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4 things you didn’t know about K-pop star Tzuyu of TWICE

Tzuyu celebrates her 20th birthday on Friday, June 14. Photo: Instagram

Chou Tzu-yu, a singer and dancer with South Korean K-pop girl group TWICE, celebrates her 20th birthday on Friday. According to the Korean age calendar, she is 21, and turns 22 on January 1 next year.

Tzuyu, as she is known, has made huge strides professionally since being chosen as one of nine band members in 2015 at the culmination of the Korean reality show Sixteen.

TWICE are the bestselling South Korean girl group, and in April they released their seventh EP, “Fancy You”, with the lead single, Fancy.

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Read on to learn more about Tzuyu.

Tzuyu is renowned for her beauty

Tzuyu has stunned fans with her glamorous looks since she first appeared on the “The Story Begins” mini album.

Even in the company of the gorgeous TWICE girls, Tzuyu stands out with her small face and height (five foot seven inches or 1.70 metres).

She was chosen as “the most beautiful K-pop celebrity by female K-pop celebrities” earlier this year.

She graduated from high school at the height of her singing career

 

Band members Tzuyu and Chaeyoung were both 17 when they first appeared for TWICE. Tzuyu juggled her part-time singing commitments with her schooling. She completed middle school in 2016 and high school in February 2019, after which she became a full-time member of TWICE.

TWICE stars Tzuyu and Chaeyoung celebrate high school graduation

She might be the most beautiful alien in the universe

 

Her pointy ears and huge, beautiful eyes have provoked comparisons with Yoda, the legendary Jedi Master from Star Wars.

TWICE leader Jihyo was responsible for giving Tzuyu her nickname. As Tzuyu grew accustomed to the name, she started to bring her own Star Wars toys, such as a Yoda necklace and hat, to fan meetings.

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Taking a stance

Tzuyu, a Taiwanese native, was at the centre of unwanted attention in November 2015 after appearing with TWICE on the Korean variety show My Little Television. After introducing herself as Taiwanese and raising the flag of the Republic of China on the show, she was accused by Huang An, a Taiwanese-born, China-based singer, of being a Taiwanese independence activist.

As TWICE was a globally famous K-pop group, her stance was critically received, especially as it coincided with the presidential election. Some Taiwanese were angered about the fact that she was forced to apologise for her action.

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Mainland Chinese internet users reacted angrily, accusing Tzuyu of “profiting from her mainland Chinese audience while holding a pro-independence stance”. Chinese television stations barred TWICE from screens, Huawei ended its endorsement of Tzuyu, and JYP Entertainment suspended all Tzuyu’s engagements in China.

A day before the Taiwanese general election in January 2016, the agency issued a video which showed Tzuyu reading an apology.

 

Bouncing back from that setback, Tzuyu and TWICE have gone from strength to strength in the K-pop market, and have received more than 15 awards since the group’s formation in 2015.

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K-pop idols

Learn why the beguiling Tzuyu has beauty and brains, insists on taking a stance – and how she got the nickname Yoda