When Mental Health Makes Waves

How TWICE—K-pop’s record-breaking, stadium-touring, highly in-demand girl group—made it easier for an entire industry to be more honest.

- Kat Moon

When your latest project—in this case, your 11th EP, Between One And Two—sells more than one million units in preorders before it has even released, you might not blame anyone for assuming you are riding high. Especially because, not just in South Korea, but in the world over, success and happiness are branded as basically inextricable. If you have the former, you have the latter, right?

But for Jihyo, Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu—the nine 23- to 27-year-old stars of TWICE—there’s no reason to maintain that charade, despite K-pop’s reputation for near inescapable control of its messaging, and its reluctance in the past to acknowledge or accommodate the challenges of global fame.

All that shifted in 2019 when TWICE’s management company, JYP Entertainment (JYPE), announced that Mina would no longer participate in the group’s current world tour due to an anxiety disorder. It made headlines worldwide. “Mina is currently struggling with sudden extreme anxiety and insecurity towards performing onstage,” a statement read. While it’s not uncommon for stars to take breaks, it’s rare for labels to share their artists’ diagnoses, especially in South Korea, where heavy stigmas around anxiety and depression persist. JYPE’s disclosure about Mina’s condition was a game changer. Fans showered Mina, TWICE, and JYPE with praise and support on social media.