Top 5 Tzuyu Moments That Made Twice Fans Fall in Love with Her

Below are my top five picks of the best moments featuring one of our/my favorite K-Pop stars, Tzuyu Chou:

 

 5. Tzuyu competes in an archery competition against Irene from Red Velvet in a fun, lighthearted video. Both displayed impressive skills, though Tzuyu scored more points (TV-People, 2018, Youtube).  

 4. In addition to showcasing her archery skills, Tzuyu tries the gym, giving us hilarious moments of both her successes and her burnout (TWICE, 2024, Youtube).  

 3.Tzuyu shows that she is human and can relate to her fans (TWICE, 2024, Youtube).  

 2. Tzuyu shows off her powerful pitching skills while enjoying a baseball game (TWICE, 2024, Youtube).  

 1. More behind-the-scenes moments offer insights into Tzuyu's interactions with her fellow TWICE members (TWICE, 2023, JYP Entertainment). 

Do you agree with the list above? If not, feel free to share how you would rank the best Tzuyu moments in the comments below.

Tzuyu: The Unique Role of Twice’s Taiwanese Star

Tzuyu, known not only as the only Taiwanese member of Twice, but also the maknae (막내) (or youngest) of TWICE. Below, I have posted three of her standalone performances where I describe how her singing ability has evolved from 2021 to 2024. 

Song List:

First, we have Tzuyu's cover of the song "ME" by Taylor Swift where she demonstrates her lower vocal register while expressing upbeat emotion through her cheerful smiles (Chou, 2021, Youtube, Taste of Love). The outfits she wears in this video are very fitting for Tzuyu's personality overall. This song is one of her more hilarious solo covers compared to what she will blossom into in her "Christmas Without You" cover and "Run Away" single. 

   

Second, we have Tzuyu's single cover of Ava Max's song "Christmas Without You"  (Chou, Youtube, 2022). In this video, Tzuyu is able to sing powerful notes and add her own personal touches to the song in the form of an experienced K-Pop artist. Visually, the warm red scarf and reindeer headband hint at her change from the whimsical "ME" to the maturity of "Run Away".  

 

Lastly, we have Tzuyu showcasing her new stellar performance in her recent hit single, "Run Away" (Chou, YouTube, 2024). Even though this is the most recent video on this list, seeing Tzuyu's performance in this video highlighted a lot of firsts for Tzuyu. Firsts such as her performance as the lead dancer in many striking outfits and firsts in her experienced singing register. In this music video, her performance truly shined and fans have noticed her transformative growth from "ME!" to "Run Away". The new growth lies in her ability to master grounded lows to radiant highs --shaping her distinct identity. 

 

Don't forget to take the poll below and feel free to tell what your favorite Tzuyu individual song is in the comment section below! (It doesn't have to be from this list and it's ok to have more than one).

 

Why These 3 J-Pop/Anison Singers Deserve More Attention: Stephanie Topalian, Tsubasa Sakiyama & Koeda (from Supercell)

When using the term "J-Pop"or "Anison" to find new Japanese music online, more likely than not you will discover the top and mainstream singers of the genres. Artists such as Aimer, LiSA, Hikaru Utada, and King & Prince tend to be at top results for J-Pop music, while artists such as JAM Project, Masaaki Endo and Mami Kawada are considered the top results for Anison music. These famous artists are very talented and enjoyable to listen to, but it would be equally exciting if Youtube, Google or Bing displayed niche artists of these genres aside the top artists. 

Stephanie Topalian is a half Japanese half Armenian J-Pop/Anison artist and she is an artist that I have known of for a long time. She sings the emotional second ending to Gundam 00, "Friends". "Friends"is a great song because not only does it apply to Gundam 00's situation, but it is a great song for making AMVs (anime music videos). That was how I discovered that song and its message: through listening to the song unintentionally while it was played as the background music of a Youtube video about an MMO that I used to enjoy as a kid (Stephanie, SME Records, 2008).  

Her voice is very powerful and is very fitting for the tone of the song which is about the bond that the four main characters have throughout the series (Mizushima, Sunrise, 2007-2008). Topalian's song "Kimigairukagiri" is another song that demonstrates her high vocal range in contrast to her singing in "Friends" (Stephanie, SME Records, 2007). 

Tsubasa Sakiyama was a singer that I discovered when watching a 2021 video that featured many J-Pop hits, and his song,"Sakebe", was one of those hits. It was my favorite song and music video of all the ones listed simply because of Sakiyama sang with a powerful voice throughout. The song also has a lot of build up and feels exciting all the way till the end and then some. It's quite surprising how it only has 47k views on Youtube, it should have more due to Sakiyama's vocal talent displayed in this song. Sakiyama has received some recognition through his being featured as a hit song, but I believe he deserves more recognition (avex, Youtube, 2021).

