On February 15, 2022, JYP Entertainment announced that TWICE has canceled all their promotions during their US tour.
TWICE is a nine membered girl group under JYP Entertainment (JYPE). The group consists of Nayeon, Jongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu. The agency issued an official statement on TWICE’s official fan page on this day, indicating that the girl group will be canceling all promotions and meet-and-greet opportunities planned during their most recent U.S. tour due to COVID-19.
The statement read:
In regards with US promotions cancellationhttps://t.co/1MYW2aLIIl
— TWICE (@JYPETWICE) February 14, 2022
“We sincerely thank you for your warm welcome as we begin the US tour. As this is a chance to meet our fans who have waited patiently in the US, we originally planned promotions and a wide variety of opportunities for meet-n-greets. However, due to the severity of the COVID-19 situation, we have decided to had no option but to cancel all promotions, as the artists’ health is our number one priority, and must proceed with the tour in the safest way possible.
JYP Entertainment and TWICE members are sorry and saddened to announce this. However, this decision is mandatory for a successful tour schedule, and we would like to ask for your kind and deepest understanding. To enjoy the concert full of joy in a safe way, we are very excited to perform for you, and sincerely hope that our fans will take care and stay healthy.”
TWICE kicked off their fourth world tour ‘III’, on December 26, 2021, in Seoul. Though the tour was supposed to start on December 25, due to the sudden rise in COVID-19 cases, the group had to cancel out one date.
TWICE was formed via the survival show, Sixteen (2015), where 16 JYPE female trainees competed with each other to make it to the final lineup of the upcoming girl group. Initially TWICE was supposed to have only 7 members but, looking at Tzuyu’s popularity among fans and Momo’s dancing skills, JYP decided to add them at the last moment. The group made its official debut in October 2015 with the extended EP, The Story Begins and the lead single, Like Ooh Aah.
TWICE rose to domestic fame with the single Cheer Up in 2016. The song reached number one on the Gaon Digital Chart becoming the year’s best-selling single and was awarded Song of the Year at the Melon Music Awards and the Mnet Asian Music Awards. Their next hit, TT, from their third EP Twicecoaster: Lane 1, spent four weeks at the top of the Gaon charts. The EP was the best-selling Korean girl group album of 2016. Twice had sold over 1.2 million units of their four EPs and the special album just 19 months into their debut.
The group debuted in Japan in June 2017, under Warner Music Japan, with the release of a compilation album titled #Twice. With the biggest first-week album sales by a K-pop artist in Japan in two years, the album debuted at number two on the Oricon Albums Chart. TWICE’s first original Japanese maxi single, One More Time, was released in October as a follow-up. TWICE became the first Korean girl group to receive platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for both an album and a CD single in the same year. The group also ranked third in Billboard Japan’s 2017 Year-End Rankings in the Top Artist category, and in 2019, they became the first Korean girl group to embark on a Japanese dome tour.
TWICE has sold over 10 million albums in South Korea and Japan as of December 2020, making them the best-selling Korean girl group of all time. Following their success in 2016 and 2017, they have also been dubbed as the “Nation’s Girl Group” by the Korean media.
With 2022 incoming a lot of fans expected TWICE to either disband or the members get busy with solo activities, but the group seems to have not slowed down even a bit. They kicked off their fourth world tour ‘III’ in December 2021. Two days ago the group was seen at the Incheon International Airport, leaving for LA, to begin with, their North American leg of the tour. Due to the popular demand as concert tickets being sold out, JYPE added 2 additional concerts in Los Angeles and New York on February 15 and February 27.
Along with added extra days, TWICE fans, ONCEs, can rejoice as Jongyeon, who had to sit out of the concert in Seoul due to health concerns will be joining the rest of the members for the North American leg of the tour and hopefully even Japan.
The tour kicks off at The Forum in Los Angeles on February 15 and 16, followed by stops in Oakland, Fort Worth, Atlanta, and Belmont Park. In April, TWICE will embark on a Japan tour, which will include two performances at the Tokyo Dome.