TWICE "Talks That Talk" but Do They Sing Their Songs Live? Fans Weigh In

If you want to go viral in the 2020s, all you have to do is form a K-pop band (or at least that’s how it seems). K-pop groups are one of the most popular and lucrative endeavors with perhaps the most devoted fan groups. Since 2015, TWICE has shown their dominance in the genre as one of the most successful K-pop groups since BTS and Blackpink.

But as TWICE is known for their vigorous touring schedule, audience members have noticed moments where it seems like the group members are lip-syncing, despite their wearable microphones. TWICE’s nine members — Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu — haven’t explicitly confirmed or denied lip-syncing, but we have some theories.

One of the reasons K-pop groups are so beloved is because of how impressive their live performances are. Between fast-paced songs with challenging vocals and never-before-seen choreography, K-pop is easily one of the most difficult genres to perform in. Add in the fact that many K-pop stars are quite young (TWICE’s oldest member, Nayeon, is just 27 years old), and it isn't an easy life they lead.

TWICE’s newest release, "With YOU-th," is their 13th mini-album, proving how hardworking they are on and off the stage. But over the years, fans have noticed that they are very obviously lip-syncing. They often sing high notes with straight faces and because they use a backing track, there are almost definitely harmonies and backing vocals, so it’s hard to discern which vocals are real and which are pre-recorded.

One Redditor shares three videos in which it seems like TWICE is lip-syncing, and in the videos, some members of TWICE are clearly singing more emphatically than others. This could mean that the ones who focus more on dancing do lip-sync, while the group’s main singers are singing live.

It’s likely that TWICE lip-syncs, even if they do it less often than other groups, which is the wide consensus among their fans. K-pop groups have to juggle challenging choreography with even more challenging vocals, so it makes sense that they lip-sync. Plus, if they’re performing almost every night for months on end, their voices are probably the first thing to go if they feel run-down.

Lip-syncing has also been normalized in the genre because of how produced their albums are. Because K-pop groups are such moneymakers, different labels prioritize grouping together members who can look good and dance since singing can be faked and produced. Albums often employ lots of autotune and pitch correction that can be impossible to match live, so they then are forced to resort to lip-syncing to keep up with K-pop’s standards.

We don’t blame the members of TWICE for lip-syncing if they need to, and their fans seem largely forgiving. Their biggest gripe is that bands should just admit to not singing and just dance their hearts out! However, while it may seem impossible to dance and sing at the same time, it’s possible. Just go to a Broadway show if you want to see live dancing mixed with impressive choreography.

Luckily, fans have plenty of instances of TWICE singing live, so they’re still putting on an authentic show.