No One Expected TWS to Sweep Immortal Songs Like This

When the six members of TWS walked onto the stage of Immortal Songs for the first time on April 18, they did something no idol group had ever accomplished in the program's history — they won every single round and walked away with the trophy. Not just a win. An all-kill. On their very first appearance.

The moment stunned even the show's most veteran observers. Host Lee Chan-won, himself a celebrated singer, watched their performance and simply said, "I had no confidence I could beat them." The original composer whose songs they were reinterpreting, Yoon Il-sang, put it more bluntly: "I ended up stanning them without even realizing it. This is definitely the best dance performance among all the remakes of my songs."

For fans who have followed TWS since their February 2024 debut under PLEDIS Entertainment, this moment was both a surprise and a confirmation — a group known for their bright, fresh energy revealing a side of themselves that nobody had fully seen before.

A 30-Year-Old Classic, Transformed

The song TWS chose for the occasion was "Jeong" (정), a 1996 hit by mixed-gender group Young Turks Club (영턱스클럽). It is a track soaked in nostalgia — a signature piece of Korean pop history with a distinctive melodic sensibility that audiences of a certain generation recognize immediately. Remaking it for a modern idol performance is no small task.

TWS opened with a mysterious, artistic intro sequence that immediately signaled this would not be a straightforward retread of the original. What followed was a carefully constructed stage built on layers: gentle vocals giving way to sharp rap verses, then an explosive dance break that brought the crowd to its feet. The group leaned into a charismatic, almost theatrical energy — a deliberate contrast with the sunny "청량돌" (refreshing idol) image they had built over the past two years.

The standout moment came during the "scissor-kick" dance — a signature move from the original track in which performers cross their legs rapidly while balancing in a handstand. It is a move that demands extraordinary core strength and synchronization. TWS executed it with razor-sharp precision, and the studio audience erupted. The attending artists watching from backstage did the same.

Yoon Il-sang was moved enough to promise the group a brand-new song. "Let's start working on new music today," he told them. TWS earned 427 points for the performance — the highest score recorded on the program in 2026.

Four Wins. Zero Losses. A Record That Stood for Decades, Then Didn't.

Immortal Songs (불후의 명곡) has been a fixture of Korean broadcast television for over a decade. In the format, competitors perform reimagined versions of a featured composer's catalog, facing off in direct rounds judged by an in-studio panel. Sweeping an entire episode — beating every opponent — is extraordinarily rare. For an idol group to do it on their debut appearance had simply never happened before in the show's history.

TWS faced four opponents across the April 18 broadcast, all of them seasoned performers. First up was Mighty Mouth alongside Min Young of BBGIRLS, whose energetic take on Turbo's "Love Is... (3+3=0)" even brought original singer Kim Jong-kook out via video link for a surprise appearance. They were followed by Daybreak, whose vocalist Lee Won-seok delivered a warm rendition of Lee Moon-sae's "Unpredictable Life." Then came Im Han-byeol, widely regarded as one of the most technically gifted performers in Korean entertainment, who sang Lee Seung-cheol's "Fate" (인연). Finally, Japanese vocalist Takenaka Yudai took on YB's "I Will Forget You" (잊을게), performing entirely in Korean after a week of intensive study.

TWS won every round. By the time the final result was announced, it was not a close call — it was a unanimous statement from both the panel and the audience that something genuinely special had happened on that stage. Member Hanjin was moved to tears backstage after the praise came in, overwhelmed by the recognition from Yoon Il-sang himself.

The episode's ratings reflected the energy of the broadcast: 3.8% nationwide according to Nielsen Korea, sustaining the show's remarkable run of 149 consecutive weeks as the top-rated program in its time slot.

Tears, Praise, and a Composer Who Became a Fan

The reactions captured just how much the performance had landed with everyone in the studio. Yoon Il-sang, who had watched every act with the quiet appraisal of someone who has heard his songs reinterpreted hundreds of times, gave TWS something different.

"I ended up stanning them without even realizing it," he said, using the fan culture term 입덕 deliberately, which drew laughter and cheers from the audience. He called the performance "the best dance remake of my songs" and immediately offered to write new music for the group.

Takenaka Yudai, whose own performance that evening had earned genuine praise, said that "their youthful energy really stood out" and that he "felt a strong pull toward them even through the screen." Host Lee Chan-won admitted he had no confidence he could have competed against them — a comment that landed with particular weight coming from a performer of his caliber.

For Hanjin, receiving that level of validation from the composer himself proved overwhelming. His visible emotion backstage resonated deeply with viewers at home, who saw in it the weight of what the moment meant to a group still early in their career and still proving what they are capable of.

From Refreshing Idol to Stage-Commanding Force

Part of what made the Immortal Songs performance so striking was the image shift it represented. TWS built their reputation on brightness and approachability — their debut single "plot twist" and subsequent releases established them as a group defined by clean choreography, warm harmonies, and cheerful energy. Fans coined the term 청량돌, roughly "refreshing idol," to capture their defining quality.

What appeared on the Immortal Songs stage was something categorically different. The charisma was darker, the stage presence more commanding, the choreography more physically demanding. It was not an abandonment of what TWS had been — it was an expansion, a demonstration that the group's range extends significantly beyond their established image.

This kind of reinvention is a significant milestone for any K-pop group. Pulling it off convincingly in front of a primetime national broadcast audience — and setting a record in the process — signals readiness for the next chapter. The performance effectively announced that TWS is no longer just a beloved up-and-coming group. They are contenders.

What Comes Next: 'NO TRAGEDY' and Beyond

That next chapter arrives soon. TWS releases their fifth mini album, NO TRAGEDY, on April 27 — just nine days after the historic Immortal Songs broadcast. The album is described as centered on a narrative of six young men chasing love with unwavering determination, confronting fate rather than accepting it. The title feels almost like a companion statement to what the group demonstrated on the show: a declaration that this group will not be limited by what others have decided is possible for them.

For international fans, there is more ahead beyond the album. TWS is confirmed to perform at Summer Sonic 2026 in Japan across August 14-16, with shows in both Tokyo and Osaka — a major festival booking that underscores the group's growing presence in one of K-pop's most important international markets.

The historical footnote is already written: TWS became the first idol group in the history of Immortal Songs to all-kill on their debut appearance. But what the performance communicated went beyond a record. It communicated ambition. A group that already had a devoted fanbase has now given everyone else — the casual viewer, the skeptic, the fan of the show who had never paid much attention to them — a reason to take notice. Whatever comes next in the TWS story, they earned it on that stage.