In 2015, Tzuyu danced on a South Korean variety show while holding the Taiwanese flag. It was an act that angered Chinese fans.
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https://scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3077878/tzuyu-twice-beautiful-youngest-band-member-wants-be-known Entertainment
Tzuyu of Twice: beautiful, youngest band member wants to be known for more than just her good looks
- Born in Taiwan, Tzuyu angered Chinese fans in 2015 by dancing with the Taiwanese flag, but has developed into one of the group’s most popular performers
- After failing to make Twice’s original line-up, she won her place after band was extended from seven members to nine, and has not looked back since
Tzuyu from Twice is originally from Taiwan and is the K-pop girl band’s youngest member.
Tzuyu is one of the best-known K-pop stars in Taiwan, where she was born and grew up. The maknae – or youngest – member of girl band Twice is widely regarded as one of the group’s most attractive members.
In 2015, Tzuyu danced on a South Korean variety show while holding the Taiwanese flag. Netizens from China, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province, said she was promoting Taiwanese independence and launched a boycott of Twice. In the end, Tzuyu had to read out an apology in a video.
Some fans say the flag incident hurt Tzuyu’s confidence, but five years on she appears to have bounced back. Since her trainee days, she has made impressive progress with her vocals and is now one of the more balanced singers in the group.
Here’s a look at Tzuyu’s life so far.
Her early life
Chou Tzu-yu was born in Tainan, a southern city in Taiwan, in 1999. She and her brother were mainly raised by a nanny, who treated the siblings like they were her grandchildren, according to TVBS News.
When she was a child, Tzuyu’s parents spent much time tending their stall in a Tainan night market, and later, a flower shop. When Tzuyu became famous she opened a cafe that doubles as a Twice museum.
She began dancing as a child and was enrolled in a dance academy. While there, she learned ballet for seven years and practised street dancing.
When talents scouts from South Korean K-pop agency JYP Entertainment travelled to Taiwan to scout potential trainees, they saw Tzuyu, then in her second year of middle school, dancing at her dance academy and asked her to go to South Korea for auditions.
After two auditions, she became a JYP trainee and was transferred to a middle school in Seoul. As soon as she got to her third year, she quit school to focus on competing in Sixteen, a televised idol contest to select the members of Twice.
Tzuyu is loved by K-pop fans for her good looks and charisma.
She made it to the final round of Sixteen, in which she was one of the last to be chosen for the Twice line-up. After various rounds of adding and removing trainees from the line-up, JYP CEO Park Jin-young announced there would be no more changes, and Tzuyu had not made the cut.
She stood silently with her head down, but Park made the surprise announcement that the original line-up of seven members would be expanded to nine. Tzuyu then was chosen in Twice’s final line-up, thanks to votes of the live audience and viewers.
Her role in Twice
Tzuyu has one of the softer and sweeter voices in the group, which contrasts with stronger voices of Jihyo and Nayeon. Her voice is usually featured in the chorus of Twice’s songs.
The maknae’s vocal skills have improved since her days on Sixteen. While her cover version of Frank Sinatra’s Sway might have revealed her vocal deficiencies, she has now developed into one of the more stable voices in the group.
Her solo career
No member of Twice has launched a solo career yet, but Tzuyu has been a special MC for multiple music television shows, including M! Countdown, Music Bank and Inkigayo. She has also been featured in electronics advertisements for South Korean electronics manufacturer LG, in which she dances in an empty lift and showcases her iconic look.
Despite an unsteady start to her career, Tzuyu has developed into one of Twice’s most reliable singers.
Her image
Tzuyu was ranked by entertainment critic TC Candler in 2018 as one of the world’s most beautiful faces.
During her time in Sixteen, Tzuyu was already known for her charisma, which fellow Twice member Nayeon described as fascinating and unique. Fellow Twice member Sana has said Tzuyu knows how to capture the audience’s attention even when she is playing a limited role. But Tzuyu has said she wishes to become known for more than her looks.
“I have heard many say that they think I am pretty, but I hope when they watch my final performance, they can say I have talent as well,” she said on Sixteen.
Tzuyu wants to let her talents do the talking in the future, not how she looks.
In her words
“Although I think it’s great to have a dream, it’s not good to be impatient,” Tzuyu said in an interview with Japanese news website Modelpress about chasing dreams.
“The path you’re taking towards your dream is at least as important as your dream. The things you absorb while working hard and striving to learn are linked to your personal growth. It’s not just about results – I also treasure the process.”