MUSIC
'Pledis Rookie' TWS debuts today (22nd)
TWS (Shinyu, Dohoon, Youngjae, Hanjin, Jihoon, Kyungmin) will release their debut mini-album, 1st mini album 'Sparkling Blue', at 6 PM on the 22nd. TWS is the first boy group introduced by Pledis Entertainment in 9 years since Seventeen, and is Hive Labels' first debut group in 2024.
TWS is an abbreviation for 'TWENTY FOUR SEVEN WITH US', with the number 24 meaning one day and the number 7 meaning a week meaning 'every moment'. In other words, the team name has the meaning of ‘Always with TWS.’ Through music, they aim to become precious friends who transcend time and space and make the ordinary daily lives of the public and fans special at any moment and anywhere.
TWS presents its own genre, Boyhood Pop, which expands from its clear and refreshing team identity. Boyhood pop refers to fantastic and sensuous music that evokes beautiful appreciation in everyday life. Their debut album 'Sparkling Blue' is filled with sparkling and refreshing melodies following the sensibility of boyhood pop. Just like the excitement of a first meeting or a conversation with friends during break time, TWS's natural and honest, friendly musical style is impressive.
'Sparkling Blue' includes a total of 5 songs, including the title song 'First meeting doesn't go as planned', 'unplugged boy', 'first hooky', 'BFF', and 'Oh Mymy: 7s', which was pre-released on the 2nd. The song was included.
The title song 'First meeting doesn't go as planned' contains the story of overcoming the vagueness faced in the excitement of a first meeting with anticipation of the bright days together in the future. It is unique that the boys' fresh first meeting is expressed in a spicy sparkling tone. This song is a hybrid pop genre with powerful drums and exhilarating guitar and synth sounds, and the contrast between the lyrics and sound source conveys the message of the song more powerfully.
The production of TWS's debut album was supervised by Master Professional Han Seong-soo, who produced albums by Seventeen, After School, Orange Caramel, NU'EST, and IZ*ONE. A special person also participated in TWS' debut album. Cheon Gye-young is a writer who dominated the comics world in the 1990s. Track 2, 'unplugged boy', is a song of the same name as a popular work by author Cheon Gye-young. Due to this, artist Cheon Gye-young provided the original drawing of the cartoon 'Unplugged Boy' for the cover design of TWS's 'Sparkling Blue' Weverseban album. This is the first time in 25 years since HOT that artist Cheon Gye-young collaborated with a K-pop group.
Even before its debut, TWS collaborated with big brands, graced the covers of famous overseas magazines, and was selected as a beverage model. TWS, in collaboration with fashion brand The Museum Visitor, opened and operates a pop-up store 'TWS: THE MUSEUM VISITOR' on the 18th at The Hyundai Seoul, known as the 'MZ generation pop-up mecca'.
They also decorate the covers of special editions of leading Japanese magazines 'Ray' and 'ViVi'. 'Ray' and 'ViVi' are magazines with high recognition in Japan, and the covers of their special editions are often decorated with stars who are very popular there. In the case of 'ViVi', TWS can be found in the March and April issues. The March issue previews a scene from TWS' pictorial in preview format. In the April issue, TWS will feature major features, including a special edition cover, cover story, and special supplement. TWS is the first K-pop boy group to be the subject of a major feature in this magazine upon their debut.
TWS is scheduled to begin full-fledged activities by holding its debut show, 'TWS Nice to Meet You,' which will be broadcast simultaneously on Mnet, M2, and Hive Labels' official YouTube channel at 7 PM today (22nd).
Kim Se-ah, Ten Asia reporter haesmik@tenasia.co.kr
