News Another American Critic (MTV) On TWICE: Big Fluffy Flop Or Not??? (1 Viewer)

[Emanresu]

Another American Critic (MTV) On TWICE: Big Fluffy Flop Or Not???


An alternative take on the same concert by a different critic.

Seems there's a diversity of opinion.

This critic loved the performance and praised them throughout.

Congrats TWICE!

[Begin Article Text]

(MTV) K-POP STARS TWICE BROUGHT A KALEIDOSCOPE OF COLOR, CONFIDENCE, AND PRIDE TO THEIR FIRST U.S. TOUR

ON SUNDAY NIGHT (JULY 21), THE MEMBERS OF ASIA'S MOST POPULAR GIRL GROUP PROVED THAT THEY'RE NOT DEFINED BY A SINGLE IMAGE

By Crystal Bell

There's a fan-favorite moment in Twice's "Likey" when member Dahyun delivers a charismatic rap verse over a momentary trap beat. She ends with a customary dab, as one does. It's brief and unexpected but extremely memorable. Watching Twice perform their hit 2017 single at the Prudential Center in Newark on Sunday (July 21) — the stage a multitude of rainbow colors and their faces adorned with glitter — I realized two things: One, Dahyun is the only person who can get away with earnestly dabbing in the year of our Lord 2019; and two, Twice is kind of brilliant.

The music industry loves to put artists in boxes, to package them up into a single marketing message and place them on shiny pedestals. The K-pop industry is no different, especially for women. Korean girl groups are often one or the other: sweet or sexy; girls who sing perfect pop confections or girls with attitude. But one concept can hardly contain the artistry and multitudes that today's girl groups really have to offer. Twice is a perfect example of this.

When members Sana, Dahyun, and Tzuyu take the stage for their unit stage — a sultry cover of Beyoncé's " Dance For You," complete with slinky choreography — it's a powerful display of feminine energy and sexuality. "Is this allowed?" tweeted one fan from inside the venue. For some reason, "sexy" and "sensual" aren't words that people often associate with Twice, a group known for their bubblegum bops, legendary hooks, and playful point choreography. But on Sunday night, on the second U.S. stop of their Twicelights world tour, the eight members of Asia's most popular girl group — ninth member Mina is taking time to recover from "sudden extreme anxiety and insecurity towards performing" — proved that they're not defined by a single image.



The nearly three-hour set traversed the group's many hits ("Cheer Up," "Yes or Yes," "What Is Love," "Dance the Night Away," to name a few) and some sparkling b-sides ("Strawberry" was a standout) through a kaleidoscope of colors: black, gold, white, red, blue, purple, and pink. As Dahyun kept reminding their fans (called Once) throughout the night, they wanted to show their various charms through these colorful, prismatic stages.

The surprising amount of actual flames and pyrotechnics during songs like "Stuck in My Head" and "Touchdown" didn't hurt either.

But perhaps Twice's true power was displayed during the ballad stage, where the night took an emotional turn during "After Moon," which fans have unofficially deemed Mina's song. The members sang out to a sea of mint green light sticks — Mina's designated color — and some even became emotional themselves. "I miss Mina," Jihyo said through tears after the performance. Ballad stages are tricky; they can sometimes kill the momentum of a good show. But Twice, dressed in white, matched the kinetic energy of their opening set with pure emotion, proving themselves as dynamic and empathetic performers.



Dancer Momo, who performs with a breathless intensity, and leader Jihyo sang a mesmerizing cover of Taemin's "Goodbye," but it was their contemporary choreography that took their special stage to even greater emotional heights. While powerhouse — both in terms of vocals and personality — Nayeon took the stage alongside members Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung for a plucky performance of Lady Gaga's queer anthem "Born This Way" that was all sparkle and sass. And the cheers from the crowd — a diverse mix of genders, ages, and ethnicities, some holding rainbow Pride flags — were deafening. After the performance, Nayeon explained that the stage was rapper Chaeyoung's idea. It's an undeniably bold pick for a K-pop group, seeing as explicit support of queerness is still quite rare.

But subtlety has never been Twice's thing. The final act of the set was an explosion of color and camp. The members took the stage in a holographic prism, wearing an array of bright colors and even brighter smiles. They concluded with their most recent single, "Fancy," a song that saw the group experimenting with more mature sounds. The opening synth adds a layer of mystique that has previously evaded Twice's singles, and the newly added dance break — just for tour — is a striking accumulation of the entire Twicelights experience: Twice are so much more than their concepts.



Jihyo, Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu are multifaceted artists who are more complex than their bops often allow. The entire night was a display of their duality and empathy. As they worked the stage during their energetic encore, dressed in plain white tour tees and light-wash denim, I saw a glimpse of Twice as they really are, not as Korea's chart-topping girl group but rather as a group of young women bursting with charm and charisma and inside jokes — who undeniably find strength and solidarity in one another.

As they depart the stage in their giant prism, back to their pedestals, they leave the crowd with one final image: eight girls (nine in spirit) striking dramatic poses and making goofy faces, dramatically inching closer to the ground as the curtain closes down on them — each member wanting to be the last to say goodbye. Of course, when it comes to Twice, who had no trouble filling the New Jersey arena on their first U.S. tour, this is clearly a see you later.

