ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: TWLV
During the tail end of 2020, Chancellor. Babylon, TWLV, Jiselle, and BIBI (formerly Naked Bibi) would drop the KRNB song Automatic. The song would become hailed as the "collab that saved 2020." (YouTube comment) With a group of underground KRNB powerhouses, who had been working on countless underground tracks, the collaboration catapulted the artists into South Korea's mainstream. While four of the artists are more well-known, this article will highlight one of the more underrated artists, TWLV.
TWLV appeared on the scene in 2018, releasing songs with Superbee, G.NINE, and .packxday. But like his collaborator, BIBI, it wouldn't be until his appearance in the South Korean singing competition, The Fan, that he would gain national and international traction.
After ending up in the Top 5, TWLV would later garner a record deal in 2019 with YnG & Rich. At the label, he would release his album "K.I.S.S" a blend of R&B, Hip-Hop with other influences like pop and tropical pop. The stand-out single titled "Te Quiero" is another collaboration with Bibi.
In the cases of many KRNB and KHH artists, I find on SoundCloud. My favorite song by TWLV is "Neverland." Even before understanding the Korean lyrics, the beat, and vocals, paired with the few English words, I immediately felt the whimsical nature of the song. The simple production has the singer deliver breathy vocals in a raspier tone. Further, adding to the dreaminess of the song. The song seems to be about a young adult disillusioned with "the real world" yearning to escape to one full of adventure and color.
"꿈이라면 영원하길 빌어
아침이 오는게 난 싫어
어른이 된다는게 난 싫어."
(If it's a dream, I hope it's forever.
I don't want the morning to come.
I don't like being an adult.)
And with that song, TWLV encapsulates what his overall catalog would become. R&B and pop with influences from other genres plus simple and effective lyrics about a topic, usually with the theme of love, are a formula that TWLV executes flawlessly with each new release.
That's why he is this month's Artist Spotlight.