Lastly, we have Koeda, member of J-Pop group, Supercell. Compared to Stephanie, I am not as familiar with additional songs of hers, but I have heard one song of hers called "My Dearest" which is an opening for the anime, Guilty Crown. This song goes back a long way for me like Stephanie's "Friends" does as well (at least to about 2015 or 2016) due to the emotional feel of the lyrics and the video. It reminds me of when I was starting in community college and the emotional struggles that I was going through transforming into a responsible adult from being a young adolescent, and the heartfelt feel of the song relates to my personal struggles in a way. With that being said, the stories told in these songs not only through their lyrics, but through their presentation brought out great development in my fandom (spcl, YouTube, 2013). 

Maybe it is better for fans if artists like these stay niche so that the fans can enjoy the fandom to themselves, but at the same time I think it would be nice if their Youtube videos had millions of views too. Let me know what you think in the comment section below. Feel free to agree or disagree.

TWICE: A K-Pop Group Nearing a Decade of Global Success- A Fandom Perspective

How I came to know about TWICE as a K-Pop Group

After talking about FLOW (which I will probably discuss them again in a future post) and Girls' Generation, I wanted to start a post dedicated to talking about TWICE. Below I have included three ratings: the Entertainment Rating to show how much enjoyment I got out of the video, the Quality rating to show the video's quality and the Quirkiness rating to show that how weird the music video was that it caused me to laugh so hard (it is a very positive thing rather than negative). A low Quirkiness rating however is not bad, it just means the song and music video feels more normal and may not have caused me to laugh as hard, yet still has a high entertainment value.

It may be surprising to both you and me, but I have only started to listen to TWICE since August of 2022. Even though they have been popular since 2015, I have not listened to them in nearly three-quarters of the time that they have been together as a group- which is regrettable because they are one of my favorite K-Pop groups of all time. Not only that, but perhaps one of my favorite groups in singing, period. With TWICE's ten year anniversary coming up this October, let's look back at some of their best music videos yet and apply the ratings.

The Three TWICE Videos and Their Ratings:

"Heart Shaker"

The first music video I saw of them was "Heart Shaker" back in 2022 . During my time watching the video and after having watched it, I thought that all nine members were very skilled at entertainment. Their singing was great, but there was something about how the song mixed in with the video itself and the dancing that made it very quirky and funny at the same time. As a new viewer of TWICE in 2022, I never realized that they only had nine members. One should be sure to watch it all the way to the end because the absurdity of it which adds to it being hilarious. Don't forget to count how many members there are at the beginning and compare it with number at the ending of the music video!  (TWICE, JYP Entertainment, 2017)

Entertainment Value: 10

Quality: 10

Quirkiness Rating: 10

"Dance the Night Away"

Another song I tend to re-watch of theirs is "Dance the Night Away" . It was also a funny song because it makes you imagine what would happen if a group of nine K-Pop stars were stranded on an island and all of a sudden started singing and dancing out of nowhere. It makes you wonder if there is an audience  watching them whereas "Heart Shaker" may suggest that there is an audience. (TWICE, JYP Entertainment 2018)

Entertainment Value: 9

Quality: 10

Quirkiness Rating: 9

"Likey"

Lastly, there is "Likey" . While what happened during the song and music video was not as weird as the other two mentioned, it still had funny moments in my view. The settings of the cafe, city streets, dressing room, park, etc. contribute to a solid and entertaining music video, but doesn't seem out of the ordinary as an abandoned island. The dances in the video would be a perfect addition to a dancing video game. (TWICE, JYP Entertainment, 2017).

Entertainment Value: 9.5

Quality:10

Quirkiness Rating: 6

What are your thoughts on TWICE and their music videos? For those who have been listening to TWICE whether shorter or longer than me i'm curious to know how you feel about their ten year anniversary coming up? Feel free to voice your opinion in the comment section below. 

Girls Generation: Best Solo Songs from Taeyeon, Sooyoung, Seohyun & Sunny

This time I wanted to take some time to focus on the members of Girls Generation and the solo songs that members that have not left the group did. Below is a list of some of the solo members including their stand-out singles (a couple of songs are duets):

Taeyeon: 

"Fine"- The song was very touching and Taeyeon demonstrated fine singing through her ability to sing both in Korean and with English lyrics. Her voice was very powerful in this song. (Taeyeon, 2017, My Voice Album).

"INVU"- This is one of my favorite songs of her's too. What I happened to enjoy was the choreography and the catchyness of the lyrics. It also happens to give off the vibe of 2020s K-Pop and still feels like a new song (Taeyeon, 2022, INVU album).

Sooyoung: 

"Winter Breath"- Sooyoung has a soft voice in this song and one can feel the somber mood through listening to her vocals. I really liked that the song was slow, and it brought out the nostalgic feelings in me in a positive way (Sooyoung, Youtube, 2018). 

"Sway"- the first fully English song of this list so far. Her singer here demonstrates that she is a multifaceted singer through this song. Not only that, but she has strong rhythmic awareness (Sooyoung, Youtube, 2018).

