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ONCEs, brace yourselves, TWICE is coming very soon. On July 13 at midnight KST, the nonet surprised fans by announcing their plans to make a comeback next month with their 11th mini album BETWEEN 1&2.
The new mini-album will be released on August 26 at 1:00 pm KST (9:30 am IST) and pre-orders will open exactly one month beforehand, on July 26 at 1:00 pm KST (9:30 am IST).
The announcement came via their social media handles, accompanied by adorable hashtags - ‘‘#ThankYouONCE’ and ‘#ForeverWithONCE.’
Of course, fans couldn't help but notice that it was the girls' way of thanking ONCEs for their unconditional love and support over the years.
What makes this even more heartwarming is that earlier in the day, after news of the nonet's contract renewal broke, ONCEs took to Twitter to trend the hashtags ‘#ThankYouTWICE’ and ‘#ForeverWithTWICE’ worldwide.
TWICE members drop the first teaser for the new mini-album BETWEEN 1&2
The comeback announcement wasn’t the only surprise the members had up their sleeves. The talented girl group also dropped the first teaser for their forthcoming mini-album, BETWEEN 1&2.
Painted in a pretty bubble-gum pink color, the words "Tell Me What You Want" are embossed with a pink little heart on a switchboard.
The announcement date of August 26, Friday, 1:00 pm KST and midnight EST, is written in bold.
Naturally, ONCEs are super excited upon hearing this news and even commented that this is the group's most ‘TWICE-like’ teaser in quite some time.
Some fans have even pointed out that the nonet has used their official group colors - Apricot and Neon Magenta - for this comeback. They're the first since all nine members renewed their contracts.
A genius fan even figured out the easter eggs in the teaser image. Besides using TWICE’s official colors, The ‘1&2’ in the title refers to ONCE and TWICE. Also, the ‘E’ in ‘Between’ is shaped as the number 9, the number of members in the group.
Fans are already overjoyed with the surge of new content in just a few days and cannot wait for the group’s comeback.
TWICE members survive the “seven-year itch” as all the nine members renew their contracts with JYP Entertainment
On July 12, a representative for JYP Entertainment shared that all nine members of the group renewed their exclusive contracts with the agency in July itself, three months before the expiration date of their contracts.
“Ahead of the expiration of their exclusive contracts this fall, all members of TWICE completed renewing their contracts. TWICE, who played a crucial role in establishing JYP’s status, and JYP, which became a reliable source of support for TWICE growing to become a representative K-pop girl group, agreed based on this trust to renew the contracts with confidence in an even better future.”
Group leader Jihyo shared her excitement with ONCE, revealing that they are excited to commence the second chapter of their careers.
“I’ve been counting down the days to share this news. I’m glad you all liked it. I’m sure many of you must have worried about when the glad tidings would arrive, but I’m happy that I can tell you this.”
The members signed their exclusive contracts with JYP Entertainment in 2015, and the standard contract between an artist and management is seven years.
Not only did they survive the infamous “seven-year itch,” but they also announced their 11th mini-album due in August, much to the joy and relief of their fans.
For those unversed, “Seven-year itch” is a phrase used to decide whether the band will continue as is, disband or lose a member.
Fans believe that the biggest reason for the renewal of their exclusive contract is their meteoric rise in global markets in the past couple of years.
TWICE has always been known as “Nation’s Girl Group” and has enjoyed immense popularity in Asia due to its multicultural character. However, in recent years, they have also become increasingly popular in the US.
In October last year, the talented nine-member group debuted their first English single, The Feels, which did amazingly well on the global music charts.
Earlier this year, the nonet held their first stadium concert in the United States for their fourth world tour, “III.”
Not only that, the members are ready to embark upon their solo ventures as Nayeon became the group's first member to make her solo debut through the release of her mini-album IM NAYEON.
