Yes or Yes (stylized as YES or YES) is the sixth extended play by the South Korean girl group Twice. It was released on November 5, 2018, by JYP Entertainment and distributed by Iriver. It contains seven tracks, including the lead single of the same name and the Korean version of "BDZ". Twice members Jeongyeon, Chaeyoung and Jihyo took part in writing lyrics for three songs on the EP.
The album became a commercial success for the group, topping the Gaon Album Chart and becoming Twice's first Korean album to top Japan's Oricon Album Chart. It recorded over 500,000 copies sold, and with its release, Twice reached an accumulated number of over 3 million albums sold in South Korea. A reissue, titled The Year of "Yes", was released on December 12, 2018.
Background and release
In early October 2018, advertisements with the phrase "Do you like Twice? Yes or Yes" (Korean: "트와이스 좋아하세요? YES or YES") were put up on subway billboards, drawing attention online.[2] On October 11, JYP Entertainment confirmed that Twice planned to release a third Korean album that year on November 5.[3]Yes or Yes was revealed as the album's title on October 20 and a special video commemorating Twice's third anniversary contained a short clip of the album's lead single of the same name.[4]
Twice released their first group teaser photo regarding their comeback on October 23.[5] On October 24, individual teaser posters featuring Nayeon, Jeongyeon, and Momo were uploaded. A track list image for the album's eponymous title track was also posted, revealing that it was written by Sim Eun-jee, who previously worked with Twice as a songwriter for "Knock Knock".[6][7] On October 25, individual teaser photos featuring Sana, Jihyo, and Mina were posted by the group. On the same day, a second track list image for the album was posted, revealing the titles of three songs written by Twice members: "LaLaLa" penned by Jeongyeon, "Young & Wild" co-written by Chaeyoung, and "Sunset" being written by Jihyo.[8][9] On October 26, individual teaser photos featuring Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu were uploaded. A third track list image unveiling additional details about the album was also posted, revealing seven songs in total.[9][10]
On October 27, a second group teaser photo was released by Twice.[10] On October 28, a second set of individual teaser photos featuring each member was uploaded.[11] Twice then revealed their first music video teaser for "Yes or Yes" on October 29.[12] On October 30, Twice unveiled their third group teaser poster.[13] The following day, the group released the second music video teaser for the album's title track, revealing their opening choreography.[14] A full preview of the album's contents was revealed by the group on November 1.[15] On November 2, Twice uploaded their third music video teaser, revealing more of their choreography and opening verse.[16] More parts of the lead track's opening verse was revealed by the group on November 3.[17] A highlight medley featuring snippets from all of the album's tracks was uploaded on November 4.[18]
Yes or Yes alongside its eponymous lead single was officially released on November 5, with Twice holding their live showcase at the KBS Arena Hall in Hwagok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul.[19]
Composition
Yes or Yes is an EP consisting of seven tracks. The title track "Yes or Yes" was composed by David Amber and Andy Love, with Korean lyrics by Sim Eun-jee. Amber previously co-composed "Heart Shaker" and Sim Eun-jee co-wrote lyrics for "Knock Knock". "Yes or Yes" was described as a bright and lively "color pop" song in the synth-pop genre with influences from Motown, reggae and arena pop.[20] Lyrically, it is about only being able to reply "yes" to a confession of love.[21]
"Say You Love Me" is an upbeat song which lyrically describes the feeling of one who is admitting to their romantic interest and waiting for their reply. "LaLaLa" is written by Jeongyeon, and is described as a "quintessential love song". "Young & Wild" is penned by Chaeyoung and lyrically talks about self-confidence. "Sunset", written by Jihyo, features a mono-speaker sound effect with its lyrics comparing one's romantic interest to a sunset. "After Moon" is classified as a ballad track. The album's final track is the Korean version of "BDZ" from their Japanese album BDZ.[22][23]
Promotion
Two days before the album's release, Twice appeared on the television show Knowing Bros and performed part of "Yes or Yes" for the first time.[24] The group held a showcase for the album on November 5, 2018, at the KBS Arena Hall in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. The first televised performance of "Yes or Yes" was at the 2018 MBC Plus X Genie Music Awards on November 6.[25] Twice also appeared on Idol Room as part of the promotion for the album.[2]
The group promoted the album on several Korean music show programs, first performing the title track and "BDZ" on M Countdown on November 8.[26] They also performed on KBS2's Music Bank on November 9 and 23,[27][28] SBS' Inkigayo on November 11,[29] MBC M's Show Champion on November 14,[30] and MBC's Show! Music Core on November 17.[31] The title track "Yes or Yes" garnered a total of four music show wins, first getting a win on Show Champion on November 14. It received a music show win on M!Countdown and Inkigayo, and achieved its fourth win on Show Champion for the second week.[32][33][34]
In South Korea, Yes or Yes topped the Gaon Album Chart for the week ending November 10, 2018.[36] It was Twice's first Korean album to rank number 1 on Japan's Oricon Albums Chart and Digital Albums Chart.[37] On November 11, Yes or Yes received a Platinum certification from the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) for reaching sales of over 250,000 copies.[38] The album then ranked at number three on the monthly Gaon Album Chart for the month of November, recording 322,803 copies sold.[39] In June 2024, the album reached 500,000 sales and received a Double Platinum certification from the KMCA.[40]
With the release of Yes or Yes, Twice reached an accumulated number of over 3 million albums sold in South Korea, achieving the feat within three years of their career.[41]
^"[EP] YES or YES". Melon (in Korean). Kakao Corp. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
^ abJeong Ji-won (October 24, 2018). "트와이스, 지하철역 홍보→아형·아이돌룸 출격...11월 올킬예고" [Twice, subway promotions → Knowing Bros, Idol Room... a notice for their November "all kill"]. OSEN (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
^Yeo Dong-eun (October 20, 2018). "트와이스, 11월 5일 오후 6시 미니 6집 'YES or YES' 발매 '10번째 히트 예감'" [Twice's 6th mini album 'Yes or Yes' released November 5 at 6pm 'Expected to be a 10th hit']. My Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 25, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
^Kim Mi-jeong (November 2, 2018). "'아는 형님' 트와이스, 신곡 'YES or YES' 최초 공개! 지코의 깜짝 영상편지까지?" ['Knowing Bros' Twice, showed new song 'Yes or Yes' for the first time!] (in Korean). iMBC. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
^"ALBUM 가온 인증" [Album Gaon Certification]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020.
^"年間 アルバムランキング – 2018年度" (in Japanese). Oricon ME Inc. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
^"2018년 Album Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
^"年間 アルバムランキング – 2019年度" (in Japanese). Oricon ME Inc. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
^"올해의 가수 (앨범) 후보자" [Artist of the Year (Album) nominees]. 8th Gaon Chart Music Awards 2018 (in Korean). KMCA. Archived from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
