Exclusive: New PLEDIS Boy Group TWS Dishes On Support From SEVENTEEN, Future Goals, And More At Debut Showcase

Jan 22, 2024

TWS has made their highly-anticipated debut!

TWS (pronounced like the English words “to us”) is a six-member boy group that is also PLEDIS Entertainment’s first new boy group in nine years since SEVENTEEN’s debut in 2015. The members consist of Dohoon, Kyungmin, Youngjae, Shinyu, Hanjin, and Jihoon.

On January 22, TWS held a press conference to talk about their debut and their first mini album “Sparkling Blue” along with the title track “plot twist,” a hybrid pop song that portrays the heart-fluttering excitement and nervousness of first meetings through TWS’s youthful style.

To begin with, each of the members took turns sharing how they feel about their debut. Youngjae shared, “I attended dance classes since I was nine years old, and I feel as if my dreams are coming true.” Jihoon reflected on the memories TWS experienced until debut, expressing his resolve to become a team that receives love for great music, and Hanjin conveyed his resolve to work hard.

Dohoon remarked that it’s an honor to perform, adding, “We will continue to mature more going forward,” and Kyungmin shared, “I feel heart-fluttering excitement to finally perform as it is my longtime dream. We will continue to impress.” Leader Shinyu shared, “We prepared hard, and I counted down the days until our debut. We will work hard to become great rookies.”

Reflecting on the meaning of TWS being that of wanting to be together 24/7, Dohoon shared, “Our team name also contains the meaning of wanting to be a friend that makes ordinary days special through good music.”

Jihoon thanked fans for all the attention the group received ahead of their debut, taking the time to further thank SEVENTEEN. He remarked, “We will take responsibility to showcase great performances and music.” Jihoon used the term “boyhood pop” as the bright and youthful music that the group wants to showcase going forward.

During the Q&A portion of the press conference, TWS talked about their role models and goals. Naming SEVENTEEN as the group’s role model, Dohoon elaborated, “Our role model is SEVENTEEN. All six members grew our dreams by watching SEVENTEEN, and we were inspired by their positive influence through good music.”

Regarding their goals on a global scale, Kyungmin shared, “We hope that fans all over the world feel happy when with TWS. We hope they receive positive energy from us.”

Regarding what they learned from SEVENTEEN, Shinyu replied, “We learned a lot about facial expressions through SEVENTEEN, and we repeatedly watched SEVENTEEN’s ‘Adore U’ and SHINee’s ‘View,’ studying how to showcase [what we learned] in our own way. A combination of thrilling and exhilarating excitement is our charm.”

Dohoon remarked, “Not only does SEVENTEEN always tell us encouraging words, but they also always treat us to good food so that we can practice in good health both physically and mentally.”

When asked what food SEVENTEEN treated them to, Hanjin replied, “Beef. It’s so delicious. Kyungmin and I eat the most.” At the request of the MC, Hanjin also asked SEVENTEEN, “Please buy us lots of beef. Thank you!”

On the weight of the title of being HYBE Labels’ first boy group in a while, Shinyu replied, “We have a lot of desire to show a good job, and we want to be a group that meets expectations.” Youngjae also talked about the title TWS wants to achieve, saying, “We have a motto, which is, ‘Let’s build a present that’s better than the past and a tomorrow that’s better than today.’ While keeping that goal in mind, we want to earn the title of ‘perfect idols.'”

TWS also touched upon their pre-release single “Oh Mymy : 7s.” Dohoon shared, “We showed the performance in front of Bang Si Hyuk, and he said that he can feel that we practiced a lot and that he is looking forward to [our debut], so the time we practiced felt really meaningful.”

On their first time hearing their title song “plot twist,” Jihoon remarked, “We listened to it all together. We were all shocked because the addictive melody left a strong impression.”

TWS briefly touched upon how it felt to be chosen as members of the debut lineup. Kyungmin shared, “Being selected as a member of the debuting group means taking one more step toward debut. We laughed and cried, and we were really happy. We talked a lot about working hard to become an awesome group.”

Wrapping up, TWS talked about debuting as a junior group under SEVENTEEN, who has the title of self-producing idols, and their potential plans to be a part of the music making process. Kyungmin shared, “First of all, it’s an honor to debut after SEVENTEEN,” and he added, “We’re also working hard, so please keep an eye on us.”