The Story Begins

Lore & Background

Before a single note of "THE STORY BEGINS" reached listeners, Twice had already lived through the crucible of JYP's survival-style training. The group's formation was announced in 2015 after a period of public anticipation, and the album's very title signals a narrative intent: this is not merely a record, it is the opening chapter. The concept art and music video lean into a confectionery, pastel world—glossy candies, soft pinks, playful choreography—positioning the nine members as characters stepping onto a story stage for the very first time.

Musically, the album sits at the intersection of late-2010s J-pop-influenced idol pop and the crisp, synth-driven production JYP was known for. The hooks are immediate, the melodies singable, and the arrangement favors bright stabs of keys and punchy percussion over heavy bass. For a debut, the production feels confident rather than tentative, as if the group had been rehearsing this exact energy in waiting rooms for years before the cameras rolled.

For the fandom, the album carries a weight that goes beyond chart numbers. It is the sound of discovery—the moment a listener first hears "Like OOH-AHH" and feels the pull of a group that will go on to define a generation of K-pop. Every subsequent era is measured, in part, against the joy and simplicity of this first step.

In Their Own Story

The studio was quiet in the way that only pre-recording silence can be—nine girls in matching pastel outfits sitting in a circle on the floor, legs crossed, eyes bright with the particular electricity of a first take. The producer tapped the mic, counted in, and the first chord hit like a bubble popping in slow motion. Someone laughed. Someone's hair fell across her face and she didn't brush it away. The track ran, they ran it again, and by the third pass the choreography was no longer something they were performing but something they were breathing. When the final "ooh-ahh" faded into the room's reverb, no one clapped. They just looked at each other, grinning, as if the story had already begun before the first word was sung.

Reader's Guide

THE STORY BEGINS arrived in October 2015 as Twice's first full-length album on JYP Entertainment. The concept is straightforward and effective: a candy-sweet, pastel-bright world where nine distinct characters open a story book together. The visual language—glossy confections, soft lighting, playful framing—became the group's initial aesthetic signature.

The title track "Like OOH-AHH" anchors the release with a bouncy, hook-forward pop structure: a call-and-response vocal hook, bright synth stabs, and a chorus designed for instant singability. A Japanese single, "Weeve," also appears on the album, giving international listeners an early taste of the group's cross-border ambitions. The remaining tracks explore lighter, more melodic territory, rounding out the album with a mix of upbeat and mid-tempo numbers that showcase the range of all nine vocalists.

As a debut, the production leans on clean, radio-ready arrangements rather than experimental textures. There is no prior Twice release to compare against, but the album sets a baseline of polished, feel-good pop that the group would later complicate and expand. "Like OOH-AHH" remains the signature track, the one fans return to as the purest expression of the group's original promise: joy, unity, and a story that was only just getting started.

Did You Know?

• The album's title, "THE STORY BEGINS," frames the release as a narrative opening rather than a simple debut, a framing the group and their label carried into subsequent era concepts.
• Twice's nine-member lineup was already established at the time of this release, meaning every voice heard on the album belongs to a member who is still active in the group today.
• The candy-and-pastel visual concept introduced here became a recurring motif in the group's early merchandising, stage design, and fan-event aesthetics.
• The album served as a bridge between the group's Korean debut and their early Japanese activities, with a Japanese single included on the same record.