EYES WIDE OPEN

Lore & Background

Following the release of Twice's commercially successful EP, More & More (2020), reports of an upcoming comeback set for October 26 circulated on various Korean media sites. The reports were confirmed by JYP Entertainment later that day. The album was announced on September 30, 2020 (KST) via Twice's official SNS accounts, along with the release date and promotional schedule. On October 6, the album's title was announced. On October 11, three group teaser images were released alongside the digital album cover. On October 17, JYP Entertainment announced in an official statement that member Jeongyeon would take a hiatus due to "psychological anxiousness" and would not participate in any promotional activities for Eyes Wide Open. On October 19, Twice held a special livestreaming event commemorating their fifth anniversary named "With (Twice 5th Anniversary Special)", wherein the group performed the song "Say Something", the 12th track from the album. The album was officially released on October 26.

Reader's Guide

Eyes Wide Open was a commercial success and received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who complimented the wide variety of music genres featured in the album as well as the group's musical growth. The album marked Twice's highest entry at the time on the US Billboard 200, peaking at number 72, and peaked at number 2 on the Gaon Album Chart. In April 2021, Eyes Wide Open received a 2× Platinum certification from the Korean Music Content Association (KMCA). To promote the album, the group performed on several South Korean music show programs, such as M Countdown and Inkigayo. Writing for Beats Per Minute, Chase McMullen gave the album a score of 79/100, stating that it solidified "Twice's ever-surprising ability to evolve" and described the material as containing the group's "most sophisticated sound and presentation yet, seeing them grow beyond youthful exuberance to deliver pop with a bit more of a weathered, knowing edge". The same website included Eyes Wide Open in its "Top 50 Albums of 2020" list, ranking at number 45. The album was included by Time magazine in its "Songs and Albums That Defined K-Pop's Monumental Year in 2020" list. Billboard magazine included the studio album in its "10 Best K-Pop Albums of 2020: Critics' Picks" at number 6, describing Twice as having hit a "new artistic high". Lai Frances of MTV News described the album as the "bigger, bolder sister of More & More". Mike Wass of Idolator included Eyes Wide Open in the music blog's "70 Best Pop Albums of 2020" list, ranking at number 41. Riddhi Chakraborty from Rolling Stone India ranked the album at number 2 in the magazine's "10 Best K-pop Albums of 2020", describing it as a "smorgasbord of hardcore drops, haunting melodies and outstanding vocal flexes", and further referring to the album as Twice's "best record to date".

Did You Know?

• Members of Twice participated in songwriting for six out of thirteen tracks on the album.
• English singer-songwriter Dua Lipa co-wrote the tenth track, 'Behind the Mask', which is a Korean adaptation of a demo originally written by Dua Lipa; she is credited as a songwriter, not a composer.