TWS "NO TRAGEDY"

PLEDIS Entertainment

In an idyllic world, William Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet didn’t have to end their love story so tragically. Instead, the innocent, pure love they felt for each other could have grown into something more and become a happy ending. For K-pop group TWS, their 5th Mini-album, NO TRAGEDY, out today, reflects this sentiment – “romance rewritten with a Happy Ending.”

TWS (short for TWENTY FOUR SEVEN WITH US) first came into the scene in 2024 with their lead single, “plot twist," from their debut album, Sparkling Blue, which became a hit, charting on the Billboard Global 200 for eight weeks and topping the annual chart of Korea’s streaming platform, Melon. Their next three mini-albums and single albums found success on the domestic and global charts, resulting in them being recognized as the only K-pop act on Rolling Stone’s Future 25 of 2026. Known for their sweet pop sounds and adolescent concepts, TWS are ready to take their image to the next step.

Still keeping with their established “Boyhood Pop” charm (celebrating their youthful and high-energy sounds and performances), TWS members Shinyu, Dohoon, Youngjae, Hanjin, Jihoon, and Kyungmin are ready to highlight their evolving identity and dive headfirst towards love – romantic love – the kind that makes your heart flutter.

“The whole theme is standing up against the stars (that try to stop love) and trying to fight for love,” Dohoon explains over Zoom during a private listening party for their album last week. “We know that we did a lot of youthful vibes music before, but this time around, we wanted to show the more proactive side of us pursuing love.”

In the group’s Opening Sonnet : star-cross’d lovers, the members play on this idea of young love, and the feelings one gets when they have their first crush. But, of course, there are things in the way of that love that the guys must battle, especially when finding out what happens to Romeo and Juliet at the end of the story. Once they learn the truth, they are faced with trouble in paradise and must “beware the star’s curse against love.” This leads into the lead single, “You, You.”

“As the title of the album, NO TRAGEDY, suggests, we just wanted to express that message that there is no tragedy,” Kyungmin says, “I would say this album captures our take on romance, not just to succumb to fate, but to actively fight for love. So this time around, we’re going to be transforming into Romeo. All six of us.”

With six tracks, the music blends genres such as House, hyper-pop, R&B, boom bap, and more. Youngjae says they’re expanding their “boyhood pop” spectrum, a youthful evolution of their unique musical style that channels refreshing, unstoppable energy. He shares, “As we prepared NO TRAGEDY, we wanted to express different perspectives on love through our voice. I also think this album is another step in growth within our signature genre, ‘Boyhood Pop.’ Now that we have all come of age, our music has naturally matured alongside us. While the essence of what defines our sound remains the same, I think you can hear a wider emotional range and expression throughout the album—both in the messages we’re trying to convey and in the way our growth comes through.”

In their mini-album highlight medley, where all the songs were featured, each member was featured with each song, showcasing what the song represented in this No Tragedy world. It follows this Romeo and Juliet timeline of Hanjin meeting and falling in love with Juliet (through the fish tank, like in the 1996 film of the play) (“All The Possibilities”); then Youngjae climbing the ladder to woo her from her bedroom (“Back to Strangers”); Kyungmin talking to her on the phone, and being told to “go find her” and “fly over the walls’” (“Why You So Bad”), Shinyu running away with Juliet (“Fire Escape”); Jihoon destroying the poison that is meant to kill Romeo and Juliet (“Get It Now”); and, Dohoon finding happiness in the end (“You, You”).

At first listen, it feels like a heartfelt, romantic confession to first love – a time of honesty and virtue. Their first track, “All the Possibilities,” is a vibrant, house-based, lively song that embodies the confidence to become whatever the person desires and ‘all their possibilities.’ Jihoon explains that it was meant to be a message for their fans – known as 42 (pronounced in Korean as SA-I),

“After our debut, we always discuss what our message is, what we can spread, and what we can deliver to 42,” he says. “From there, we make a decision and always try to discuss the message that we can deliver to 42, whom we love the most. We [decided to highlight] all the possibilities. We will be your possibility. We will be your future.”

Jihoon, Youngjae, and Dohoon all participated in writing the lyrics. In fact, Youngjae, Jihoon, and Dohoon wrote on other tracks for the album: “Fire Escape,” “Back to Strangers,” and “You, You,” respectively. Hanjin contributed to the lyrics for “Back to Strangers.”

