TWICE enchants 110,000 fans in Mexico
MEXICO CITY — It’s 6:30 p.m., Friday, and over 60,000 fans of TWICE, whose fanclub is called ONCE, holding CANDYBONGs, or TWICE’s light sticks, and dressed in pastel tones, hurry to take their seats for the first of the two shows awaiting them at the iconic Foro Sol, the venue staging shows by global touring artists.
No one wants to miss TWICE’s return to Mexico.
After five years, the girl group fulfilled their promise and returned triumphantly with their tour “Ready To Be,” selling out two shows over two days in Mexico City, a first in their career.
This recognition positions them as the second K-pop group to perform at one of the most iconic venues in the Mexico, Foro Sol, having staged memorable shows from artists such as Madonna, Paul McCartney, Coldplay, Taylor Swift and recently, BLACKPINK.
The growing K-pop boom in Mexico paved the way to expand the success of the girl group from Korea to the other side of the world.
In an era where there is an excessive supply of K-pop groups, TWICE demonstrates the growth of the Latin American market and its significance compared to the United States and Asia.
In 2023, Mexico saw more than 100 concerts by solo artists and K-pop groups, according to Kmagazine numbers.
Mexico and Brazil are the first stops for TWICE in 2024 and the only two countries in Latin America in their fifth global tour. Unlike five years ago, the audience that welcomed them has changed. Not only did it multiply, but it also diversified. Their irresistible charm gathered children, young and old, excited to experience K-pop alongside the queens of Korea for the first time, as they are known in their home country.
As usual, fans took in the surroundings of Foro Sol from early in the day.
The streets were packed with ONCE. The atmosphere rapidly took a warm and tender vibe, in harmony with TWICE, despite the cold morning weather in Mexico City.
On the way to the venue, Mexican fans gathered to exchange photocards, bracelets and other fan-made merchandise, a tradition adopted from Korean fans. And without a doubt to meet other ONCE who share the same excitement and admiration for the group.
“We met thanks to TWICE. We spent five years at the university, but we never talked. When we graduated, it was my birthday, and I uploaded a photo from my K-pop groupthemed cake. And he congratulated me. From there, we started talking,” Denisse said, explaining how she became friends with Rodrigo.
Reaffirming TWICE’s
reign in Mexico
The silhouettes of Jihyo, Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu illuminated the stage. The Mexican audience warmly welcomed them, chanting their names several times. After their performance, the fans shouted with excitement.
With their elegant red outfits, the nine members of TWICE performed for the first time as a complete group in Mexico. In 2019, during their “TWICELIGHTS” tour, Mina was absent due to health issues.
“Set Me Free” (2023) and “I Can’t Stop Me” (2020) were the first songs of a set list that would last almost three hours, a duration that poses a challenge for others due to the high-performance demands, but not for TWICE, who maintained the energy throughout the entire concert.
“Let’s have a lot of fun tonight,” Nayeon said
A request that the fans responded with cheers echoing throughout the venue.
TWICE looked different, unlike five years ago. Beyond its charm as a group, this time, it wasn’t afraid to showcase the individual talents of each member.
During two rounds, Dahyun, Tzuyu, Momo, Mina, Sana and Jeongyeon dazzled as soloists with covers of international artists such as Ariana Grande, Beyonce and Dua Lipa, while Chaeyoung, Nayeon and Jihyo showcased their original songs “My Guitar” (2023), “POP!” (2015) and “Closer” (2023), respectively.
“I will become a person you can be proud of,” promised Chaeyoung to ONCE in Mexico after performing “My Guitar,” a song she composed.
Throughout their nine-year career and five world tours, TWICE has built a show that is hard to surpass, living up to the expectations of the international audience. They adapted some of their biggest hits like “Feel Special” (2019), “CRY FOR ME” (2020) and “FANCY” (2019) with a live band, even remixing other popular singles like “What Is Love?” (2018), “Cheer Up” (2016) and “Likey” (2017) to delight their long-time fans. Along with their numerous interactions with the audience, breaking language barriers and showcasing how comfortable they felt on stage.
Their stage presence isn’t the only thing that’s won them new fans along the way. Along with their charisma, their lyrics and melodies, which mainly revolve around love and friendship, convey messages everyone can empathize with.
TWICE’s latest single “I Got You” was the night’s surprise. Mexico was honored to be the first audience to hear the song live.
The chilly weather didn’t prevent a summer song so, in tune with the Latin vibe, it performed “Alcohol-Free” (2021) which got the ONCE to dance before “Talk That Talk” (2022) continued with fireworks to close the show ahead of the encore.
With a more casual look, the nine members took the stage for the last time. “When We Were Kids” (2022) and “Crazy Stupid Love” (2023) sped up the engines before the farewell, which would be marked by two songs chosen by the luck of the fans. “TT” (2016) and “Hello” (2021) marked the end of the encounter between TWICE and the Mexcian ONCE, one of many yet to come.
“We don’t want to make you wait too long. We will come back to Mexico,” promised Jihyo, leader of TWICE, to their fans.