K-pop rookies TWS are creating their own record of youth

In a time shaped by political turmoil, rising living costs and climate anxiety, TWS’ bright, hopeful music is a soothing balm. Reminiscent of summer afternoons and soft anime openings, of a time when our biggest worries were getting good grades and meeting up with friends after class, their music touches on the simple yet deeply formative experiences of coming of age through the lens of wide-eyed fascination and relentless optimism.

The thread running through their songs is the group’s distinctive wistful sound they like to call “boyhood pop”. “Our music captures the emotions that relate to being inexperienced and uncertain, but it also shows the experiences that you get as you go into adulthood,” Kyungmin, the youngest member of the six-piece at just 17 years old, tells NME over a video call. “And because our music embodies this significant transformative phase of life, it resonates deeply with the current generation navigating similar life stages and challenges.”

A quintessential example of this boyhood pop is their 2024 debut single, ‘Plot Twist’, where they explore that feeling of anxiously preparing to approach someone new, only for it to end up as an incredibly awkward encounter – after all, who hasn’t rehearsed what they’d like to say in the mirror, or entered the wrong room by mistake? But when TWS first recorded the line “First encounters are always so hard / ‘Cause nothing goes to plan”, they didn’t expect that things could, actually, go better than planned.

Throughout their discography, they continue to explore tender experiences that define growing up, like attraction (‘If I’m S, Can You Be My N?’), first love (‘Hey! Hey!’), chasing dreams (‘Countdown’) and even some harmless rebellion (‘First Hooky’, ‘Now Playing’). With each new project, TWS unlock more wisdom, but also new challenges. For example, on ‘Lucky To Be Loved’, clumsy first encounters give way to deep gratitude: “I’m still awkward and don’t know much / But you’re always by my side / When I’m with you, I’m at home, I can just be myself.”

“One of our strengths is that we can actually feel all the experiences and things that people [have gone] through in [their youth],” adds Kyungmin. Ranging from 17 to 21 years old, Kyungmin and his bandmates – Shinyu, Youngjae, Hanjin, Dohoon and Jihoon – are as sweet and endearing as their music. While they’re sharp and energetic onstage, they are all confessed introverts outside of it, the kind who like to observe first before responding.

“We would like our music to inspire a spirit of confidence,” says singer Dohoon, who has a quiet, grounding presence within the group. “To encourage our fans to challenge their fears and learn from every experience along the way.” Even the group’s name – TWS (pronounced “Two-Us”) stands for “Twenty-Four Seven With Us” – reflects their aim to be a constant presence and support system for all who seek them out.

They affectionately call their fandom 42, or SAI, which can be read as the literal Sino-Korean numbers for four (sa) and two (i) combined. More symbolically, it also doubles as the Korean word sai (사이), representing the bond or relationship between something or someone. “[We want everyone to embrace] new beginnings without fear [and facing] the unfamiliar,” Kyungmin says of their ethos. “At the end of the day, I’m always there to root for myself.”

Reflecting further on why their message is so appealing, the attentive Youngjae shares: “For some people, they might be living a very routine life, and our songs can give them consolation.” Jihoon, who is all smiles and answers mostly in English, echoes the sentiment, saying how “everyone has their own challenges”, even if they are “small things like having to go to school or getting up early in the morning”, and in that sense, he wants to be someone who can bring some light into people’s lives.

“We would like our music to inspire a spirit of confidence” – Dohoon

As much as TWS strive to be bastions of positivity and hope in the world, it can be hard for the boyband to always uphold the cheery, confident images they try to constantly project. Growing up isn’t just sunshine and flowers, and an essential part of their story and music lies in learning from imperfect, messy moments, too, as they mature. After all, it’s the lows that make the highs of life truly significant.

“One of the expectations that I had was that I would, all of a sudden, become really skilful after debut, but that was not the case,” says Youngjae on how the ideal life in our heads can clash with reality, especially as we grow up and start experiencing more of the world. He laughs at his own conclusion: “I realised that you actually have to put in a lot of work and practice to gain those skills. That was a bit different from what I thought before debut, and rather, it felt more difficult than before [debuting].”

