TWICE recently had a sit-down interview with popular US-based music and entertainment online magazine PopCrush. In the article published today entitled "Asia’s Top-Selling Girl Group TWICE Reflect On Their Bond, Fourth Anniversary", the nine members opened up about how their music is evolving, their creative process while writing songs, the struggles of idol life, their strong bond and friendship in the last 4 years, and how they nurture their relationship with their fans, ONCE.

Here are some of the interview highlights:

2019 may have been one of the most eventful years for the group, but it wasn't the easiest. TWICE were faced with obstacles that affected both their privacy and mental health as young women in the bustling entertainment industry. One of those challenges? The temporary, necessary departure of member Mina, who took a four-month break to recover from severe anxiety and stage fright. 

However, together with the support from fans, loved ones and each other, their musical and cultural impact outweighed the hardships.

In this year alone, the JYP Entertainment act became the first K-pop girl group to embark on a Japanese dome venue tour (TWICE Dome Tour 2019 #Dreamday), which they followed with an arena world tour (TWICELIGHTS) that consisted of stops in Southeast Asian countries and North American cities.

On October 20, during the emotional second show for ONCE Halloween 2, the participation of member Mina caught everyone by surprise. Since the announcement of her hiatus back in June, TWICE, as well as their fanbase, ONCE, had been filling in the void left behind by Mina while simultaneously sending her love and support. 

Being one of the leading groups of this generation's Hallyu movement (a.k.a. the Korean Wave of pop culture around the globe), do you feel any pressure?

Mina: There is a different pressure between when we first started and now. Now, we feel more pressure to meet and exceed expectations. We are thankful for ONCE’s support and the love we feel from the public at each event. It is very touching.

Momo: We feel pressure from every angle to meet expectations, but the pressure also pushes us in a positive was as well.

Tzuyu: I have noticed that the song lyrics are becoming more relatable, which is making them tougher to perform. Our single “Feel Special” holds very true and sentimental lyrics to ONCE and the public.

With success comes hard work and hard times. What would you say is the key to keeping yourselves focused? How do you overcome struggles?

Nayeon: We can confidently say that leaning on ONCE is our key to overcoming tough times. Between our family’s support and ONCE’s support, we are able to get through struggles. ONCE understands our hardships, and sends love in letters, online, which really help us move forward.

Dahyun: As a team, we understand that the preparation process for music and performances is very important. With ONCE by our side giving us endless support, we want to continue to put on the best, positive performance.

Jeongyeon: We lean on each other when we are going through hard days. We are a family. It is helpful when we can be comfortable with each other, and share the same concerns and struggles.

In 2019, you went on a world tour, packed arenas in the U.S., sold out domes in Japan, and released hit after hit in both countries. How do you stay healthy, whether mentally or physically? What do you do to relieve stress?

Mina: Feeling the love from all our fans helps us love ourselves. 

Sana: We are able to stay healthy when we think about all the support we have to keep going. As a group, we have been able to get to where we are today through hard work and passion.

Jihyo: Being on tour makes us all physically tired, but we make sure to rest whenever we have spare time. Sleep is a priority for us, as we always want to put on the best performances.

Momo: We are able to relieve stress by leaning on each other. We often hang out at our home, order takeout food, and talk openly about our feelings. We are all there for each other.

Which one is your most prized song and why?

Chaeyoung: I guess everyone might already know my answer to this question, but my favorite song that I’ve written is "Strawberry." Strawberries, like the fruit, tastes best when they’re natural. That’s how we are, too. We are the best version of ourselves when we are natural and present ourselves like we really are. When we try to be fake, or try to be something we aren’t, the result isn’t as great. I was really passionate when writing this song; I was almost more focused on making the music itself than just making lyrics.

Jihyo: “Girls Like Us” is my favorite song. I wrote the lyrics during a bit of a rough patch; I was questioning whether or not I was a good enough artist. Nayeon told me that she almost cried when she first saw the lyrics. The lyrics are about comforting and cheering people on when they are chasing after their dreams. I’m pretty sure this song would be relatable to a lot of people because it would remind them of dreams they had put away.

Sana, I read you grew up as an only child. What has gaining eight sisters taught you?

Sana : I don’t know how to explain it, but I really am so grateful to have met TWICE. I came to Korea in 2012 and met all the other members, who were trainees at the time. Since I spent a very long time with members, they are my family, my real family.

I lived with them, which taught me the way to live with many people and how to be considerate in different situations. Because we practiced a lot, it really taught me patience. There are many, many things that I learn from the members, and I appreciate it so much. I am looking forward to everything we are doing together now. and all the things we’ll do together in the future.

Besides being musically active, you also make time to communicate with your fans via VLIVE and sometimes Instagram. How important to you is communicating with your fans?

Tzuyu: There are two things that we consider the most important in our careers. First, it’s our music and our performances, and the second is the relationship we have with our fans, ONCE. We do a lot of VLIVE [streams]. We love talking to ONCE because they always have so much energy to give us.

Jihyo: The longest VLIVE was when Momo did it for seven hours. I think a lot of people tuned in, almost 400,000 people. We love talking to ONCE because it’s so fun to see ONCE’s reactions to our live videos.

Dahyun: The moment I realized that ONCE is so precious to us was when we did the last fan meeting. It was so great to see ONCE gathering there to see us. It was especially important for us because Mina was with us; it’s always special when we have all nine members together. We couldn’t be happier with ONCE and TWICE being together.

Link to full article.