Seohyun: 

"Don't Say No"- Another entertaining song with energetic choreography throughout the music video. What I particularly like most about this song is the chorus (meaning that the chorus was the defining feature of the song to me) (Seohyun, 2017, Youtube). 

"Hello"- Not fully a solo song, but here Seohyun sings a duet with Luhan (former member of EXO). Both of them demonstrate their ability to harmonize well, but since this is a blog post about Girls' Generation. Seohyun does exceptionally well- which is not surprising (Seohyun and Luhan, 2016, To the Beautiful You OST).

Sunny: 

"First Kiss"- a very high-quality song where Sunny demonstrates her sweet personality through her music. It still holds up well as a song today perhaps even more so than in 2010 (Sunny, 2010, Story of Wine, OST). 

"It's me"- Again not fully a solo song, but another duet with Luna of f(x). Both singers add meaning to the song through their strong vocals. It was not just the lyrics, but sheer talent of the singers that made this possible (Sunny and Luna, 2012 I Love Tae-ri OST).

Now that I have touched on the subject of Girls' Generation in four posts, what K-Pop or J-Pop group (or soloists) would you like me to discuss next?

Jessica Jung in 2025: From Career with SNSD to Solo Artist

Jessica Jung, a talented singer and the only Girls’ Generation member to debut as a soloist, has followed a unique path since leaving the group.  Below are links to sources about her time as a member and her time now as a solo artist:

Soompi – Soompi’s Ultimate Lookbook: Girls' Generation’s Jessica (2012)- an early 2010s collection of photos of Jessica Jung. It's fun to look back and see the performance appearance of past K-Pop stars like Jessica Jung- who is my favorite Girls Generation member.

AllKPop: Jessica opens up about the struggles of leaving Girls' Generation (Ha, 2023)- an article that contains links to videos detailing Jessica Jung's career after Girls' Generation. Even though fans have missed her being in the group, her reasons for leaving are completely understandable.

Koreaboo: Jessica Reveals How Her Life Changed After Leaving Girls’ Generation (2017)- Jessica shares how leaving Girls' Generation opened up new opportunities in her career that would not have been possible if she were still a Girls' Generation member. While it was sad to see her leave SNSD, I’ve truly enjoyed her solo music ever since.

Billboard: Jessica Jung on Recording Solo After Girls’ Generation: ‘I Was Really Surprised I Could Have Input’ (Herman, 2016)- Jessica gives detail about a few songs that she has done solo and describes her fears of working with western artists in a harmonic union. The article mentions With Love, J, which was the first solo album she released in May of 2016. Having listened to the album myself, my favorite song would be "Big Mini World" due to its dreamy and elegant vibe. 

What is your favorite Jessica Jung song?

Do you prefer her Girls' Generation days or her newer solo career? 

Feel free to list your opinions below in the comments and feel free to express how you feel now that it has been over a decade since she has left Girls' Generation.

In the meantime, don't forget to check out another post of mine: 

Why It Would Be Neat if Girls Generation Delved Into Other Genres of Music

Why It Would Be Neat if Girls Generation Delved Into Other Genres of Music

As promised, here is another post with a surprise question at the end (This is a separate post and not a sequel to post 2 from last week). This week, we are discussing Girls' Generation again and this time it is about music genre. Two genres in my knowledge that they have mixed with pop include hip hop and classical. 

Their songs, "You Think" and "Look at Me" are well-recognized K-Pop songs by the group that blend in hip hop elements. While "Promise" and "Star Star Star" are songs of theirs that mix in a classical style of music.

Now the reason that these four songs sound good in my view is because of the talent of the singers and their ability to have a fantastic singing performance along with well-trained choreography. 

"You Think" is a song that is about the empowerment of females, yet it feels accessible to all due to its hip beat (Girls' Generation, "You Think"). "Look at Me" is a song about anticipation during eye contact with someone one may like, but its chorus is highly suitable for dancing along with, thus making it a great addition to anyone's dance music collection (Girls' Generation, "Look at Me").

With "Promise" Girls' Generation was able to prove that they could sing across the genres of K-Pop and classical while harmonizing together well (Girls' Generation, "Promise"). "Star Star Star" showed that the girls had emotions in their songs that they could make anyone who did not even have anything to do with the sad story feel the sadness they were feeling through their voices (Girls' Generation, "Star Star Star"). 

Why do I mention these genres of songs, you ask? The reason why is because I want to propose the idea to fans of what they would think if Girls' Generation sang the songs I listed here, but with pure focus on hip hop and classical (in Korean language) rather than a mixing it with K-Pop? Personally, it would be something I would want to hear, but is it something other fellow fans would enjoy listening to? We should never forget that Girls' Generation has been popular since the late 2000s and is still popular today. Through your participation, let's help keep their popularity alive! Let me know by leaving a comment or a thumbs up if it would be a good idea or thumbs down if a bad idea. Additionally, what are other genres of music do you imagine Girls' Generation would be good at singing fully in Korean?