Jihoon, meanwhile, recalls a time when they were faced with a tough situation and saw their confidence waver. “We [performed at] a university festival one day, and I was really nervous because it was raining. We were not sure that we could do our best,” he says, but the show had to go on. “‘It’s OK, it happens’ is a popular phrase among us these days,” shares Kyungmin. “We usually say it in moments when we want to brush off a mistake and quickly move on with the situation [without getting down on ourselves].”

Hanjin, who hails from China, excitedly opens up about their pre-show routine, where they “huddle up together and cheer each other on”. That trust in one another is also what drives Shinyu, who reflects: “We’ll inevitably face obstacles and challenges, but I want to learn how to navigate them with strength, so I can stay happy and positive in whatever we do.” He also concurs with Hanjin, and adds that their “little routine” of cheers is “when I truly feel our spirit as TWS”.

They admit that it took some time until they finally felt like a proper unit. However, the sudden success of ‘Plot Twist’ had “provided an opportunity for the six of us to become closer”, Youngjae says. Jihoon shares that the experiences they’ve gone through in their first year together have shaped and sharpened their chemistry. “I can’t imagine life without my members. We love each other and we’ll always respect each other,” he says with an embarrassed giggle.

TWS’ breakout success has seen them top charts in South Korea, bring home awards at major music ceremonies in Asia and land on NME’s list of the 100 essential emerging artists of 2025. But in spite of these accolades, they’ve remained steadfast in their purpose. “Rather than pursuing fame or success, our primary focus is to infuse thoughtful deliberation into our music and deliver it in a way that resonates deeply with our listeners and brings them a positive influence,” says Kyungmin.

That responsibility is something they’re aware of in their personal lives, too, and motivates them to strive to uphold that to their best ability. “After our debut, a lot of my parents’ friends would reach out to them and ask, ‘Could you get an autograph for us?’” Hanjin shares. “My parents said that they were really proud of me, and I was really touched by this. I thought, ‘I’m an adult now, I’m making my parents proud, I should do better going forward.’”

And if TWS are so locked in on improving themselves and making a difference, it’s because they have learned from some of the best in the industry. They are the first boyband to debut under Pledis Entertainment in nearly a decade, following in the footsteps of K-pop phenomenons SEVENTEEN. “They taught us to be grateful for each other and to respect each other,” Jihoon says. “As a rookie team, I guess you might not know this early on, but we were able to learn this from our [seniors].”

“Whether it is something painful, something difficult, something happy – that itself is youth” – Youngjae

Watching SEVENTEEN – who debuted as young as TWS – grow from teenagers into fully realised adults, continue to evolve artistically and reach new fans with each comeback, serves as major inspiration to the young idols. “Our most recent album [‘Try With Us’] shows us growing from teenagers and entering into [our twenties],” says Kyungmin. “It captures all the different growing pains of [that phase]. Going forward, I want our music to capture more sincerity, more maturity and more serious scenes.”

Jihoon believes that “boyhood pop” goes beyond its name, saying that it doesn’t mean just “refreshing music” that’s bright and cheerful, but also “growth” in its purest form. “It is always telling the story that we can tell now,” he explains. “In the future, depending on how our story grows, I feel like it will serve as a device for me to express things more diversely.”

Youngjae agrees. “But actually, we are still in our youth right now, and I think every minute and every second that everyone lives is youth,” he adds. “Whether it is something painful, something difficult, something happy… whatever it is, just the fact that we are alive, that itself is youth.”

TWS’ third mini-album, ‘Try With Us’, is out now.

Listen to TWS’ exclusive playlist to accompany The Cover below on Spotify or on Apple Music here.

Words: Tássia Assis
Photography: Yoon Songyi
Makeup: Lee Nakyeum
Hair: Han Mirae (ODD)
Hair Assistant: Park Yu Jin (ODD)
Styling: Hyup Kim (Madecompany)
Label: Pledis Entertainment

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