Their lead single, “You, You,” is an R&B-infused house track that delivers an honest confession of feelings for this idealistic dream, evoking nostalgic memories. Dohoon describes the song as a confession of love for someone who feels they stepped out of a dream.

“So basically, we do what we do best – combining the youthful mood with R&B,” he says. “Also, one very important fact is that I took part in the lyric making, so I hope you will check that out. Also, in the hook/chorus, there’s a really hooky verse. We have some choreography that matches that as well.”

The group’s all-English track, “Why You So Bad?,” is a sweet pop song that captures love’s determination to stand up to the haters who want to end it. It’s a fight song for love, but it also captures the frustration and excitement that come with that emotion. Kyungmin reveals, “So I think as you're listening to this song, you'll be able to feel the exciting and upbeat vibe – that energy.”

With “Get It Now,” it’s a bold fusion of boom bap, hip-hop, funk, and rock with a hard-driving beat. It’s very rock-heavy. Shinyu says they wanted to experiment with the different music elements to create this wild, unfiltered energy.

“So the message that this song carries is to break free from the monotony of everyday life,” says Shinyu. “Just enjoy and savor this moment together.”

Youngjae was excited to share the song he worked hard on, “Fire Escape.” Inspired by the exit theme, he wanted to convey that you’re my emergency exit – my savior and guiding light. It channels deep emotions toward someone who leads you out to safety. Filled with uptempo dance-pop, with hyperpop and hip-hop elements, its message was important to him.

“We wanted to explore the genre of hyper-pop, which is something that we rarely touched on previously,” Youngjae shares. “The lyrics go down really deep. When I first listened to ‘Fire Escape,’ the song didn’t feel like it portrayed just bright, purely happy love. There was a more layered, emotional tone to it, which really stayed with me.”

Hanjin and Jihoon co-wrote the emotional pop song “Back to Strangers,” which begins with a simple two-chord guitar loop before building into a grand, dreamy mood. Hanjin says its premise is that if the lovers were to return to strangers, they would choose that person again. As he continued writing the song, he became more certain that love isn’t simply decided by fate, but “shaped by the choices we make – choosing to reach for one another again, even in uncertain moments.”

“While working on the lyrics for this album, rather than trying to change the ending of a tragic love story, I wanted to focus more on the emotions that remain within,” Hanjin declares. “I kept coming back to the thought, if we lost all our memories and returned to the very beginning, would we still choose each other again?”

He adds, “Rather than building out a specific storyline, I focused on the feeling of returning to someone, even when everything feels unfamiliar, and that quiet sense of finding your way back to each other. Through that, I came to see love, not as something with a fixed ending, but as something that’s built through those choices, again and again.”

Though the songs on the mini-album reflect young love, Jihoon reveals that he really thought long and hard about the kind of lyrics he wanted to express. He was really confused at the time because he had no idea what to write until he considered future versions of himself and the group.

“I just reminded myself about 42, who we love the most, and just moving on this,” Jihoon reflects. “I really walked a lot, strolling the street at midnight. It really helps me a lot.”

Youngjae really put together a playlist of songs with a similar theme to “Fire Escape,” interpreting the song's message. He also drew inspiration from books, drama series, and films with similar narratives.

“As we prepared NO TRAGEDY, we wanted to express different perspectives on love through our voice,” Youngjae says. “During that process, I felt it was important to look beyond just my personal experiences when writing the lyrics, so I spent time exploring a wide range of stories and music that reflect similar emotional viewpoints. I found inspiration in works that approach love from different angles, in ways that reminded me of Romeo and Juliet—such as Kazuto and Matsuri from The Last 10 Years, Phillip and Anne from The Greatest Showman, and Fiyero and Elphaba's relationship in Wicked. Each of these offered a different lens on love and has guided me to shape the lyrics in a more layered, nuanced way.”

One of Hanjin’s goals for himself this year was to share stories that reflected both TWS and 42s through their music. He says the songs that were written and performed can go beyond the “romantic narrative.” It’s really a connection to the relationship between TWS and the fans.

Hanjin shares, “To me, the process felt less like creating something new—more like giving these moments and emotions shape as music. With this album, I think I was able to express these feelings more honestly and thoughtfully. I hope our lyrics can make anyone who listens to our music—or supports us—feel a sense of connection, and feel chosen.”

TWS’s NO TRAGEDY is available now on all streaming platforms. Physical albums are available at select retailers.