"Plot Twist" (Korean: 첫 만남은 계획대로 되지 않아; RR: Cheon mannameun gyehoekdaero doeji ana; lit. The first meeting doesn't go as planned) is a song by South Korean boy group TWS. It was released on January 22, 2024, through Pledis Entertainment, as the second single and the lead track of the group's debut EP Sparkling Blue. The song peaked at number two on the Circle Digital Chart.
Background and release
After premiering the pre-release single "Oh Mymy: 7s" and its music video on January 2, 2024,[1] several teasers and activities, including a highlight medley,[2] a product endorsement deal with Lotte Chilsung's Milkis,[3] and cover features on Japanese magazines Ray and ViVi,[4] were revealed to promote and build anticipation for TWS' first EP. With the release of Sparkling Blue and its lead single "Plot Twist" on January 22, TWS became the first boy group to debut under Pledis Entertainment in nine years, following the launch of Seventeen in 2015.[5]
On the same day of its release, TWS performed "Plot Twist", together with the tracks "Oh Mymy: 7s", "Unplugged Boy", and "BFF", for the first time on the group's global debut program TWS: Debut Show on Mnet.[6] The show was simultaneously broadcast on the Mnet, M2, and Hybe Labels channels on YouTube.[6]
Composition
I love our lead single because I think it captures the flutters of the heart and the nervousness of the "first encounter" that we all experience at one point or another.
— TWS member Hanjin on the song's meaning, Bandwagon Asia[7]
In an effort to define the group's musical identity, TWS planned to showcase their own unique genre, which they have defined to be "boyhood pop".[5] Characterized by a "refreshing vibe" and its combined use of drum, guitar, and synth sounds, "Plot Twist" has been noted to embody the "thrill of a first encounter",[5] in reference to the meaning of the song's Korean title 첫 만남은 계획대로 되지 않아, which translates to "first encounters don't go as planned".[7]
Music video
The official music video was simultaneously released with "Plot Twist" on January 22, 2024. It depicted scenes of the TWS members experiencing feelings of excitement and nervousness as they navigate through their first day of school.[8][9] On January 30, a performance video of the song was released.[8]
Critical reception
Jeff Benjamin ranked "Plot Twist" at number three on Billboard's mid-year list of 2024's 20 best K-Pop songs, praising the single for its "unexpected but dynamic turns within the production" and lauding it as "a sonic adventure" that "hook[s] listeners from the first note to the anthemic chant that closes the track".[10] Writing for Osen, Kyung Jimin commented that the song gave "a pleasant feeling", summarizing it as "a story of overcoming the vagueness encountered in the excitement of a first encounter, with anticipation for the bright days ahead together".[11]
Commercial performance
In South Korea, "Plot Twist" peaked at number two on the Circle Digital Chart for the week of March 3–9, 2024.[12] Having performed consistently well on domestic music services such as Melon, Bugs, and Spotify, the song was recognized for its success and easy-listening nature, eliciting commentary on the general difficulty of boy groups climbing major South Korean music charts due to their preference for more intense genres.[5] Despite never topping the weekly or monthly charts, the song ranked first on the Circle Digital Chart for the first half of 2024.[13]
^Lee, Min-ji (January 19, 2024). "'세븐틴 동생그룹' TWS, 데뷔 전 탄산음료 광고 모델 발탁" ['Seventeen's younger brother group' TWS, selected as carbonated beverage advertisement model before debut]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
^Kyung, Ji-min (January 19, 2024). "TWS, 데뷔도 전에 日 잡지 표지 장식..역대급 행보" [Before their debut, TWS graces the cover of Japanese magazines… an unprecedented move]. OSEN [ko] (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024 – via Naver.
^ abPark, Soo-in (January 17, 2024). "'세븐틴 동생 그룹' TWS(투어스), 엠넷 글로벌 데뷔쇼서 4곡 무대 최초공개" ['Seventeen's younger brother group' TWS to perform 4 songs for the first time on Mnet's global debut show]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024 – via Naver.
^ abKyung, Jimin (January 30, 2024). "TWS, '첫 만남은 계획대로 되지 않아' 퍼포먼스 MV 공개..'청량+파워풀'" [TWS releases the performance MV for "First Meetings Don’t Go as Planned"... 'refreshing and powerful']. OSEN [ko] (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
^Kyung, Jimin (January 23, 2024). "TWS, 데뷔 동시에 앨범 차트 1위 직행..발매 당일 20만 장 판매고" [TWS, debuted and went straight to #1 on the album charts.. 200,000 copies sold on the day of release]. OSEN [ko] (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024 – via Naver.
^투어스, 데뷔 앨범 판매량 40만 장 돌파...인기 '롱런' 청신호 [TWS, debut album sales exceed 400,000 copies...Green light for 'long-run' popularity]. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). March 25, 2024. Archived from the original on August 17, 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2024 – via Naver.
^Kim, Sun-woo (February 15, 2024). '괴물신인' 투어스, 데뷔 23일만 음방 1위 ['Monster Rookie' TWS, first place on music show 23 days after debut] (in Korean). JTBC News. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024 – via Naver.
^Ahn, Byeong-gil (February 21, 2024). 투어스, 음방 2관왕 ‘더쇼’ 삼켰다 [TWS Music Show Double Crown Winner 'The Show']. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 17, 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2024 – via Naver.
