Twice's New YouTube Original

Twice recently released a trailer for their upcoming YouTube series called "Seize the Light".  I heard talk of this happening earlier this year but I honestly didn't think it was actually going to be ready until the summer, clearly I am wrong.  A lot of people are excited for this and I see a lot o potential in this series. So here is what I hope to see out of it.

The first thing I hope for is a good balance between stage performance and things behind the scenes.  One trap that some documentaries like this fall into is that they will focus either too much of one or the other and it results in people feeling confused on what the identity of the documentary is.  People will start to wonder is it a concert film or is a behinds the scenes documentary.  Considering that this is a series and not one documentary, I think it will be better balanced and hopefully won't have this problem.  

Another thing I am curious about is how they will handle Mina's anxiety.  This was the tour when Mina's anxiety hit her hard and she ended up having to drop out of the tour as a result. Considering that the camera's were with them all tour, I'm curious if they will brush over it or actually spend some time on it.  In all honesty, I think they should spend some time on it.  Now, when I say that, I don't mean that it should be focusing on Mina.  She was in very bad shape and needed to be left alone.  I still remember that video of her walking out of the airport with the bucket hat over her eyes while crying, it was hard to watch.  What I think it should happen is that we should get the other members reactions and see how they handled it.  While the situation was clearly bad and it certainly made a negative impact, they also grew as a group as well.  Feel Special is their most sincere album and this situation played a part in the making of that album.  There is a reason Mina is in the center on the album cover.  So I think to just skip over it would be disservice to them because it's playing down something that ended up bringing them closer together, both as a group and as friends.  

Last is that even though I do want to see how they handled Mina's situation,  I still don't want the whole series to be drowned in drama.  I remember watching Metallica's Some Kind of Monster movie and getting annoyed by all the drama in it.  Seeing hardships is good because it shows that they are human but when it gets so overwhelming, it gets annoying and feels fake.  Stuff like that is part f the reason I don't watch reality shows anymore. This basically is another form of balance that need's to be taken into account.  Show the right amount of good times and bad.

I honestly have a lot of hopes for this series.  It looks like it has a lot of potential and the members are not afraid to express their feelings so I think this will work.  I look forward to the day it comes out and curious what we will get to see!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cmack4242/

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cammusicheaven

Minds.com:  https://www.minds.com/Cam4242/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cmack4242/

PayPal: paypal.me/Mack293

Twice U.S. Record Deal Optimistic But Cautions

News has broke that JYP and Republic records has made a partnership for Twice.  For the Once fandom there is a lot to be excited for. Twice can get more exposure, be able to land more American interviews, and possibly get a much bigger audience.  Twice has already had a short tour in the US and it was very successful. So there is a lot of possibility with this partnership! However, when you look at the history of these kinds of situations in the past, along with other components, there is also a lot to be cautious about.

We cannot forget the other KPop groups that have tried this in the past and that it has yet to work out.  Wonder Girls tried tried this with their EP “2 Different Tears” and it didn’t work. It did fine world wide.  However, the US market, the very market they were trying to gain ground in, it flopped.  Girls Generation also tried to break into the US with them joining Interscope Records.  This wasn’t really a flop because ultimately it didn’t go anywhere to begin with.  You could argue that this is actually worse then flopping.

We also have to pay attention to how the American music industry operates.  Twice has had it pretty good with JYP, though not perfect.  They are busy but they take time to make sure the songs are refined and focus on making an impression rather then just simply making a hit.  The American pop music scene is all about speed and getting  material out quickly. Unless you are one of current pop titans like Ariana Grande or Taylor Swift (both of whom are on Republic Records), you are given a short amount of time to get music out.  This leads to plenty of flops and even if a song does become a hit it usually fades faster then it took to make the song. This short term goal thinking has resulted in tons of failed acts, some of which have been better since they left major labels.  This has also led plenty of artists simply being tossed aside once the record label thinks the well is dry.

The last point I want to make is risk to Twice’s identity.  Record labels have a bad habit of molding people into what is currently big instead letting them make their own identity.  This leads to a lot of one hit wonders and artists with very short careers.  Twice already has a unique identity that has played a huge part in their success.  If Republic Records tries to make them more like Ariana Grande or Taylor Swift, they will lose what made them great. This could result in killing the momentum they have going.  

I understand people are excited, and I personally, would love to see Twice do an English speaking interview like Itzy did on Young Hollywood recently.  However, if it comes at the cost of Twice losing what made them great, I would rather it not happen and they continue to gain momentum through JYP.  The good news is that JYP listens to fans more then most KPop agencies, and if the fans say it’s not working, they will listen.

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/cammmusicheaven/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cammusicheaven
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cmack4242/
PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/Mack293

Twice Moment Of 2019

Since 2020 has started, I have seen a lot of top 2019 KPop blogs, articles, and videos.  There was a lot in those videos and all of them included something from Twice in one form or another.  However, the one thing I didn’t see mentioned much that I think deserves more attention is Mina’s brief, but emotional speech during their 4th anniversary.

Considering that Mina was still struggling with her anxiety disorder greatly at this time, it was a  miracle she was able to perform at the event, let alone speak and address the audience.  Before that, she would only come on stage for music performances and would rest back stage during the games and fan interactions.

If you watch the video of her speaking on YouTube, you can tell she was nervous.  Fortunately, the Twice members are very close, more like a family then a group of friends.  Mina had Nayeon and Jihyo next to her to support her and her encourage her to speak. She only gets out a few words, but she is sincere. All the 

members then go up and hug her.

She cries a little afterwards, along with some of the other members and we end up having one of the most authentic stage moments, not just in KPop, but in music in general.  It took a lot of will power for Mina to be able to speak and the love and support of the other members is something not all that common.  That is why I think this is one of the top KPop moments of 2019.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cammusicheaven

Get Well Mina

I’ve said in the past that I have a soft spot for KPop and KPop artists even though rock and metal are more my style. I think their music is better then our current American pop and I think that should be recognized. Also, unlike a lot of American pop stars, they are overall kind hearted and well mannered.  They don’t take their success for granted and are grateful for their fame.  

I also have sympathy for them when I discover what they have to go through just to have a chance to debut.  It’s brutal and harsh what some of these KPop agencies do to their trainees.  Fortunately for Twice, their agency, JYP, appears to be looking out for them better then most others would.  Then there are the Knetz.

These so called fans can be vicious to KPop artists. Leaving nasty comments, being rude to them at fan events, threatening them, some cases trying to physically harm them. Through it all the KPop artists can just sit there and take it, hoping their agency might do something about it. Sadly more often then not, the agencies don’t do anything. 

Mina is a KPop idol who has been through a lot and I believe she, along with the rest of Twice, deserves her fame. I feel bad that she is currently suffering from extreme anxiety and stage fright that has caused her to miss out on the groups first world tour.  

Even with this happening, Knetz still go after her, some telling her to quit and go back to Japan.  One thing that’s good about rock and metal is the ability to call out unruly fans. Don’t get me wrong, pick and choose your battles wisely, otherwise you will look like the bad guy. However, when I see that KPop artists can’t call out unruly fans, it makes realize how much of a blessing it is that we can do that in the rock world.  

I hope that Mina gets well soon, grows stronger, and rejoins Twice stronger than ever

1.