And next time there will be even more colors to show.

[End Article Text]



Emanresu Comment:

I know Onces are in an uproar about the NJ critic. But keep in mind all critic's are entitled to have their opinion. That's their job. While I disagree with his overall assessment of TWICE, that's his take and he's allowed to have it. I'd encourage everyone to not attack the reviewer as that will only garner negative press for TWICE. We don't want to be seen as not being able to take criticism of our group. Better to let them be and focus on the good! TWICE had a packed show where fans where able to see the group they loved live. And all indications say the crowd loved it. That TWICE is happy and the fans are happy is all that matters. And while we're at it we can appreciate those reviewers that see the magic we see in TWICE. Take care Onces!

 

[mirella]

The music industry loves to put artists in boxes, to package them up into a single marketing message and place them on shiny pedestals. The K-pop industry is no different, especially for women. Korean girl groups are often one or the other: sweet or sexy; girls who sing perfect pop confections or girls with attitude. But one concept can hardly contain the artistry and multitudes that today's girl groups really have to offer.

I wholeheartedly agree with this, for Kpop groups and artists outside of Kpop.

 

[Darkyoda47]

I think the sooner people stop caring about other people's opinions on what they like, the better.

 

[Darkyoda47]

Okay I just read that NJ Critic's review and it really sounds like, above all else, he got culture shocked. I don't blame him because I have seen first hand how the "aegyo culture", for the lack of a better phrase, in the music and visuals can be a barrier for Western audiences.

His opinion on the singing and dancing is just that, his opinion and I do not really see the point of fans resenting him for it.

 

[Emanresu]

Okay I just read that NJ Critic's review and it really sounds like, above all else, he got culture shocked. I don't blame him because I have seen first hand how the "aegyo culture", for the lack of a better phrase, in the music and visuals can be a barrier for Western audiences.

His opinion on the singing and dancing is just that, his opinion and I do not really see the point of fans resenting him for it.

That was the same point I made in the thread on Allkpop.

This line was revealing to me:

Perhaps it’s a cultural difference, the women being naturally more reserved, or instructed to exude a sort of glazed-over pageant poise at all moments.

I have no problem with his critique of the performance skill level. He's certainly entitled to it. But I do think the above quoted sentence is revealing in that I think it showcases the framework through which his critique is motivated. I think his cultural lens is playing a role in his vigorous dismissal.

I have this suspicion if in a hypothetical scenario he was reviewing a group that was more in line with in vogue Western feminine performance standard (more bombastic in your face aggressive feminine energy) that had the exact same level of technical performance skill as shown by TWICE, that he would probably be more favorable in his assessment.

 

[Sapphic]

That was the same point I made in the thread on Allkpop.

This line was revealing to me:



I have no problem with his critique of the performance skill level. He's certainly entitled to it. But I do think the above quoted sentence is revealing in that I think it showcases the framework through which his critique is motivated. I think his cultural lens is playing a role in his vigorous dismissal.

I have this suspicion if in a hypothetical scenario he was reviewing a group that was more in line with in vogue Western feminine performance standard (more bombastic in your face aggressive feminine energy) that had the exact same level of technical performance skill as shown by TWICE, that he would probably be more favorable in his assessment.

Yeah, his complaint that he couldn't get an idea of who Twice are as people is completely missing the mark. I doubt artists like Ariana Grande are like how they are on stage, and he seemed fine with her concerts. Critique the dancing and singing, fine, because we know that most Twice members lack in a lot of areas there, but actually consider why they're still so popular. He dismisses them as if one concert means anything, and frankly he should have done his research before going, since I doubt there's very many newcomers spending that kind of money to see a K-Pop group in a packed house.

 

[VillageIdiot]

I watched lives of the concert and I honestly have a lot of critiques myself

Spoiler: WARNING: LONG POST

Queens

 

[yeji]

We all know no matter what TWICE knows how to pull off a good show

 

[Evergreen]

Her article is interesting. About the other one I was mostly triggered by his opinion on their dance level. Theirs vocals I can understand but Twice is really a well-rounded group on this aspect.

And of course he was culturally prejudiced against them.

 

[Darkseid]

What I didn't like about the NJ critic was how he begins with "BTS have spoiled us". It seemed like BTS is his only exposure to Kpop and he expected Twice to be the BTS female version when they have completely different styles, appeal and vibe.

Twice's earnestness and ability to connect with fans through everything they do is part of why they're so popular and this Twicelights concert seems to have emphasized that perfectly. Watching Twice isn't like watching stars perform, they give off the vibe that you're watching your close friends perform and that makes you want to cheer them and wish them success even more

 

[Emanresu]

Twice's earnestness and ability to connect with fans through everything they do is part of why they're so popular and this Twicelights concert seems to have emphasized that perfectly. Watching Twice isn't like watching stars perform, they give off the vibe that you're watching your close friends perform and that makes you want to cheer them and wish them success even more

This is spot on.

He misses the entire essence of TWICE.

One of the central aspects to criticism is one should always keep in mind what something is and what it's trying to do and assess it on those merits. You critique it for what it is. Not what you wish it was.

 

[SiggyStan]

I am not surprised at all that this type of article showed up. We're talking about Twice here.