TWS (TourS) is officially a force to be reckoned with in the global music scene! The rising idol group has just earned their first-ever Gold Disc certification from the Japan Record Association, and it’s a major achievement.

On January 15, the Japan Record Association confirmed that TWS's first single Last Bell has shipped over 100,000 units as of December 2024, officially giving the group their "Gold" certification. This is a huge deal since the Gold Disc is awarded when albums reach 100,000 shipments, with higher certifications like Platinum and Double Platinum for even more sales.

What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that Last Bell is a Korean album, and it earned this recognition even before TWS made their official debut in Japan. This speaks volumes about the strong interest from local fans and shows just how much global potential TWS has!

Released in November 2024, Last Bell took Japan by storm, topping the Oricon Weekly Single Ranking and Weekly Combined Single Ranking as of December 16. TWS also made waves by appearing on major year-end Japanese music festivals like the 2024 FNS Music Festival and Best Hit Kayosai 2024—solidifying their growing popularity in Japan.

Since their debut in January 2024, TWS has quickly gained attention for their unique sound and amazing talent, becoming one of the hottest rookie groups in K-pop. They’ve already snagged 13 major music award wins, including 7 New Artist awards, making them the top debut artist of the year!

On top of that, TWS’s debut track "First Meeting Didn’t Go As Planned" made a historic mark by topping Melon’s 2024 Year-End Chart. This is the first time in 14 years that a debut song has reached this milestone! The song also landed in the top 3 of both the 2024 Year-End Digital Chart and Streaming Chart published by Circle Chart, proving that TWS is here to stay.

Source (1)

Lee Jun Young recently opened up about the emotional toll of playing a villain—and how one powerful scene made him break down in tears behind the scenes.

On the May 1st episode of KBS 2TV’s variety show Problem Child in House, Lee Jun Young appeared alongside co-star Jung Eun Ji to promote their new KBS drama Pump Up the Healthy Love.

During the show, Lee Jun Young was asked about the most unforgettable villain he’s played. He chose his role as Han Su Gang in the film Brave Citizen.

He explained, “It was really tough to film. I had to act like I was leading school violence, and there was even a scene where I bullied a grandmother.”

The hosts were surprised, pointing out how kind and gentle he seems in real life. Lee Jun Young shared how he transforms for such roles.

“I try to act as bad as I can, but sometimes the director says, ‘You still look too nice.’ Then I focus even harder and adjust right away.”

He also revealed that filming one particular scene hit him hard emotionally. “My real grandmother was sick at the time,” he said.

“In one scene, there’s a grandma selling gimbap, and I ad-libbed by stubbing a cigarette out on the gimbap. I was really into character, but after filming, I just broke down. So many thoughts came to me and I started crying.”

Fans praised his dedication to acting but also felt moved by how deeply the role affected him. Lee Jun Young’s honesty gave a raw look at how even fictional roles can hit close to home.

Source: [1]