bond with their cosmic friend. 

“It would be a lie to say there is no burden at all,” said Nayeon, when asked whether the members feel pressured to meet the public’s expectations with the new album.

“But we’ve always longed to work with producer Park, and we think this is an opportune time to show a different side of ourselves.” 

Since its debut in October 2015 with first EP “The Story Begins,” the group has raced past other rookie groups and shot to stardom with infectious hits “Cheer Up” in 2015 and “TT” in 2016, each of which surpassed 100 million views on YouTube. “TT” set the record for being the fastest K-pop music video to reach 100 million views in January, only 71 days after its release.

The members went on to share their thoughts on the group’s success across age and gender. “I think it’s our diversity, as the group’s nine members all have different personalities and attractions,” Nayeon said.

The nine singers are noted for their distinct on-screen personalities. The members are of diverse nationalities as well. Momo, Mina and Sana are Japanese, and Tzuyu, the group’s youngest, is Taiwanese while the remaining five members are Korean.

Chaeyoung and other members said the group’s songs and dances are also easy to follow.

“My little sister in elementary school follows the songs’ dances very well,” Jihyo said.

Upon its release, “Signal” has been sweeping music charts both at home and abroad, attracting more than 7.4 million views on YouTube as of 1 p.m. Tuesday. Along with the lead track, Signal EP contains six other tracks, including “Eyes Eyes Eyes,” a light-hearted song co-written by Jihyo and Chaeyoung. Twice plans to drop a Japanese debut album titled “#TWICE” on June 28.

By Hong Dam-young (lotus@heraldcorp.com)